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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Iain M. Banks wasn't just the greatest sci-fi writer to have ever lived, he was one of the best writers ever. This book proves it.
Since his death, I've slowed down my consumption of his books dramatically. Knowing that as soon as I finish reading his final works, there'll be one less thing in my life to look forward to.
“But then, as she knew too well, the more fondly we imagine something will last forever, the more ephemeral it often proves to be.”
Since his death, I've slowed down my consumption of his books dramatically. Knowing that as soon as I finish reading his final works, there'll be one less thing in my life to look forward to.
“But then, as she knew too well, the more fondly we imagine something will last forever, the more ephemeral it often proves to be.”
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While I did find elements of the excess ion to be quite interesting, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze and I don't think it ended in a satisfying way. A bit of a "Back to status quo" ending.
None of the human characters were particularly engaging, and far too much time was spent on them.
Trying to link the disparate events together was very difficult, and I don't think I'd have enjoyed it if I had figured out all of the connecting bits.
None of the human characters were particularly engaging, and far too much time was spent on them.
Trying to link the disparate events together was very difficult, and I don't think I'd have enjoyed it if I had figured out all of the connecting bits.
For my fourth reading, Excession has stood strong as one of my favorite books ever. It is contrived, hard to explain, and gives almost no help to reader's struggling with a complex and over the top setting, and I love each and every page of it.
It is borderline impossible to describe the plot of this book with any sense of cohesion, but despite that, there is a beauty in it. Like most of Banks' sci-fi works, the characters, sub-plots, and themes of the book are often like the insides of a complex machine - it isn't until you step back and see the delivered product that you realize how everything fit together. In my experience, many people find the delivered product sorely lacking, Banks tends to end his books with anti-climax which leads to lots of questions of, "Why did I just read that?" Although I've found myself in the same situation, the more I've read of his works, the more I've found I enjoy the ride. Banks would prefer to be subversive and ironic then deliver upon the expectations of such grand a genre title as space opera. He often chooses to let the themes and important moments to be so strangely used that it often leads to his own characters wondering why they behaved the way they did. Excession for example is centered around change: the act of, refusing to, or the over eagerness to change are all dissected by Banks' scalpel like wit.
Although I am raving about the strange style Banks employed, I won't try to pretend that it is approachable. Excession almost requires a re-read, as some of the plot points are so hidden among the million things happening that I wouldn't be surprised to hear anyone say they had no idea what actually caused the inciting incidents of the novel. All of this is on top of a setting that is inherently strange, the Culture civilization that Banks based most of his work in is incredibly strange compared to most.
However, for readers willing to bash their heads against the walls of this story, I truly think this is a fantastic piece of science fiction. That may be the ravings of someone suffering from plot derived brain trauma, but I've accepted that I love this work despite all of it's strangeness.
It is borderline impossible to describe the plot of this book with any sense of cohesion, but despite that, there is a beauty in it. Like most of Banks' sci-fi works, the characters, sub-plots, and themes of the book are often like the insides of a complex machine - it isn't until you step back and see the delivered product that you realize how everything fit together. In my experience, many people find the delivered product sorely lacking, Banks tends to end his books with anti-climax which leads to lots of questions of, "Why did I just read that?" Although I've found myself in the same situation, the more I've read of his works, the more I've found I enjoy the ride. Banks would prefer to be subversive and ironic then deliver upon the expectations of such grand a genre title as space opera. He often chooses to let the themes and important moments to be so strangely used that it often leads to his own characters wondering why they behaved the way they did. Excession for example is centered around change: the act of, refusing to, or the over eagerness to change are all dissected by Banks' scalpel like wit.
Although I am raving about the strange style Banks employed, I won't try to pretend that it is approachable. Excession almost requires a re-read, as some of the plot points are so hidden among the million things happening that I wouldn't be surprised to hear anyone say they had no idea what actually caused the inciting incidents of the novel. All of this is on top of a setting that is inherently strange, the Culture civilization that Banks based most of his work in is incredibly strange compared to most.
However, for readers willing to bash their heads against the walls of this story, I truly think this is a fantastic piece of science fiction. That may be the ravings of someone suffering from plot derived brain trauma, but I've accepted that I love this work despite all of it's strangeness.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enjoyed it a lot, although found it slightly hard to follow in places - especially when the Minds are communicating. I wish I'd kept track of the ships' names! I also found the Pittance 'event' to be a bit confusing; need to go back and read that bit again to work out exactly who (or what) did what, and why. I found the passage when the Sleeper Service is pursued at a (very) high speed to be thrilling.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Slavery, Violence, War
This felt much harder to get through than it should have done. Unnecessarily complex, difficult to keep track of the characters and missing the sort of ‘traction’ I liked in the other stories in the series. Had to read a plot summary afterwards which confirmed that most of the action happens in the last 100 pages. No wonder it took me so long to get through the first half! I still want to read the rest of the series but probably not for a while.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the extended interplay between the Minds in this story. And the ending - fantastic! No one does endings better than Banks.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No