The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. With breathtaking imagination and extraordinary storytelling, they have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.

"Banks is a phenomenon." —William Gibson, author of The Sprawl Trilogy

Count Sessine is about to die for the very last time. Chief Scientist Gad­fium is about to receive the mysterious message she has been awaiting from the Plain of Sliding Stones. Bascule the Teller, in search of an ant, is about to enter the chaos of the crypt.

This is the time of the encroachment and everything is about to change. Although the dimming sun still shines on the vast, towering walls of Serehfa Fastness, the end is close at hand. The King knows it, his closest advisers know it, and the crypt knows it too; so an emissary has been sent—an emissary who holds the key to all their futures.

Praise for the novels of Iain M. Banks:

"Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution. " —The Independent on Sunday

"Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future." —The Guardian

"Jam-packed with extraordinary invention." —The Scotsman

"Compulsive reading." —The Sunday Telegraph

Also by Iain M. Banks:
The Culture
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
The State of the Art
Against a Dark Background
The Algebraist