The seventh entry in the Culture series and a story about the consequences of war, revenge, grief and identity.

This one was a lot better at initially capturing and keeping my interest than Inversions. The book spends more time worldbuilding than previous entries, which I appreciate. I liked learning more about the Minds, orbitals other races and especially the process of sublimation. The latter was briefly touched upon in prior books, but I had always thought it could use a lot more detail. The general story points are known after the first few chapters, and yet I don’t think I’ve been so captivated by a book since I first read Dune. Maybe it is precisely because I knew where it was going and couldn’t wait to get there. The story’s general tone I would describe as melancholic. It has lots of fun moments and excitement, but also elements of sombre thoughts and gloom, especially towards the second half.