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A review by carduelia_carduelis
The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks
5.0
I think Ian Banks' work in this text is the true embodiment of science fiction.
Not only do we have an epic, sweeping plot following the last few weeks of civilization about to become post-meat, all-substance, but we take our time exploring its implications along the way. Banks is in no hurry, with each chapter setting up a couple of characters (usually a Mind or two) around some tension: be it military, strategic, political, or moral, that is then scrutinised.
The implications of these smaller scenarios feeding into the larger thesis as a whole.
For example, the Culture is now at a stage in its evolution that the vast Minds, embodied as ships traversing the galaxy, can run detailed simulations of civilizations to determine the path of best course in a situation of moral ambiguity.
But then they run into The Problem, which boils down to: if we've created a simulation detailed enough that it looks like life, is it life? And should it be done at all? This question is considered carefully, and various Mind's attitudes towards it are explained.
The real skill here is that none of this discussion feels out of place in the story because Banks is a master craftsman.
I've only read one other Culture novel, Excession, and thought that it had excellent potential but that the plot kind of petered out at the end. Not so here. No spoilers, but the journey is definitely worth it.
The story is also excellent and highly relevant: if a government thinks they can get away with it, what will they do when no one's watching?
I'm so impressed with this novel. The only, minor, criticism, is that once again I had to make a character list of which AI was which - even whilst reading it over the course of a couple of days - because most of them sound the same. But likely this is more an issue with my memory than the book itself.
Cracking book, will try and pace myself with the rest of the Culture.
Not only do we have an epic, sweeping plot following the last few weeks of civilization about to become post-meat, all-substance, but we take our time exploring its implications along the way. Banks is in no hurry, with each chapter setting up a couple of characters (usually a Mind or two) around some tension: be it military, strategic, political, or moral, that is then scrutinised.
The implications of these smaller scenarios feeding into the larger thesis as a whole.
For example, the Culture is now at a stage in its evolution that the vast Minds, embodied as ships traversing the galaxy, can run detailed simulations of civilizations to determine the path of best course in a situation of moral ambiguity.
But then they run into The Problem, which boils down to: if we've created a simulation detailed enough that it looks like life, is it life? And should it be done at all? This question is considered carefully, and various Mind's attitudes towards it are explained.
The real skill here is that none of this discussion feels out of place in the story because Banks is a master craftsman.
I've only read one other Culture novel, Excession, and thought that it had excellent potential but that the plot kind of petered out at the end. Not so here. No spoilers, but the journey is definitely worth it.
The story is also excellent and highly relevant: if a government thinks they can get away with it, what will they do when no one's watching?
Spoiler
And if it turned out religion was all a big social experiment from a prior civilization - how much would a government do to suppress that?I'm so impressed with this novel. The only, minor, criticism, is that once again I had to make a character list of which AI was which - even whilst reading it over the course of a couple of days - because most of them sound the same. But likely this is more an issue with my memory than the book itself.
Cracking book, will try and pace myself with the rest of the Culture.