Matter

Set in the grand, multi-layered universe of the Culture, Iain M. Banks' 'Matter' unfolds on the colossal, shell-world Sursamen, a planet engineered with multiple levels of civilization existing atop one another, each believing their stratum to be the 'surface.' The sudden, brutal assassination of King Hauso plunges his three royal children into turmoil. Prince Ferbin embarks on a desperate quest across the galaxy to find the one person who can clear his name and expose the conspiracy. His brother, Prince Tyl, remains on Sursamen, navigating a treacherous court rife with betrayal and mortal danger. Their estranged sister, Djan Seriy Anaplian, a high-ranking agent of the Culture's enigmatic Special Circumstances section, is compelled to return. Concealing her true identity and formidable abilities, she finds herself entangled in a complex, multi-species war and the dark secrets hidden within Sursamen's deep core, forcing her to question the Culture's non-interference principles and the true cost of 'progress' when ancient forces awaken.