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The Hydrogen Sonata (A Culture Novel) [Hardcover]

Iain M. Banks
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (228 customer reviews)
RRP: £20.00
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Book Description

4 Oct 2012 A Culture Novel

The Scavenger species are circling. It is, truly, the End Days for the Gzilt civilization.

An ancient people, organized on military principles and yet almost perversely peaceful, the Gzilt helped set up the Culture ten thousand years earlier and were very nearly one of its founding societies, deciding not to join only at the last moment. Now they've made the collective decision to follow the well-trodden path of millions of other civilizations; they are going to Sublime, elevating themselves to a new and almost infinitely more rich and complex existence.

Amid preparations though, the Regimental High Command is destroyed. Lieutenant Commander (reserve) Vyr Cossont appears to have been involved, and she is now wanted - dead, not alive. Aided only by an ancient, reconditioned android and a suspicious Culture avatar, Cossont must complete her last mission given to her by the High Command. She must find the oldest person in the Culture, a man over nine thousand years old, who might have some idea what really happened all that time ago. It seems that the final days of the Gzilt civilization are likely to prove its most perilous.


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The Hydrogen Sonata (A Culture Novel) + Surface Detail (Culture Novels) + Matter
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 528 pages
  • Publisher: Orbit; First Edition edition (4 Oct 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0356501507
  • ISBN-13: 978-0356501505
  • Product Dimensions: 16.1 x 4.4 x 23.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (228 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

25 years after Banks's first Culture novel he is as exuberant, slyly funny and mind-stretchingly imaginative as ever (SUNDAY TIMES)

Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY)

Sharply satirical and packed with brilliant action scenes, this space opera proves British SF's big beard still plays the best tunes (BBC FOCUS) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description

An outstanding new Culture novel from the UK's leading SF writer - always the biggest annual event in British SF

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
85 of 91 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Back to what I like... 11 Oct 2012
Format:Hardcover
As a long time Iain M. Banks fan I must admit I have been a bit disappointed with some of his latest stuff. For example Surface Detail and Matter, while good reads, left me feeling like maybe the prime had been passed. So I didn't have huge expectations for this latest Culture novel. However I was very relieved to find that The Hydrogen Sonata was what might be described on a back cover as a rip-roaring return to form for this master of whatever it is he does when he writes a good Culture Novel.
In Short, if you loved 'Excession' and 'Look to Windward', if you love the way Mr. Banks can craft a single paragraph that somehow manages to take the plot forward, deepen the mystery, enrich the characters and be an elaborately crafted joke while commenting on the contrasts between The society of the Culture and our own, then don't be afraid to go into this book with high expectations.

....Well, I liked it anyway.
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56 of 60 people found the following review helpful
By WH
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Mundane disclosure first: I have been a huge Iain (M) Banks fan for a long time, so I won't pretend full objectivity. In fact, had this been a new author's work it would have been a 5 star review. Banks novels set the bar so highly for me that I may be slightly more critical of them than I would be otherwise.

For fans of the Culture series, however, this is a worthy addition: not quite the best (Player of Games remains my all-time favourite, followed closely by Consider Phlebas and Look to Windward - the latter not shared by everyone, I know, and I also have a lot of time for Surface Detail). I found myself, however, looking for any opportunity to return to this whenever possible and, as so often with Banks's novels, am disappointed it's over.

The humour of the Minds is sparkling in this book - Banks's gods in the machines (literally) always remind me of slightly squabbling Olympians, with all those human foibles the Greeks projected onto their deities. However, there is one element that does grate with regard to the book: lots of people die in this novel - including some significant characters (no spoilers) - but the culture of the, ah, Culture is such that the major ones are pretty much all backed up (there is one exception to this, but even that is not, in the end, completely final). I offer this in contrast to the (early) George R R Martin novels, where you come to feel greatly for major characters who then die. Gone. That's it - no coming back (and even Martin baulks at this in later novels). Banks seems to have written himself into a tight spot re. tragedy where the Culture series appears unable to deal with it on the profoundest level. And yet, in Consider Phlebas I really felt the waste and tragedy of the Idiran war.

