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Incredible narrative structures very much in the shape of short stories, in the sense that you are placed in a huge world where you simply have to accept the situation you are in and get to meet the characters on the go rather than having them being introduced by an omniscient narrator. You are on the field with them, experiencing the warfare, and building connections.

If I had had the time, I would have finished it in one sitting. The author doesn’t hold your hand to help you understand the slightly unconventional structure of the story but instead allows you to wander and explore the factory as if you were in it. Fantastic read!

Started reading this very cautiously because everyone says that this is not a representative book of the Culture setting and also not too good, but I did find it enjoyable. A bit sluggish at times, and sometimes it felt like a series of short stories instead of a cohesive novel, but I did like it. I am yet to start reading the player of games, and maybe I change my opinion about this one, but I was fairly entertained throughout the book.