Iain Banks

Stewart Gilmour is back in Stonemouth. After 5 years in exile his presence is required at the funeral of patriarch Joe Murston, and even though the last time Stu saw the Murstons he was running for his life, staying away might be even more dangerous than turning up.

It is the end for the Gzilt. They've made the decision to follow the well-trodden path to Sublime, elevating themselves to a new rich and complex existence. Amidst preparations though High Command is destroyed. Lieutenant Commander Vyr Cossont appears to have been involved and she is now wanted: dead, not alive.

Danny used to be a famous - not to say infamous - rock star. Maybe still is. At 31, he realises he only has two problems: the past and the future. He knows how bad the past has been. But the future - well, the future is something else. Originally published: London: Macmillan, 1987