Excession
A Culture novel centered on a mysterious ancient artifact and the elaborate political maneuvering it triggers among the Culture's Minds.
An "Outside Context Problem" — a perfect black-body sphere far older than the Culture itself — reappears near a dying star, prompting a scramble among the Culture's ship Minds, diplomats, and rival powers to understand and control it. The novel follows multiple threads, including diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen's uneasy involvement with the aggressive Affront species, as the Minds pursue their own layered schemes largely independent of their human counterparts.
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