A review by mschlat
The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks
4.0
There's some sadness here... A while back I decided to read all the Culture novels in publication order, and this is the last one, which I means I don't get any more Banks's wonderful takes on sociological science fiction.
Putting this aside, this is a good, but not great, installment. Plotwise, it reminds me of its predecessor [b:Surface Detail|7937744|Surface Detail (Culture, #9)|Iain M. Banks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1287893375l/7937744._SY75_.jpg|11345814], in that we follow a young non-Culture woman around inside a particularly powerful Culture ship, as her agenda and Culture agendas collide. But, this final book focuses on some of the Culture mythos we have only seen allusion to --- in particular, the idea of Subliming. The backdrop of the whole novel is the elevation of the Gzilt civilization to higher dimensions as they abandon the "Real", and what's fascinating is how Banks details how you still have very "earthly" behavior (treachery, warfare, debauchery) even as your society prepares to transcend all that. (And speaking of debauchery --- a theme Banks returns to again and again ---we have a five-year long party/orgy/feast as a major setting with the host having far too many of one particular body part.)
As usual, the tension near the end is fantastic as Banks puts all the pieces on the table. But, I felt like the Culture versus non-Culture questions that drove previous books were slightly muted in this one. So, great action, but lesser philosophical musings.
Putting this aside, this is a good, but not great, installment. Plotwise, it reminds me of its predecessor [b:Surface Detail|7937744|Surface Detail (Culture, #9)|Iain M. Banks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1287893375l/7937744._SY75_.jpg|11345814], in that we follow a young non-Culture woman around inside a particularly powerful Culture ship, as her agenda and Culture agendas collide. But, this final book focuses on some of the Culture mythos we have only seen allusion to --- in particular, the idea of Subliming. The backdrop of the whole novel is the elevation of the Gzilt civilization to higher dimensions as they abandon the "Real", and what's fascinating is how Banks details how you still have very "earthly" behavior (treachery, warfare, debauchery) even as your society prepares to transcend all that. (And speaking of debauchery --- a theme Banks returns to again and again ---we have a five-year long party/orgy/feast as a major setting with the host having far too many of one particular body part.)
As usual, the tension near the end is fantastic as Banks puts all the pieces on the table. But, I felt like the Culture versus non-Culture questions that drove previous books were slightly muted in this one. So, great action, but lesser philosophical musings.