The Player of Games
I had read Ian Banks, but not Ian M Banks, don't know why but I had it in my head that the M was added because of the snobby attitude to Science Fiction by the "Literati". I may be missrembering but I always thought Penguin added an initial to John Wyndham to point out his SF was not proper literature.
But to get back to "The Player of Games". Many of the concepts in this book would have seemed ridiculous, but with Quantum "science" traveling at many times the speed of light does not seem totally impossible. That aside, I did struggle with the first few pages with the ridiculously long and difficult names, I had no problems with AI or the ten mile long cargo ships.
Once into the story one can forget the wallpaper and emerge yourself into story. As an aside there is a one page description of the society in which the game is set that though dystopian, is very close to the USA the MAGA Mob wish to initiate. I must admit that very early on I thought Jernau Morat Gurgeh (the Player of Games) was likely a pawn rather than player. The cruelty displayed in "The Empire" in its invention and extremism equals the extremes invented by modern serial killer writers.
I did enjoy it and will now read his other SF offerings.
