Excession

Excession is part of Iain M. Banks' Culture series of science fiction novels. The story begins two and a half millennia ago when a perfect black-body sphere—an artifact of unknown origin—appears beside a trillion-year-old dying sun from a different universe in a remote corner of space. The sphere does nothing, then vanishes. When it reappears, diplomat Genar-Hofoen of Special Circumstances is dispatched to investigate. Genar-Hofoen's mission becomes complicated by encounters with an old flame and Ulver Seich, a spoiled operative, as well as confrontations with the A­ffront, a race known for systematic depravities. His success in the investigation remains uncertain. The Culture series also includes Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games, Use of Weapons, Inversions, Look to Windward, and The State of the Art.