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Excession
 
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Excession (Hardcover)

by Iain M Banks (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

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.

From Kirkus Reviews

From versatile Scottish writer Banks, another sf yarn about the tolerant, diverse, far-future Culture (The Player of Games, 1989, etc.). The Culture is subtly controlled by prodigiously intelligent artificial Minds, who, Banks intimates, spend most of their spare time navel-gazing. Here, a huge, enigmatic object referred to as the Excession appears in space and interacts with the Culture's energy grid in ways previously considered impossible. Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen of the Department of Special Circumstances is sent to investigate--but, sidetracked by beautiful, talented, spoiled-brat operative Ulver Seich and by old flame Dajeil Gelian, it will be a long time before he draws near the object. Meanwhile, certain Minds occupying a vast array of self-controlled spaceships suspect that still other Minds are involved in a conspiracy--but to what end? With the Culture thus distracted by the Excession, the cruel, dangerously expansionist alien Affront seize the opportunity to hijack a Culture battle fleet and start a war that they only gradually realize they've been suckered into and can't possibly win. Brilliantly inventive and amusing--whole sections read like strings of knowing jokes--but a mess: Chattering spaceships with splendid if confusing names (e.g., Not Invented Here and Shoot Them Later) don't compensate for the absence of real characters. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Customer Reviews

58 Reviews
5 star:
 (27)
4 star:
 (16)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (58 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Good, but you'll work for it, Oct 31 2001
By Michael Battaglia - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Excession (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
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4.0 out of 5 stars THE STRANGEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ, May 7 2002
This review is from: Excession (Mass Market Paperback)
This book is on par with "The Illuminati Trillogy" for strangeness. Borrow it, read it, sit with an ice pack for a week eagerly anticipating the next punch in the head. Cause every so often another messed up bit of plot twist or snarled logic is going to jump out and hit you from the recesses of memory. Its like carrying a bomb around in your head! Other than the mental torture and too many plots in one book it was good. I recommend it for those masochistic moments.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Supposedly brilliant form, no content, April 2 2002
By LUCIO DE S COELHO "dromni" (Belo Horizonte, MG Brazil) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Excession (Mass Market Paperback)
What drives me to read science fiction is to make contact with well-built, convincing fictional universes where interesting plots take place. The literary talent of the author simply does not matter as long as he or she has the ultimate talent of telling an interesting story. Indeed, arcane luminaries of the Science Fiction genre, such as Isaac Asimov and Arthur Clarke, almost invariably have a plain, objective narrative style.

Well, this is my first book by Iain M. Banks, but so far I can say that he goes in the opposite way: the style of his book is baroquely sculpted and each character is exhaustively (yet subtly) worked upon. Even though, the plot and setting told/described with such a literary richness is simply crappy.

Iain M. Banks' Culture universe resembles some idiotic science fiction cartoon or movie (such as "The Jetsons" or "The Fifth Element") turned into a book. In some ways, it also resembles "The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy", but the problem is that it is not exactly intended to be comical. As for the plot, there is basically no strong central narrative line, nothing that makes the reader (or at least me) cares about what will happen in the next page or how the book will end. As a matter of fact, it is a remarkably boring, tiring reading, and I took perhaps two or three more times to finish this book than the average for a compendium of the same size.

Putting it shortly, Iain M. Banks seems to be an author for someone who loves form but does not demand content.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars take a deep breath, you're in for a wild ride
This is one awesome book! Bravo Mr. Banks! I have enjoyed all of the "culture" books, with this being by far the best. Lots of action. Loads of creativity. Read more
Published on Jun 14 2001 by Marks Higgerson

5.0 out of 5 stars Irony, Affrontery and Iain Banks
Reading your first Iain Banks novel is like nothing else in literature. It's a little like being in the washing machine on spin cycle. You emerge dizzy but refreshed. Read more
Published on Mar 8 2001 by James D. DeWitt

5.0 out of 5 stars Banks at his best,not for the timid or short attention spans
Iain Banks can be an intimidating writer. His command of the language and a wonderful imagination combined with a penchant for being unconventional leads to very complex plots,... Read more
Published on Jan 24 2001 by J. Levine

3.0 out of 5 stars This was a tough one to get through
I am fascinated by the imagination and style of Iain Banks and I found his "The Bridge" extraordinary. Read more
Published on Nov 25 2000 by Hank Schwartz

5.0 out of 5 stars Iain M. Banks' "Culture" novels are excellent SF.
I first picked up one of Iain M. Banks' Culture novels in a train station in Edinburgh while I was studying abroad in college. Read more
Published on Oct 27 2000 by Ian Hay

5.0 out of 5 stars OOOOooo What a great book in a bad cover
PlEASE note that the books of Ian M Banks and Ian Banks get deservedly heavyweight publishing support in the UK. Read more
Published on Oct 26 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book
This is a very nice book, and, frankly, although I read them out of order, my first introduction to this universe. I am currently reading Player of Games.
Published on Oct 25 2000 by John Reenan

3.0 out of 5 stars Excession... Stick with Player of Games
The book which precede's this book is _The Player of Games_. _Player_ is the reason that I chose to read _Excession_, but unfortunately, the bizarre plot twists and generally... Read more
Published on Oct 23 2000 by Michael Lopp

5.0 out of 5 stars Get into it...
It is certainly a well-made book with excellent visual accuracy and wonderful-and-quite-original use of "Minds" that make it special. Read more
Published on July 21 2000 by puffinstuf

5.0 out of 5 stars Excession of my expectation
Except for Star Wars, I'm never been much into sci-fi. I bought Excession partly on the strength of Banks' 'straight' fiction (especially The Wasp Factory), but mostly because it... Read more
Published on July 15 2000 by O. Buxton

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