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I guess I just now realized I have no idea who hired the main girl to stop the main guy from reaching the main guy's ex. The fake contact that hired her: How would they know and why would they care that a pawn was being moved from A to B such that they would go to such lengths to stop it? I already returned the book to the library but if I had it I would have to flip back to find out a) the mind that hired her b) the minds that the main traitor mind had signatures from to fool the waking up minds on the mind warship asteroid (were they dead? Were those confirmation things faked? I never found out??) c)the mind that suicided, and the mind that gave itself up, and cross reference A, B, and C to find out who did what.
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Jul 13, 2012 09:14
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Gravitas Shortfall posted:I wonder how many Culture based usernames are on the forums. Aside from the ones on this page there's a Zero Gravitas and a Zakalwe at the very least. My handle on basically everything but these forums now is Elethiomel. No one gets it, sadly.
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Jul 15, 2012 14:20
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Just finished Surface Detail last night (and man do I have a bone to pick with whoever it was at the publisher that wrote the marketing text on the inside front cover). The whole War in Heaven thing seemed a bit tacked-on to the universe previously depicted in the books, but on the other hand, it was a fun view on more of how the Culture operates. I wonder if Xide Hyrlis (the ex-Culture military guy from Matter) had heard of the existence of the Hells when he made his arguments about what is and is not a simulation. My guess is no, because the author hadn't yet thought of it. This is a deeply unsatisfying guess.
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Jul 16, 2012 19:15
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I just want to say that I loving loved The Wasp Factory. My dad has a ton of Ian M Banks books downstairs that I should probably also read. (I'll comb the thread for favorites) The main reason I loved The Wasp Factory was because of the gender reveal at the end. As a female who hasn't really come across any engaging female characters in awhile, it was so unbelievably refreshing to see an author employ the "character first, gender second" idea. That may have not been Banks' intention, but this was the first female murderer I had come across whose gender or sexuality played absolutely no part in her intentions/actions (considering she didn't know she was born a female) . As an actor I would loving kill to play this role. There were parts that were kind of hard to get through, but after things start to get revealed I tore through that book.
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Jul 17, 2012 00:17
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RebBrownies posted:I just want to say that I loving loved The Wasp Factory. My dad has a ton of Ian M Banks books downstairs that I should probably also read. (I'll comb the thread for favorites) Just finished Wasp Factory last night too. Well I wouldn't say it didn't play a role. Maybe the biological gender didn't, but he obviously self-identified strongly as some sort of man, even if he tought he had lost his manhood. That was part of his whole motivation for killing; "women give birth, men take lives," he says at one point. In fact a lot of his mental life seemed devoted to "regaining" his manhood through the exercise of power over lesser beings (the titular wasps, but also rabbits, mice, etc) -- the only way to be a man he could think of. That said it was drat messed up, and I loved it. And I'll definitely agree, the main character was incredibly compelling. Carthag Tuek fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Jul 17, 2012 |
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Jul 17, 2012 14:59
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I really like the drone vs. overtaken-ship-fight in the beginning of Excession where they outsmart each other, as well as the irc-like chatlogs where the boring ship is being kicked out and the sense of mystery, where even godlike AIs are clueless what to make of all this. Makes it my favourite among these books with Look to Windward a close second for leaving a nice afterglow when I finished it, following the likeable characters around.
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Jul 19, 2012 12:54
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Jul 20, 2012 08:42
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How. What. How? Are you a publisher or something? I'll paypall you a hundred quid, no questions asked. Dont tell Lowtax. Whats it about vaugley? Rumours suggest its something to do with the whole subliming concept yes? Seaside Loafer fucked around with this message at 09:13 on Jul 20, 2012 |
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Jul 20, 2012 09:09
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It's not hard to get ARCs of upcoming books. I got one for Embassytown by China Miéville a few months before publication, just by tweeting @ his Australian publisher. vvvvv advance review copy Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 10:43 on Jul 20, 2012 |
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Jul 20, 2012 09:24
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What's an ARC?
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Jul 20, 2012 09:32
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We will wait for some vague, non spoilery opinion.
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Jul 20, 2012 09:33
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It's an uncorrected proof; my wife runs the SF department of our local Waterstones. What it's about - well, I've only read two chapters so far but yes, it's set in a civilisation (the Gzilt) that's on the point of subliming. Days away. It appears that the plot will concern somebody who doesn't want that to go ahead, or possibly join in, or possibly... well, something that interferes with the sublimation and drives the plot, anyway. All Gzilt so far, but I see some Culture ships turn up in chapter 3. Oh, and 'The Hydrogen Sonata' is a piece of music. Literally. Here's page 1 if you want a look: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/patsheehan/HSon2.jpg
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Jul 20, 2012 12:12
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Unkempt posted:It's an uncorrected proof; my wife runs the SF department of our local Waterstones.
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Jul 20, 2012 18:19
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Seaside Loafer posted:Cool. Im looking forward to that then. Dont feel like scanning the other 500 pages do you? Joking.