One note re.
... Read more ›
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Such sad news 9 Jun 2013
By Jasmine
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a rubbish reader of books on Amazon because I read everyone else's reviews and use them to help me make decisions and yet never write my own.

A minute ago I heard about the death of this great author and I felt so guilty because I was putting off buying his latest book because I deemed it 'expensive' at £10. I really wanted it, but I didn't buy it. I have bought it now and I apologise to Iain and his family for not doing so before. His sci fi books have given me so much pleasure over the years I cannot express. His books were always so complex, exciting, cerebral, funny and innovative. And everything else. I haven't read Hydrogen Sonata yet but I know it will be excellent and I am so sad that there will never be another culture novel. Hopefully the films will come, but they won't approach the novels. Who cares anyway the books are always better.

I can't really express what a loss this is to my reading, but I just wanted to say something. Iain M Banks I salute you.
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44 of 48 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Just doesn't compare to previous work 23 Oct 2012
By n7misc TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
I'm really sorry to write what will be a fairly negative review of this book. I have greatly enjoyed many of Banks' previous works - particularly his sci-fi and I absolutely feel that he helped to create a genre within the genre as the uncontested king of space opera. Despite my growing preference for his earlier works - some of which constitute masterpieces in my view - I was still excited to get the newest offering. Unfortunately I was ultimately disappointed.

I can't deny that the writing style remains almost as good, but for me, there is none of the passion and conviction that Banks used to demonstrate. The characterisation is weaker, the narrative / plotting equally so -I got to the end of the book and thought - "Well, so what? I don't care!". Which is really sad. I think ultimately, this book explores a topic that possibly merited a short story and with a braver editor it may have made a great novella - instead I found myself reading what is essentially technical rhubarb and - shock, horror - skim reading pages. If I want weapons specs there are better authors out there for that type of sci fi - what I want from Banks is the grandiose - the awesome. I think perhaps the attempt to cover the issue of subliming is meant to cover that from a philosophical perspective - but I don't think he achieved it. The eventual denouement is practically 'phoned in' I'm afraid.

I've read earlier books several times each, connected with the characters, thrilled at the plotting, held my breath at the amazingly complete, exciting - stunning worlds (galaxies/ universes / realities) that Banks created.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Death of a Star
This is Iain M Banks last science fiction novel and the tragic news that he has terminal cancer made it even more important to read. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Huw Evans
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
Shame that such a good author is no longer with us. His writing talents will be missed.
This final instalment of the Culture makes a fitting end.
Published 7 days ago by Andrew Lewis
4.0 out of 5 stars Wasps, bridges, games, culture
I first read Mr Banks when I was 18, in the 1980's. since then I have regularly returned to his work and the Culture novels. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Conor M. Hamill
5.0 out of 5 stars a great read!
Fast paced and loved having the idiosyncratic Minds playing key roles.
Thank you Iain M. Banks. So sorry to learn that the big C will take you from us. Read more
Published 12 days ago by A. Parekh
4.0 out of 5 stars The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M Banks
The Hydrogen Sonata

This is Banks' latest (and probably last) Culture novel.
For those of you unfamiliar with this series of books, The Culture is an ancient and... Read more
Published 17 days ago by Mr. S. G. Perkins
4.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
Anyone who enjoys Iain Banks' scifi this is a must, a follow on from excesion, one of my previous favourites.
Published 23 days ago by mr james hickling
3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad
Difficult one to review, as the HS is going to be Bank's last Culture novel.

If you love ship to ship communication then you will enjoy the HS but I feel that the story... Read more
Published 23 days ago by Oracle
1.0 out of 5 stars Price is stupid
i simply can't understand why the electronic and no cost electronic Kindle version is more expensive than the paperback- this is just plain stupid :(
Published 27 days ago by I. Heap
2.0 out of 5 stars Great ingredients that never quite come together
It's a conundrum. You are one of the greatest living writers in two genres. You have created a marvellous, fertile universe peopled by The Culture and their client civilisations. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Andrew Bannister
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent once more
Very good outing once again with the Culture, maybe the only criticism is the quantity of "minds" chatting. It starts to read a bit like a long email trail at some points. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Mr Andrew Scott
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