Surface Detail cover art

Surface Detail

Culture Series, Book 9

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Surface Detail

By: Iain M. Banks
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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About this listen

The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. His Culture books combine breathtaking imagination with exceptional storytelling, and have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.

The "War in Heaven", a simulated war game, rages between civilisations. Its virtual battles have been fought for decades, and the victors will decide the fate of the digital Hells - torturous artificial afterlives with horrors beyond imagination.

In the Sichultian Enablement, Y'breq is one of the Intagliated, her marked body bearing witness to a family shame, her life belonging to a man whose lust for power is without limit.

As the virtual war threatens to spill into the Real, Y'breq is willing to risk everything for her freedom - but she'll need the Culture, and its help comes at a price. The Culture is going to war with death itself.

The Culture series:
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
The State of the Art

Other books by Iain M. Banks:
Against a Dark Background
Feersum Endjinn
The Algebraist

©2010 Iain M. Banks (P)2010 Hachette Digital Science Fiction Fiction Mind-bending War Banking Game

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Critic reviews

'Banks is a phenomenon' William Gibson
All stars
Most relevant
I loved this. The tyranny of virtual hells was a frightening invention by Banks, and a clear target as a plot focus. There's a pretty decent rendering of a villain, probably the clearest, least ambiguous baddie to feature in a Culture novel. The narration was excellent.
The only caveat I have is the suggestion that this novel probably doesn't sit as well as others in this audio format: the plot twists and array of barely comprehensible character names mean you have to invest more attention than you would with print, because of the difficulty in flipping back through the story to remind oneself of the various story arcs.

Excellent, slightly disturbing Culture novel

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I've decide not to go through the culture series one by one in order, but to flit about arbitrarily on the basis of what grabs my fancy at the time. This book/listen is lighter than others in the series and has a nice linear construction which means that your not too confused at the end. It has technology to wander at and the usual macabreness and deviation as well. It also contains humour in a form that is not so black as you may expect from this author. All in all interesting and entertaining and exciting, four stars.

A Spot Of Culture

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I love Ian m banks, and the culture novels.

Peter Kenny is a fantastic story teller, performer, and voice actor. This is by far the best audio book I've heard. His performance is the only reason I'm writing a review, which I normally do not.

the best audio book performance I've heard

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There is a deal of use of F and, specifically C words in the audiobook which makes for an occasionally uncomfortable moment, for me although it is not that gratuitous and is intrinsic to the character building. I am not a prude but I do feel it is disrespectful to women in general, and I think it is this aspect of the book which will date it most quickly. All science fiction is of its time, and listening again to some audiobooks of "classics" that I soaked up uncritically as a young man, I find the prevalent social attitudes at the time of creation can anchor the stories firmly in a past, less enlightened era, no matter how futuristic the story content is.
That caveat made I found the audiobook a wonderful excursion into Ian's splendid "Culture" universe, with much to enjoy, to wonder at the author's magnificent and inventive imagination, to smile with pleasure at moments of excitement., and to be enraptured and deeply involved by the fantastic descriptions of events no human will or ever could see in our mundane reality.
I was a little perturbed by the author's enthusiastic relation of events in cybernetic "hells" invented for masochismic alien religionists, but it did open the way for the author to take the rise out of elements in society that possibly deserve it.

Properly educated readers of literature often have a pop at science fiction for its supposed lack of characterisation.. I say let such myopic critics fester in their dreary, hidebound, rehearsals of the everyday mundane. Science Fiction is often broad-minded and imaginatively penetrative into society's ills and often comes equipped with some fairly deep thoughts on big scientific and philosophical questions, and sometimes it doesn't. Ian M.Stewart is basically about excellent entertainment within a well-realised universe broadly consistent with known science but never limited by it. He knew how to break the rules in pursuit of a good yarn, and he will be missed after a tragically early death. You don't need to have A-level Physics to enjoy his creations.

Lastly I need to say that the performance of the book by the audioartist was wonderful. Of all the audiobooks I have listened to this year it was the best. Energising, captivating and hugely enjoyable. I am going to look for more performances by this artist - he left me wanting more!

Ian M. Banks is a big loss to S.F. lovers

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Forget about Hannibal Lecter, Dexter or any other earth bound serial killer. In Surface Detail Bank’s has created the Ultimate Serial Killer, a weapon heavy AI free from the compulsive cycle of murder, elation and shame.

Presented as a mischievous anti-Hero the ship ‘Falling Outside The Normal Moral Constraints’ is a look at what a predator with complete self-control is capable of wrapped up in an always engaging Culture story.

An intelligent sociopath

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