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Jul 21, 2012 07:51
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Carthag posted:wtf dude buy the fuckin book
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Jul 21, 2012 08:17
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My collection! I've not read State of the Art, Steep Approach to Garbadale or Matter yet, any opinions? I know State of the Art is short stories, so I'd imagine it's a fairly quick read. What's the opinion on Matter? I've heard a few people say they didn't enjoy that or Garbadale. Quite tempted to go out and grab Look to Windward instead, it sounds like one of his better sci-fi books. Unkempt posted:It's an uncorrected proof; my wife runs the SF department of our local Waterstones. This sounds great. How's the writing so far? Is it fairly humorous or more epic? Seaside Loafer posted:We dont have much of a sense of humour do we Carthag. Im not sure you should be allowed to read this series, might be a bit to high brow. Prahaps you should stick to buck rogers for your sci-fi needs.
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Jul 21, 2012 12:18
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The Supreme Court posted:Please shut up. Thanks! Nice collection you have there, I gave all mine to a charity shop a couple of years back when I decided to go totally 'digital' along with all my other books. Really regret that now, its just not quite the same as holding a paperback in your hands. e: I notice you are missing Whit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whit , get it its an absolutly cracking read. Seaside Loafer fucked around with this message at 12:36 on Jul 21, 2012 |
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Jul 21, 2012 12:26
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The Supreme Court posted:What's the opinion on Matter? Fairly standard SC-driven romp. A lot of people die unnecessarily. A young boy is almost clever enough.
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Jul 21, 2012 14:52
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Seaside Loafer posted:e: I notice you are missing Whit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whit , get it its an absolutly cracking read. Seconding this, Whit is really good, definitely worth checking out.
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Jul 23, 2012 09:43
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Not one person since I started using this name several years ago has realized it's from a Culture novel. I absolutely love Excession, loved it the first time and loved it every time since. Banks did a perfect job with the Affront, how they seem at first like laddish troublemakers but are revealed to be fundamentally vile sadists. Unkempt you are a bastard.
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Jul 24, 2012 01:07
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Mister Adequate posted:Not one person since I started using this name several years ago has realized it's from a Culture novel. I read all the culture novels at once last year, but didn't recognize that at all. It seems like too minor a name/nickname/character to be immediately recognizable. Not that it isn't adequate! I've read all of the culture novels but none of Banks' non-culture ones... Since I feel like I can't wait for the new culture one to come out, I think I will pick up Whit as suggested.
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Jul 24, 2012 19:17
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It occurred to me that the Culture novels usually follow a jo-ha-kyū narrative structure (based on my understanding of it from the Wikipedia page). That is, they start off slowly and meander around for a bit, then the stakes gradually get raised, and then there's an explosive and swift climax. In particular, I'm thinking of Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games, Look to Windward, and Matter, here. I don't remember enough of Excession but it may have followed this as well. (Use of Weapons is more complicated.) And I think it's precisely the fact that Surface Detail diverged from this structure that made me so unsatisfied with it. I had some other complaints, but mostly it's the fact that it doesn't really have a climax apart from Demeisen's little adventure; it just drifts to a stop. inklesspen fucked around with this message at 17:06 on Jul 25, 2012 |
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Jul 24, 2012 20:01
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sdfvnre posted:I read all the culture novels at once last year, but didn't recognize that at all. It seems like too minor a name/nickname/character to be immediately recognizable. Not that it isn't adequate!
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Jul 24, 2012 20:33
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Seaside Loafer posted:Its the nickname the changers use for whatever omni-god sublimed being thing is on the planet of the dead they look after in Consider Phlebas. Yeah, I looked it up - the "Dra'Azon." I guess I forgot because I read that one first, and it was immediately overshadowed by the other books. Usually series get worse as they go on, but I enjoyed the later books more and more. Maybe I just got used to them.
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Jul 24, 2012 21:19
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sdfvnre posted:I read all the culture novels at once last year, but didn't recognize that at all. It seems like too minor a name/nickname/character to be immediately recognizable. Not that it isn't adequate! The Algebraist is an uneven book, but the Dwellers are wonderful. They're kind of like the Affront, though way more eccentric and a little less viciously unpleasant.
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Jul 25, 2012 11:58
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Gravitas Shortfall posted:I wonder how many Culture based usernames are on the forums. Aside from the ones on this page there's a Zero Gravitas and a Zakalwe at the very least. *cough*
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Jul 25, 2012 16:45
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inklesspen posted:And I think it's precisely the fact that Surface Detail diverged from this structure that made me so unsatisfied with it. I had some other complaints, but mostly it's the fact that it doesn't really have a climax apart from Demeisen's little adventure; it just drifts to a stop. I'd say the confrontation at and destruction of Vepper's mansion definitely counts as a climax.
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Jul 25, 2012 16:58
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Maybe, but I didn't feel there was very much at stake there; it was too under control.
