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  • Surface Detail

  • A Culture Novel
  • Written by: Iain M. Banks
  • Narrated by: Peter Kenny
  • Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (58 ratings)

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Surface Detail cover art

Surface Detail

Written by: Iain M. Banks
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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Publisher's Summary

It begins in the realm of the Real, where matter still matters. And it begins with a murder.

Lededje Y'breq is one of the Intagliated, her marked body bearing witness to a family shame, her life belonging to a man whose lust for power is without limit. Prepared to risk everything for her freedom, her release, when it comes, is at a price, and to put things right, she will need the help of the Culture.

Benevolent, enlightened and almost infinitely resourceful though it may be, the Culture can only do so much for any individual. With the assistance of one of its most powerful - and arguably deranged - warships, Lededje finds herself heading into a combat zone not even sure which side the Culture is really on. A war - brutal, far-reaching - is already raging within the digital realms that store the souls of the dead, and it's about to erupt into reality.

©2010 Iain M. Banks (P)2010 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"Banks's labyrinthine and devious ninth Culture space opera novel adeptly shifts perspective between vast concepts and individual passions....New readers may be taken aback by the rapid pace, but fans will dive right in and won't come up for air until the final page." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Surface Detail

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  • Overall
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surface tension

-such a complicated story, zoned out at times
-narrator has an impressive range of voices

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Another Great Culture Novel

It took a little while before I felt invested in this one, but once it got rolling, it's yet another great entry for the Culture series. Now to start book 10 with an increasingly heavy heart...

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly Enjoyable

I have listened or read several most of the Culture series, and each is a unique adventure in its own right. The mix of characters, settings amd motivations add to the fun.

The story has a lot of humour, mixed with some horrific ideas, and in a sense is like a war in heaven over the status of virtual hells. The virtual hell setting is disturbing as it should be. And the war essentially being between the societies that are pro virtual hell and anti hel. It is easy to guess where the Culture stands on this. Add in the always wonderful voice acting of Peter Kenny who manages to give distinctive voices or vocal mannerisms to each character always adds to the immersion.

The humour in the story is mostly surrounding the (slightly psychotic) Falling Outside the Normal Moral Constraints, or the GFCF Admiral, again Peter Kenny does a wonderful job here.

Highly recommended, especially for any Culture fan, although I would not suggest starting with this one for anyone new to the Culture.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Continually impressed

I am continually impressed by the scope of these works. The variety and detail. I loved watching Abominator class ships in action. Nice to see some humour in the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Narration top notch, writing fantastic

Banks usual fantastic writing and story. Douglas Adams meets A Reynolds. But the narration was the superstar here. I think he has done many/all of Banks books. The best audiobook narrator I’ve heard yet. The accents, inflection etc is gold…hilarious. I hope Banks was alive to hear these narrations. He would have been very happy I think

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ken
  • 2019-04-15

decent,

the performance is tastic the reader does a credible job. the story is very intriguing. but it could be a little bit more well written jumps from character to character and around in time without any explanation. l

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