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Review #6773 - Dated: 17th of October, 2012 Author: Tucker |
25 years ago, Iain M. Banks first ontroduced us to "The Culture" in the form of "Consider Phlebas" which I admit I haven't yet managed to track down a copy to read. However, since I first encountered his "culture" universe when I stumbled across a copy of "The Algebraist" I have been hooked, to the point of back-tracking copies of most of his other "Culture" titles and soaking them up. In this story, Banks has offered us a tiny insight into the Sublimed races, and how they interact with the mundane universe we dwell in. It brings new light to the title "[link^2146^Excession^link]" which, at the time I read it, really didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Full of intrigue, political manoeuvring, betrayal, subterfuge, and a lot of "Ship Minds", this was a bit of a deviation from Bank's normal "Culture" stories, where a human Culture citizen or Agent is the main character. In this story, our protagonists are a member of a society on the verge of Sublimation, and a stack of Ship Minds trying to figure out the big deal about "The Book of Truth" - the holy book of the Gzilt, the society about to Sublime. Oh, and trying to uncover a dark secret that goes back 10,000 years to the very founding of The Culture itself. All of which revolves around a single individual who really doesn't want anything to do with anyone right about now.
When I first realised that this book was quite a radical shift off the usual run of Culture novels, I wasn't too sure how I was going to like it... Ship Minds are funny characters, following a logic so precise, yet based upon a set of rules I can describe only as "irreverently benevolent despotism towards anything organic" - which makes the story something hard to attach to at times. But if you stick with it, this is a gripping read and I certainly hope Banks has a lot more Culture novels to offer. I fervently hope that rumours that this may be the last are wrong. It would be a stunning end to the saga... but I would feel the loss keenly.
Overall, another excellent addition to the Culture universe, and an interesting new perspective that keeps this storyline fresh despite being set in a very well-established universe. I can only wonder what Banks will dream up next!
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