This is a very interesting novel of Banks for what it is and what it isn't. It is a sprawling tale, set in a universe inhabited by many species, of which humanity is just one of the many. Humans aren't in some superior or inferior position—they get along, work with their partner species, and enjoy hedonistic pursuits, long life, and what seems like a utopian capitalist society. And this definitely isn't the Culture universe which Banks is well known for. Artificial intelligence has been demonized and is destroyed whenever it can be identified. There are no sentient ships or smug drones.
Our main character, Fassin Taak, is a Seer, a scholarly visitor to the Dwellers, inhabitants of the gas giant planet in his home solar system. Dwellers are eccentric and seem to be anarchic, Plus they live at a much slower speed than those they call the Quick. Having a lifespan of potentially billions of years, they have traveled the universe without faster-than-light speeds or wormholes, undaunted by the elapsed time. They have little interest in anything outside their own planetary affairs and are not especially welcoming to Seers or anyone else. Much of the time they seem to be scatter-brained and easily distracted.
Fassin has had more luck than some Seers, in that he has acquired a sponsor, Y'sul. Possibly because Fass is intelligent, gentle, and patient but still brave enough to actually physically enter the gas giant atmosphere and slow himself to Dweller standard. Despite his scholarly endeavors, no one could be more surprised than Fassin when he is abruptly seconded by the military arm of his local government. Apparently, the Dwellers have a secret network of wormholes, which the Mercatoria would like to claim access to, and Fass has uncovered an ancient volume pertaining to it. He is quickly given a military rank and a mission to find out more. He is skeptical, but refusal does not seem to be an option.
Skepticism seems to have been a permanent condition for Mr. Banks, as it permeates this tale. He subtly questions the continued existence of the absurdly wealthy, the morality of the military, as well as the approved ‘religion' of his creation, known of course as the Truth. Fassin Taak quite openly doubts that the Truth is any such thing. It is all explored with typical Banks humour, not the satire of writers like Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, but just illustrated by a quiet man doing his duty, no matter how absurd he finds it.
Book Number 455 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project
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