No Gravitas Allowed -- The Iain [M.] Banks thread

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > No Gravitas Allowed -- The Iain [M.] Banks thread

Unkempt: May 24, 2003; ...perfect spiral, scientists are still figuring it out...

NmareBfly posted:

I'm surprised that no one has pointed out that Transition is up for pre-order on amazon. Due out at the end of September. It's weird that it's an 'M' novel, because the description doesn't make it seem like high SF:

Spoiler just in case, but if there's anything actually spoilery in the Amazon blurb I'm going to be mad.
A world that hangs suspended between triumph and catastrophe, between the dismantling of the Wall and the fall of the Twin Towers, frozen in the shadow of suicide terrorism and global financial collapse, such a world requires a firm hand and a guiding light. But does it need the Concern: an all-powerful organisation with a malevolent presiding genius, pervasive influence and numberless invisible operatives in possession of extraordinary powers? On the Concern's books are Temudjin Oh, an un-killable assassin who journeys between the peaks of Nepal, a version of Victorian London and the dark palaces of Venice; and a nameless, faceless torturer known only as the Philosopher. And then there's the renegade Mrs Mulverhill, who recruits rebels to her side; and Patient 8262, hiding out from a dirty past in a forgotten hospital ward. As these vivid, strange and sensuous worlds circle and collide, the implications of turning traitor to the Concern become horribly apparent, and an unstable universe is set on a dizzying course.

It sounds... bizarre. Here's to hoping it's another good one!

Sounds a lot more like the non-M 'The Bridge' and 'Walking on Glass', which sounds good to me as those are my favourites.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2009 15:01

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# ¿ May 3, 2024 11:29

Unkempt: May 24, 2003; ...perfect spiral, scientists are still figuring it out...

# ¿ Jul 20, 2012 08:42

Unkempt: May 24, 2003; ...perfect spiral, scientists are still figuring it out...

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

# ¿ Jul 20, 2012 12:12

Unkempt: May 24, 2003; ...perfect spiral, scientists are still figuring it out...

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.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2012 18:45

Unkempt: May 24, 2003; ...perfect spiral, scientists are still figuring it out...

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.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2012 12:40

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# ¿ May 3, 2024 11:29

Unkempt: May 24, 2003; ...perfect spiral, scientists are still figuring it out...

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.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2012 08:26

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