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lucardus's review against another edition
2.0
Ich bin nicht ganz überzeugt. Ein Kultur-Roman, aber mir fehlte eine Bezugsperson, keiner der Protagonisten ist mir nahegegangen, am ehesten noch die AIs der Schiffe, die Story erscheint groß angelegt, aber letztendlich bleibt nicht viel davon übrig außer einer kleinen Suche-und-finde-Geschichte. Ich kann nicht mehr als 2 Sterne geben, wenn ich der Definition von goodreads folge.
gossamerwingedgazelle's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting, although not as amazing as Look to Windward. I liked all the hydrogen references.
timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
If I knew more about writing I might give this five.
Is it a book about the Ship Minds and how they interact? About how they are coming to examine their purpose, their direction?
Or is it a rollicking space opera?
Or is it a broad speculation on the meaning of anything and the difficulty of knowing whether or when to act?
Or a demonstration of how to write the hardest of hard SF so effortlessly that other authors pale in comparison? I just read the latest from Benford and Niven, who are not exactly chopped liver, and this book blows them out of the water.
One star just for the ship names, especially when we learn the full name of "Mistake Not ..."
One star for the long, long action scene involving an elevator and quite a lot of "well, oh yeah, have you got one of THESE?" Not unlike the famous cartoon "The Rabbit of Seville" that escalates from an axe to giant cannons.
There are a couple of possible quibbles, such as the number given for the population aboard "Empiricist" or the suggestion that the AIs can perform more or less unlimited computation in any arbitrarily small unit of elapsed time.
And of course Banks never mentions where they get the energy to do all this stuff. He probably doesn't have to, because he has played the all-purpose hyperspace card and can always handwave around that.
I like the point several others have raised, suggesting that the humanoid characters are not very interesting and do not NEED to be because they are only there as a framework for the story. Some are weird just for a change of pace, almost comic relief.
I also liked the way Banks has his Minds diverging somewhat and developing distinct personalities.
A wonderful read, anyway.
Is it a book about the Ship Minds and how they interact? About how they are coming to examine their purpose, their direction?
Or is it a rollicking space opera?
Or is it a broad speculation on the meaning of anything and the difficulty of knowing whether or when to act?
Or a demonstration of how to write the hardest of hard SF so effortlessly that other authors pale in comparison? I just read the latest from Benford and Niven, who are not exactly chopped liver, and this book blows them out of the water.
One star just for the ship names, especially when we learn the full name of "Mistake Not ..."
One star for the long, long action scene involving an elevator and quite a lot of "well, oh yeah, have you got one of THESE?" Not unlike the famous cartoon "The Rabbit of Seville" that escalates from an axe to giant cannons.
There are a couple of possible quibbles, such as the number given for the population aboard "Empiricist" or the suggestion that the AIs can perform more or less unlimited computation in any arbitrarily small unit of elapsed time.
And of course Banks never mentions where they get the energy to do all this stuff. He probably doesn't have to, because he has played the all-purpose hyperspace card and can always handwave around that.
I like the point several others have raised, suggesting that the humanoid characters are not very interesting and do not NEED to be because they are only there as a framework for the story. Some are weird just for a change of pace, almost comic relief.
I also liked the way Banks has his Minds diverging somewhat and developing distinct personalities.
A wonderful read, anyway.
citizenkahn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
gearyofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Another book via Audible.
The final Culture novel does have a somber feel to it when you remember that during its creation Banks was on his own final journey to the Sublime.
While not the best of the Culture novels it would be a great disservice to suggest this is anything other than a great story.
Which should tell you more about the other novels!
Somehow weaving a smaller personal investigation with a grand galactic transition you are immediately swept up in the chase for the truth.
Banks had this brilliant ability to bring single use races to full life and depth for the needs of the story.
So many civilisations to refer to which add various levels of depth.
The Culture has been a privilege to learn about.
The final Culture novel does have a somber feel to it when you remember that during its creation Banks was on his own final journey to the Sublime.
While not the best of the Culture novels it would be a great disservice to suggest this is anything other than a great story.
Which should tell you more about the other novels!
Somehow weaving a smaller personal investigation with a grand galactic transition you are immediately swept up in the chase for the truth.
Banks had this brilliant ability to bring single use races to full life and depth for the needs of the story.
So many civilisations to refer to which add various levels of depth.
The Culture has been a privilege to learn about.
tamarant4's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Why do we bother with this sort of bio-tangling stuff in the first place? We could live lives of such uncomplicated joy if we left them to their own sordid, murderous devices. [loc. 1207]
The Gzilt, a Culture-adjacent civilisation, are counting down the days to Sublimation, when their entire species / civilisation will enter a higher plane of being (or possibly a 'great retirement home'), as foretold in their Book of Truth. But when a neighbouring civilisation sends a ship to reveal a long-held secret to the Gzilt, that ship is destroyed. What secret can possibly be deemed so dangerous at this point?
The key to the mystery involves musician Vyr Cossont, a grown woman who is repeatedly referred to as 'the girl'. Vyr has grown an extra pair of arms to enable her to play the eponymous Hydrogen Sonata, an experimental and perhaps unlistenable piece subtitled 'String-Specific Sonata For An Instrument Yet To Be Invented'. With the help of a mysterious Culture ship, the Mistake Not..., she has to track down an old friend who may know the solution to the mystery. Meanwhile, two non-human races are squabbling for scavenger rights to anything the Gzilt leave behind, and various Culture ships are zooming around, having long conversations and involving themselves in other civilisations' business. So no change there.
I have fond memories of earlier Culture novels but found this one a slog: possibly just a case of 'right book, wrong time', but I found it less engaging than expected. There were some glorious, and some gloriously self-indulgent, ideas and scenes; some interesting observations about the allegedly-peaceful Culture, and the Minds; some intriguing characters, and enticing asides ('the broad hips of a non-mammalian humanoid': why?). But I didn't especially like any of the characters (except perhaps the Mistake Not...) and there seemed to be elements, such as Vyr's shawl-form companion Pyan, which could have been removed without damage to the overall structure.
The Hydrogen Sonata (Banks' last Culture novel) was published in 2012, and I suspect the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum was looming large in the author's mind: but lines like 'if we’re all about to step into the big bright and shining light, Vyr, but there is just a chance that we’d be doing so under false pretences, and it would be good to know the truth, don’t you think? Just in case we wanted to rethink...' [loc. 1802] just make me think of a later referendum whose outcome was shaped by lies.
Now I want to reread the earlier novels, most of which I have not revisited in at least two decades. But looking back over my reviews of Matter, Consider Phlebas, The Algebraist, and Excession (two of which were rereads), I find that my enjoyment of Banks' SF has not been unalloyed. Perhaps I should skip the rereads and retain my faint hazy impression of excitement, adventure and really wild things.
mermaid42's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
johnayliff's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
baffi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5