Somebody’s been in a bad car crash. But before we get into that we’re whisked away to the story of an amnesiac adjusting to life on a giant bridge (which seems to have no end on either side and houses an entire, self-sufficient society). He dreams of a barbarian hero (hacking his way through adventures with a magical/high-tech familiar) and a progressive yuppie pining for the elusive love of his life in 70s/80s Scotland. As the story advances, the dreams cease to be treated as such and instead serve as narratives of their own.

It's quickly clear that all of the protagonists are supposed to be the same man (from the car crash), though I’m not sure how their individual stories (with the exception of the one that isn’t supposed to be a coma-induced fantasy) are supposed to mean anything outside of being interesting and entertaining. Banks places the burden of interpretation solely on the reader, so those slow to appreciate symbolism (like myself) may be left feeling a bit cheated and/or inadequate. I’m ok with not knowing why person/place/thing X kept popping up or what it meant, but it may ruin the book for others.

Still, for those who don’t need everything to tie together, it’s a great ride. Here Banks’ effortlessly stretches his imagination muscles before he’s published a single science-fiction novel. And Culture fans get teased with mention of knife missiles and something that resembles a drone.

Banks calls the book “the intellectual of the family...the one that went away to University and got a first” and says “I think The Bridge is the best of my books." Being a sci-fi geek, it doesn’t stand a chance at toppling his best Culture greats for me, but I can see why he’s so proud of it.