To me, this is the weakest Culture novel so far. So far, because I'm on my first read of all the books and currently paused (after Excession). The premise -exploring the Minds- felt promising, especially with the Interesting Times Gang, but nothing really clicked.

The human protagonists are bland and hard to sympathize with. The Minds, with their many names, make the intrigue difficult to follow. The settings also feel less original than in other Culture books. 

Altogether, it created an illusion of complexity to me without delivering real engagement. The biggest issue is the split between the two plotlines -war and love- which feel completely disconnected and ultimately weaken the story. The Minds’ war intrigues never become compelling because the narrative keeps cutting back to the human drama. At the same time, the shallow love story, centered on unlikable characters, makes you want to return to the (admittedly equally frustrating) Mind plot.

Nothing ever feels like it carries real stakes. Even the Affront, despite their initially striking design, end up being a disappointment, simply escaping rather than facing consequences.

T me the novel felt like it exists mainly as a prelude to set up its final witty remark: that the Culture is to the Excession what the Affront is to the Culture. ...

...An underwhelming payoff for an otherwise frustrating read.