** spoiler alert ** 
 hell, torture and death... with a few laughs along the way 
 found some of the hell scenes draining after a while - Iain M Banks normal delight in detailed virtual and futuristic scenes in this scenario just became too much 
 much thought provoking ideas thrown in to the mix - nature of existence as a person, as an individual - is it the sum of all experiences, memories. War and escalations as a method to resolve disputes, effectiveness of punishment and torture, saddling future generations with debt [quite timely in this country]