This is a "strong" three and half stars. The book is a nice return to form for Banks after the fiasco of "The Business", but it's a very lightweight book for Banks. There's nothing spectacular happening, no larger than life characters, nothing. The plot is basically nonexistent, with only the thinnest required actions inserted between the endless tirades the main character indulges in. How convenient indeed that he works in radio, and hence the tirades are somehow justifiable. Still, everything starting from the name of the book, the date of publication, etc., gives away the "secret" that Banks is basically just using this book as an opportunity to hammer home his views on everything in the world.

Your reaction to this book probably depends on how much you share Banks' viewpoints. I happen to share quite many of them, apart from drugs, so I had fun reading this. Others may not be so fortunate, as there's nothing in here for them.

One thing annoyed me endlessly: where the fuck does Ceel get off being so high and uppity about what his ganster husband does for a living, when that, or more exactly, the money that has brought him, is exactly the reason she married him in the first place, and she has been busy spending ever since and living the high life, paid for by the suffering of other people?