Excession
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Amazon.co.uk Review
It's not easy to disturb a mega-utopia as vast as the one Iain M. Banks has created in his popular Culture series, where life is devoted to fun and ultra-high-tech is de rigueur. But more than two millennia ago the appearance--and disappearance--of a star older than the universe caused quite a stir. Now the mystery is back, and the key to solving it lies in the mind of the person who witnessed the first disturbance 2,500 years ago. But she's dead, and getting her to cooperate may not be altogether easy.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Gripping, touching and funny' TLS 'The story is vital and urgent and has a brilliantly subtle resolution ... wildly enjoyable' Interzone 'A dizzying adventure' Daily Mail 'Explosive but tender' Sunday Times
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Rise of the Machines,
This review is from: Excession (Paperback)
In this book, for the first time in Iain M's work, the people are clearly less important than the machines. But who cares when he writes such brilliant machines? Let's face it, the amount of detailed characterisation Banks puts into the principal players - mainly spaceship Minds and a few drones - hugely exceeds that which most writers of self-consciously "literary" fiction bother with for their human characters. Even the opening few pages of rather off-putting and heavily cryptic inter-ship communications turns out to be useful and entertaining a few chapters later. As always in Banks he invents an alien species who play a critical part in the plot but are probably there mainly to allow him some extremely funny scenes - the story of how this species came to be known as "the Affront" is one of his best.The Excession itself - a powerful artefact beyond the Culture's understanding - is a bit of a McGuffin, because the main story is about how the Culture behaves when it wants something really badly. Overall, Excession is a highly entertaining read, probably second or third place in his output - which means better than most other science fiction writers could ever manage.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mature, multi-layered and magnificent sci-fi,
By
This review is from: Excession (Paperback)
Any book by Iain Banks is going to be worth reading, but his Culture novels are always a massive treat. Excession is one of the best, although it might not be the easiest of the series to start with.
If you're familiar with the Culture universe then you'll quickly be delighted by the development of the Ship Minds in this episode. Although there's a set of human protagonists, outrageous and entertaining alien antagonists, and the usual endearing drone, it's the Minds who steal the stage. The Culture has to cope with an unusual entity, and in reacting to that possibly dangerous 'thing' the Culture itself reveals opposing factions, plots within plots, and the difficulty of being the advanced civilisation in a galaxy full of stroppy young 'uns. However, Excession is a much more mature work than the blood-soaked, plot-twisting early Culture novels. It's just as complicated and rewarding, and has a stand-out action sequence for people who like their spaceships to come out all guns blazing, but the resolution of the core issue is less brutal than the endings Banks used to write. Instead of coming away from the ending feeling as if you've been mauled, you put down Excession feeling satisfied and rewarded by the experience. (Or if you were feeling really picky you could say it cops out like an episode of Star Trek, and ends pretty much back where it started. But that would be to miss much of the plot and character development -- especially what happens to the Grey Area...) There's so much for sci-fi fans to love abut Iain Banks' universe. The Affront are a great creation, but the Ships and Drones are too. If you haven't read any Culture novels then stop faffing and dive in. Excession is a more subtle, more refined Culture novels than its forerunners. There's less whimsy and it's a bit less playful than, say Use of Weapons, and if you don't know how this universe works then you may struggle to keep up at first. So one of the earlier books might be a better place to begin. But if you're familiar with the set up then give yourself time to read Excession in full (even the bits that don't make sense to start with, cos they always play a part in the final resolution). Excession rewards careful reading: it's a book to treasure, not one to grab in 10 minute snatches. And although there are fewer comic drones and droll jokes, the Ship names are a delight... Solid 9/10
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sci-fi on an epic scale,
By
This review is from: Excession (Paperback)
The funny thing about Iain Banks' sci-fi novels is that, generally, they are better than his "straight" fiction and deal with much deeper issues. "Excession" is the pinnacle of his art; a space opera on a grand scale full of subtle plot turns and moments of breathtaking imagination. If you only read one Banks' sci-fi novel it should be this one, and if you read this one you'll want to read them all.The novel itself weaves intricate sub-plots in and out of each other as, around them, a major conflict escalates alarmingly and a mystery force comes to threaten everyone. Even if it weren't so marvellously well-written, and so full of marvellous ideas and (for once) genuinely believable science, the apparently standard basis of the book is completely subverted by what is, simply, the most ingenious ending of any sci-fi novel anywhere. Sci-fi fans should read this, and then go and check out Feersum Endjinn, The Player of Games by the same author and Neuromancer by William Gibson. Non sci-fi fans; buy this, read this, and then go and buy Feersum Endjinn, The Player of Games & Neuromancer as well.
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