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Publication Date: 1996 Publisher: Orbit 450 pages Summary The arrival of an artifact of unconceivable power sparks a conspiracy between the sentient ships of the Culture. In a Nutshell A novel of breathtaking scope filled with interesting characters and subtle humor. Review Excession is part of Scottish author Iain M. Banks' Culture series, revolving around an ultra-advanced galactic civilization of the same name, where humans and machines coexist in harmony. Although most Culture novels are separated by large enough gaps in time to make them standalone, Excession is definitely not a beginner's Culture novel. Whereas Banks showed us the Culture through the eyes of its enemies in Consider Phlebas, or reflected in the eyes of a primitive civilization in The Player of Games, he now gives us the full-on Culture experience by opening up the inner lives of the Minds: the sentient, all-powerful ships that populate this galactic utopia. The Minds at play in Excession are by far the most fascinating aspect of Excession, which is saying a lot . These sentient ships are ancient and infinitely brilliant, but yet they possess personalities of their own: some of them are eccentric, others are heroes; yet others are guilt-ridden war criminals. They go about and exchange with passion and humor, and their dialogs across the gulfs of space come across as a bunch of teenagers talking on an Internet forum. This was clearly Banks' tongue-in-cheek intent, and it's a really cool read. Banks throws a wrench in the quiet lives of Minds by introducing the title's Excession: an "Outside Context Problem", that is, a piece of technology so staggeringly advanced even by Culture standards that it threatens to unravel the civilization's fabric. And unravel it it nearly does, as conspiracies come to the fore and factions struggle to claim the prize. Although the Excession is a fascinating concept, even more fascinating is the impact such a prize has on a civilization otherwise peaceful and moral as the Culture. The tale of Excession is that of how the Culture as a whole deals with the issue. It's easy to ponder how our own world would deal with the same, and this kind of scope and thought is why I read SF in the first place. There are other mind-boggling concepts in Excession; perhaps too many to name. Where to begin? There's the mindscapes of metamatics, the cruel and jovial culture of the Affront, talks of four-dimensional hyperspherical concentric universes, and much more. The word 'hypersphere' is thrown around like it's part of every day life, which it is for the Minds. A beginner's SF novel this ain't. Iain M. Banks is one of those rare writers who can dream up outlandish concepts, but still root them in a well-written tale. Whereas an author like Robert Charles Wilson (cf. Spin) grounds all these concepts in deeply human and personal stories, Banks uses an entire galactic civilization as a canvas on which he entertwines the lives of men, women and Minds. It's an exhilirating ride; perhaps not as touching as The Player of Games, but as entertaining and relevant, certainly. If you've read a Culture novel before and you're familiar with such concepts as 'GSV', 'Special Circumstance', 'drone' and 'Minds', it's high time you treated yourself to the brainride that is Excession. If you haven't read a Culture novel before, do not start with this one: pick up Consider Phlebas or The Player of Games, and know that after these excellent novels, the Excession awaits. |
Copyright © 2005-2008 Daniel Roy