About the book: 1996 / “Beyond the Darkness” is a bizarre combination of a travel novel and a tough thriller. The adventures of a young aristocrat who joined the mercenary corps, and her further adventures in the company of devoted friends. In their hands are vast spaces and the latest achievements in the field of military technology. They have many enemies, but even more courage and enthusiasm. Interstellar travel, exotic flora and fauna, and all this against the background of exquisitely lyrical relationships between the characters - this is what can be found in the book of Ian Banks, one of the most popular science fiction writers of the last generation.