Excession

Rating:
Summary: Good, but you'll work for it
Review: Most Iain Banks books are challenging reads, it's a credit to the man that he refuses to write down because he's penning SF novels and not the higher profile "literary" stuff that most of the mainstream probably recognizes him for (is he well read in this country, nobody I know has heard of him . . . what's with that?) so what you basically get with the Culture novels is SF from someone who really knows how to write and doesn't just have a degree and feels the need to share this nifty cool idea he had the other day. This book is full of cool ideas but more importantly it's a dense and slightly elusive work . . . while it's not opaque stuff isn't spelled out explicitly for the reader, there are a lot of dots to connect here. The setup is a large object has appeared from literally nowhere and interacts with the energy grip in a way that is supposed to be impossible. But this isn't the first time this object appeared and the only person who is around from that last appearance is Stored in a ship and has to be convinced to come out. That's how the plot starts. Where it ends is somewhere totally different and if sometimes you think you're reading a totally different book, that's just par for the course with Banks. The focus this time around is more on the Minds in the ships, which is good and bad. The Minds are basically human and their rapid fire conversations that take up a large chunk of the book are highly entertaining . . . however it can be daunting for readers unable to keep track of the dozens of names, especially with little strong personality to back up the Mind and make an impression. You may wish for a recap box at some point to make sure you're still up to speed. Still astute readers are rewarded with a plot that twists almost dizzingly . . . I've read a few Banks books by now and he still amazes how he manages to turn everything upside down so quickly. The action is good, the dialogue between ships crackles, the plot is mind bending and the last page deserves to be read over and over again. I can't say this is his best work, but like all his other stuff the quality is high and if new readers have the stamina, they'll find themselves pleasantly delighted.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, Excessively so!
Review: The first time I read the book, it left me confused. All the jumping around between characters, and the discussions between the minds can leave the uninisiated (I was 14 at the time) bewildered. After rereading the book recently, all those little sub-plots started to fall into place, and suddenly it all came together into one of the most brilliant works ever created! This book leave works like "Mortal remains", and "The Reality dysfunction" (both essentially similar to Excession)way behind! It's not quite as fast paced, but the overall reader involvement and quality is lightyears ahead of any other! It definitely rates amongst the top half of my personal top 10! Note! Not for the impatient, or those who hate to be puzzled, and unwilling to read a couple more pages in order to find the answer. It would also help to read other Culture novels before diving into Excession. You don't need them in order to understand the book, but it does help to initiate you into the Culture.