Transition by Iain M. Banks

Iain M. Banks’ Transition would be compelling based solely on the sci-fi conceit central to the story, that infinite parallel worlds exist and that trained practitioners can “flit” between the unnumbered versions of earth, briefly inhabiting the bodies and minds of individuals in each world. Banks successfully plays with this concept for the duration of Transition, but also uses it as a platform for serious reflections on some of the grim aspects of reality as we currently know it. Foremost among these is Banks’ assault on the use of torture as a tool in the “war on terror.” Banks conceives of a parallel earth in which the terrorists are Christians, whom the state tortures relentlessly. This clever plot device removes us just far enough from all of the assumptions we make about “Islamofascism,” and highlights torture as exactly what it is: evil. In sum, Banks has crafted an immensely pleasurable sci-fi thriller, and one that makes you think as the pages fly by.