The war is ending perhaps ended. For the castle & its occupants the troubles are just beginning. Armed gangs roam a lawless land where each farm & house supports a column of dark smoke. Taking to the roads with the other refugees anonymous in their raggedness seems safer than remaining in the ancient keep. However the lieutenant of an outlaw band has other ideas & the castle becomes the focus for a dangerous game of desire deceit & death. Iain Banks masterly novel reveals his unique ability to combine gripping narrative with a relentlessly voyaging imagination. The narrative technique & sheer brio of A SONG OF STONE reveal a great novelist at the height of his powers.