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Jul 25, 2012 17:10
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The Hydrogen Sonata: Right, finished that. I liked it with some reservations. Spoilers for general atmosphere etc.: It's very much a Culture novel; there are Thrilling Space Battles, Exciting Shoot-outs in Large Engineering Projects, a reasonable helping of Sarcastic Bickering Minds and Eccentric People with Strange Genitals. It can be funny, and parts of it are reasonably epic, both in scope and concept. Basic Plot: The Gzilt have a religious book, which unusually for books like that, turns out to be verifiably correct in a lot of ways. The Gzilt are due to Sublime in 24 days at the start of the novel. Someone decides to reveal some information about the origins of the religious book to the Gzilt before they go; the attempt is thwarted by one faction of the Gzilt themselves. Various Culture ships decide to find out what that information was, which involves the aforesaid Thrilling Space Battles etc. etc. I do have one major reservation about the book, but that would involve explaining significant plot points and the ending so I'm not going to do that right now. I'll answer questions if anyone really wants to know. I wouldn't rank this one up with Player of Games; maybe Excession? Consistently entertaining, great ideas and set pieces, but... maybe something lacking overall.
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Jul 25, 2012 18:45
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Unkempt posted:The Hydrogen Sonata: Does it feel well edited or is it a bit flabby? The last few books to me have been increasingly in need of a good trim.
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Jul 26, 2012 04:09
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Beffer posted:Does it feel well edited or is it a bit flabby? The last few books to me have been increasingly in need of a good trim. That's hard to answer without going into the plot stuff I mentioned before. On the whole though I rather like it when Banks spends a few pages on his more travelogue-y bits with civilisations and characters, whether or not they're plot related. I'd say the more you like that, the more you'll like this book. If you're a 'shut up and get to the plot' person then you might have problems. I should also add that it's entirely possible that I've missed a few less obvious plot points; I did read it fairly quickly and if there's one serious problem I have with Banks it's keeping all those bloody names straight.
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Jul 26, 2012 12:40
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Is going to have a SC girl with a sarcastic drone as companion, again? Can we have a male SC agent with a non-sarcastic drone for variety's sake? Apart from being an entertaining novel, did you feel it was "deep", at some level? Themes running in the book, interesting moral dilemmas, etc
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Jul 26, 2012 21:04
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Turin Turambar posted:Is going to have a SC girl with a sarcastic drone as companion, again? There are two fairly feisty females with associated AIs. quote:Can we have a male SC agent with a non-sarcastic drone for variety's sake? Of course not. quote:Apart from being an entertaining novel, did you feel it was "deep", at some level? Themes running in the book, interesting moral dilemmas, etc (slightly more spoilery) The whole book is pretty much about a specific moral dilemma. How interesting it is and the resolution to it constitute the reservation I mentioned above.
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Jul 27, 2012 08:26
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I started the Algebraist. It's not too bad, so far, but Luseferous? Really?
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Jul 27, 2012 16:43
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sdfvnre posted:I started the Algebraist. It's not too bad, so far, but If that bothers you, you're probably not reading the book in the right mindset. (He picked the name out himself! It's a reference to a figure from some backwater world's myths that he took a shine to.  )
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Jul 27, 2012 17:18
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The bad guy in The Algebraist is basically a comic-book evil villain. This is a drat good thing though, keep reading!
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Jul 27, 2012 18:03
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Yeah, I'm not opposed to more comic-book style space opera, it's just a slightly different style to the culture books I'm used to. The first couple of chapters were slow, but it's picking up now. I wonder if writing a non-culture space opera was a stylistic choice, or if he just couldn't reconcile cartoony Bad Guys with the culture Minds hanging around. Maybe he wanted to write a story specifically about "No AIs allowed"?
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Jul 27, 2012 18:16
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sdfvnre posted:Yeah, I'm not opposed to more comic-book style space opera, it's just a slightly different style to the culture books I'm used to. The first couple of chapters were slow, but it's picking up now. I wonder if writing a non-culture space opera was a stylistic choice, or if he just couldn't reconcile cartoony Bad Guys with the culture Minds hanging around. Stick with it. It's meant to feel pulpy, I think, at least to start with. Everything gets so much better once the Dwellers get involved, especially once they really get involved.
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Jul 30, 2012 02:11
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General Battuta posted:Matter is slightly subversive in that it seems to be making an argument for the insignificance of the human in the face of the vast history and political scope of the Culture galaxy. What's-his-face the betrayer general is set up as a really compelling, loathsome villain, and for most of the book we're occupied with a vain prince's quest to unseat him, and his younger brother's journey out of childhood naivete. But in the end they're all devoured - comped, as Matter would say - by this ancient machine war that renders their struggles totally irrelevant. Almost like they ... don't... matter. The title of that book is basically a Shellworld of its own. I loved it, it's like Banks Does Shakespeare. sebmojo fucked around with this message at 05:45 on Jul 30, 2012 |
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Jul 30, 2012 05:43
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Could someone explain the reason why Banks's Excession isn't available on the US Kindle store when all the other Culture books are?  I want to read everything in order even if it's not necessary.
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Jul 31, 2012 02:16
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