It takes place in a giant castle and in a virtual afterlife known as the 'Crypt'. An extra terrestrial hazard called The Encroachment' threatens all life on Earth and Bascule and his pet ant, Ergates, have a vital role to play in deploying the awesome power of the eponymous device, a 'feersome endjinn', in Basdcule's argot. [link]
Yes, it takes place in a giant castle. Bascule is a technical term for one half of the kind of bridge that opens and closes for the beneift of river traffic, like Tower Bridge in London. I have read all of Iain M. Banks' novels and several of those written by his mainstream alter ego, Iain Banks, author of The Wasp Factory, Whit, The Song Of Stones etc. You must consider a visit to the SF Fantasy folder of our gallery [link] .