Excession by Iain M. Banks

Arguably the best Culture book by Iain M. Banks, arguably the greatest sci-fi author of all time, at the peak of his powers, making this one of the very top books in sci-fi history. I’ve not read Excession since I was a teenager and while I remembered bits of it, most of it felt like reading it for the first time, what a privilege. A magnificent story about a conspiracy between some Minds, with some great ships, humans, aliens, and an inexplicably powerful object they call the Excession. As with all Banks’ books, uniquely amazing characters, violence, horror, luxury, sex, drugs, technology, monsters, and dialogue. One of my all-time favourite books of any genre. What a tragedy Banks sublimed so early.