Surface Detail, by Iain M. Banks ★★★★

The latest tale of the Culture is set against a backdrop of a struggle between two factions of galactic societies: one is using mind uploads and virtual reality to punish physically-deceased people by running their personalities in simulated Hells, and the other opposes this practice as cruel and inhumane. The struggle is taking place in a virtual reality of its own, to avoid the cost of a physical war— but the virtual war is drawing to a close and the losers are getting desperate.

The Culture has the firepower to deal with purely military situations, but firepower alone isn’t the way to deal with galactic politics. They’ve been staying out of the simulated War in Heaven (though morally they support the anti-Hell faction), and it’s up to the occasional starship that’s in the right place at the right time to find useful ways to nudge the course of events. The story gets into gear as the result of a long shot taken years ago by the Limited Offensive Unit Me, I’m Counting suddenly comes into play, unraveling a number of convoluted schemes.

This is a good addition to the Culture series, but I would still start readers with The Player of Games. We still get to see Banks’ skill as a horror writer, particularly in the depiction of the Hells, though this is nowhere near as dark as Use of Weapons. An interview with Banks shows some of the themes in the book are intended as critique of our own society, but it’s not heavy-handed.