Excession
by Iain M. Banks
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Book Reviews of Excession
Book Review: first-draft sludge
Summary: 1 Stars
Warning sign: by page 200, NOTHING has happened either in this book or in the author's head to give us a hint where the story will go. The above blurb: "...Banks is a true original...whose brilliant speculative fiction has transported us into worlds of unbounded imagination and inimitable revelatory power" is the real Affront. It kills me how readers of science fiction are so easily pleased by any piece of kitsch that centers around, like wow, a rip in the fabric of spacetime. Totally. Throw in some multi-limbed aliens who like to play squash, and bingo--some jacket-blurb flack is telling us we're in the presence of a major imagination. Too bad the delete key is beyond him. Obviously Banks has gotten to a point in perceived stature where no editor had the guts to pack this junk in a FedEx overnight with instructions to cut it in half and come up with a real plot.Book Review: Excession
Summary: 5 Stars
Damn! Banks can weave a tale! This is one complex story. Events set around the discovery of an Excession (Something excessive) that could be a danger to all. The Excession is capable of things no culture/species in the universe is capable of doing, maybe even destroying the universe. If that wasn't enough to deal with there are conspiracies, spies, war, relationships and love.
Banks does a wonderful job of weaving the story lines together. Each character is developed so well you feel what each of them are going through (even the "traitors") and understand why they do what they do.
Even though the story deals with dark material like death, war, love and hate etc., there is still humor throughout the story.
This is one of those books that you don't want to end, but when it's over you are totally satisfied and can't quit smiling.
Book Review: Nothing happens!
Summary: 1 Stars
I have never written a review for a book before. But I feel it is necessary to warn people about this book. It starts interestingly, mysterious, and has a lot of different plot lines, and then...nothing EVER happens. Even when things get tense and you are certain that someone will do SOMETHING...it doesn't happen. All everyone does is talk a lot about what they would do if they were going to do anything...which they don't. So don't be fooled: there is NO action, NO plot, and NO direction to this book. So if you want a science fiction book where nothing happens and you are completely confused for hundreds of pages...you've found the right book to read!
As has been said here before by many other reviewers of not good books: "I would have given this book a "0" if they allowed it.
Book Review: Fascinating, but slow
Summary: 3 Stars
This is an inventive novel describing a far future of autonomous AIs that inhabit their own spaceships, create vast virtual reality simulations, and also engage in intriguing conversations and political machinations with other AIs. Unfortunately, the plot moves at a snail's pace. What makes the book worth reading, however, is the fascinating comparison between the humans who are still around and the ubiquitous artificial superintelligences. (There are also some not so cuddly aliens thrown in for contrast and for comic relief.) Some readers may find themselves wishing that the machines and humans could meld, keeping the best of both and getting rid of the rest. That, of course, is one of the great challenges facing us in this new century and this novel can stimulate our thinking and discourse.Book Review: Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
Another culture novel, branching out in another different direction, I liked it, I'll buy the next one that comes along too. The sentient machine battles are especially good in this one. Many reviewers seem to dwell on the point that they couldnt understand the Excession. Is that not the whole poit! We are seeing and being able to judge the actions of the culture when confronted with the the most difficult situation any society could cope with (ie something infinitely powerfull, infinitely unpredictable and infinitely incomprehensible) how would you fare if confronted by the infinitely powerfull unknown, I think the culture did OK. I especially liked Banks reference to the culture getting themselves into an "Out of context situation" well done, I love it.Dave Reid