I read the sprawling science-fiction novel The Algebraist by Iain Banks some years ago. I got it as a gift for Christmas, had forgotten I had read it, started reading it, started to think it was familiar, couldn’t recall much. I set it aside. Last week, bored, I randomly started reading in the middle. After a few pages I went back to page 1. I read it straight through over five nights. Wow. Sure, there were parts I skimmed. But this time around I really appreciated the nuance that is in the novel.