Surface detail by Iain Banks

Another culture novel and as with all the others when reading it I feel that this is the best in the series.

I read this book on a mobile phone, HTC Desire HD. When I started, I did not think that I would enjoy the experience of not having a paper book in my hands, but I have to say, it was not as bad as I thought it would be and what tipped the balance to ebooks for me is that I do not have to carry a book with me at all times, and when one is coming close to an end I do not have to carry 2 books :-) I now have 11 books queued up on my phone.

In this novel we get more glimpses of the virtual worlds that exist within the Culture universe. A simulated war game is taking place to abolish virtual hells that some of the civilisations use to keep their citizens in line as well as really punish people practically for ever. And of course in the real world, a number of civilisations are maneuvering for power and influence.

As always the most fun characters are the ship minds and their behaviour. Hero in this is the Falling Outside The Normal Moral Constraints.

The Independent noted that this was a poor book to introduce new readers to The Culture, but "far from the worst introduction to Banks's series."
Alastair Mabbott of The Herald describes the story as having "murder, revenge, pursuit and subterfuge taking place against a backdrop of escalating tension [that] stands up very well, and makes the prospect of further books in the Culture series somewhat less imposing."
UK book review site The Bookbag remarked that "...what sets this book apart is the quality of the writing and the depth of the author's imagination.

Matter by Iain banks

Matter concerns itself with a shell planet, which Banks defines
better than I, called Sursamen. The king of this largely agrarian realm
comes to a brutal end, and one set of plots in the book focuses on the
resulting fight for power. That alone would be a good enough yarn,
especially when told by Banks. Still, you'd wonder what all of the fuss
was about.

It's the other set of threads about the Culture, which is Banks'
science-fiction stock in trade. The Culture is a utopian
galaxy-spanning society that is full of all of the technical gee-gaws,
like A.I. and orbital habitats, that make a geek's heart beat fast. And
within the Culture is Special Circumstances, a team of agents who are
charged with keeping balance in the universe. The daughter of the late
Sursamen king is an SC agent.

Like most other M. Banks books, Matter
twists in completely unanticipated ways and offers up ampules of
philosophy along with its plot. His characters--even the most
minor--are fully drawn and fascinating. A reader can feel her mind
twist around Banks' more fantastic ideas and marvel at the complicated
whimsy he creates. That alone is worth the price of admission.