I put off reading this one for a long time, first because it didn't exist as an ebook, and then, even after I tracked down a paper copy, because I was reluctant to read the titular novella, the only remaining Culture story I hadn't read. It was great, of course. The rest of the stories vary. I still have plenty of Banks' other novels to read, but now I must live with the knowledge that there is no more unexplored Culture for me. RIP.