The second ScienceFiction (and Culture) novel by IainMBanks. Arguably the best of the Culture novels. Readers new to the Culture may read this book before ConsiderPhlebas; there's only one reference to background events of the first novel (the Idiran/Culture war) which has long since finished by the start of this book. There's no character overlap, and the main technology covered in ConsiderPhlebas (the GSV__s) doesn't feature so heavily. This book attempts to describe the relative safety and convenience of the Culture by describing its best game-player's mission to the homeworld of an Empire. Socialism vs Empirism in spaaaaaace! Also, people might be put off further IMB novels by the apparent "pointlessness" of ConsiderPhlebas. _I recently read this [T__P__O__G]. There's very little to tell you it is part of a series. And it's ace! --DM_ - http://www.iainbanks.net/sf02.htm - - (UK), (USA) CategoryBook