Release Date: 04/10/12
SYNOPSIS:
The Scavenger species are circling. It is, truly, the End Days for the Gzilt civilization. An ancient people, organized on military principles and yet almost perversely peaceful, the Gzilt helped set up the Culture ten thousand years earlier and were very nearly one of its founding societies, deciding not to join only at the last moment. Now they've made the collective decision to follow the well-trodden path of millions of other civilizations; they are going to Sublime, elevating themselves to a new and almost infinitely more rich and complex existence. Amid preparations though, the Regimental High Command is destroyed. Lieutenant Commander (reserve) Vyr Cossont appears to have been involved, and she is now wanted - dead, not alive. Aided only by an ancient, reconditioned android and a suspicious Culture avatar, Cossont must complete her last mission given to her by the High Command. She must find the oldest person in the Culture, a man over nine thousand years old, who might have some idea what really happened all that time ago. It seems that the final days of the Gzilt civilization are likely to prove its most perilous.
REVIEW:
To be honest this is a book that took me quite a bit of time to get through, not because its huge (it is) but purely for the fact that I was sitting there enjoying the journey that the author gives the reader with each story. The writing as usual is crisp and when you add solid prose alongside quirky, interesting characters this felt like it should have been one of the best books in the Culture series, but something was missing, some small element that should have propelled this higher in my reading estimation, almost as if some of the passion wasn’t quite in it.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, I had a fun time embarking on the adventure but when the behind the scenes aspects seem to overshadow the arc it feels like it disappoints. All in a solid enough book and one that I was pleased that I took the time to read but against some of the others, in particular the earlier books I don’t think it’s one of the best in the series.
Release Date: 10/08/89
SYNOPSIS:
The Culture - a human/machine symbiotic society - has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh. Jernau Morat Gurgeh. The Player of Games. Master of every board, computer and strategy. Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game ...a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game, and with it the challenge of his life - and very possibly his death.
REVIEW:
Having read a number of Iain’s Culture titles I wanted the pleasure of not only refreshing my memory but also embarking o nt he adventure again a number of years after the original journey. This opportunity presented itself wonderfully with the announcement of World Book Day when this was one of the titles selected.
What you get in this title is a space opera unlike any other as games are played, characters manipulated and of course a wonderful sense of the double dealing and politics unlike other titles of the time. Its quirky, it quickly immerses the reader within this unique universe and above all else it was a tale that twisted its own way not only through your imagination but into your very being so that you’ll recall it for quite some time.
Add to this an author with a great sense of pace and prose who knows when to twist the knife or to let you go which leads to a very satisfactory reading experience. Great stuff.
Release Date: 07/10/10
BOOK BLURB:
It begins in the realm of the Real, where matter still matters. It begins with a murder. And it will not end until the Culture has gone to war with death itself. Lededje Y'breq is one of the Intagliated, her marked body bearing witness to a family shame, her life belonging to a man whose lust for power is without limit. Prepared to risk everything for her freedom, her release, when it comes, is at a price, and to put things right she will need the help of the Culture. Benevolent, enlightened and almost infinitely resourceful though it may be, the Culture can only do so much for any individual. With the assistance of one of its most powerful - and arguably deranged - warships, Lededje finds herself heading into a combat zone not even sure which side the Culture is really on. A war - brutal, far-reaching - is already raging within the digital realms that store the souls of the dead, and it's about to erupt into reality. It started in the realm of the Real and that is where it will end. It will touch countless lives and affect entire civilizations, but at the centre of it all is a young woman whose need for revenge masks another motive altogether.
REVIEW:
Fan’s of Iain’s writing have been buzzing for some time about this new offering in his Culture series. What you get is a high octane, action packed adventure that also usually takes a different direction to the expectation of the reader.
What makes this title special is Iain’s attention to detail which really takes the reader to the bleak future of the authors imagination. Back that up with great characterisation, some seriously delightful dialogue and some prose that demonstrates the authors skill which will leave the reader more than happy.
I’ll eagerly await the next offering in this series which has, to date, provided some seriously fun science fiction escapism.
Hail Mighty Readers,
We've been doing a round up of our blog pals to see which of them are where shortly to sign thier books for you. Here's what we've uncovered:Andy Remic: There are some impending book signings coming up, starting with Waterstones, Bury, on 12th September at 1pm, to mark the launch of Kell’s Legend. Woo! Can’t wait. (This is followed by signings and readings at Nottingham (including FantasyCon), Leeds, York, Manchester and London… dates TBA)… unless that scoundrel Lee adds some more to my already bulging timetable!!Bernard Cornwell: I will be appearing at the Tank Museum on Thursday 15 October 2009 as part of their evening 'Out of Hours' programme. The programme begins at 7.30 pm and the entry fee is £12.50.Bill Hussey: Will be hosting the meeting at Waterstones Boston (16th September, 7-8pm) as local fans digest his latest offering. For more information ring: 01205 360002Charlie Higson: Will be doing signings at: Waterstone's Reading Oracle on Friday 11 September at 6pm (0118 9503400)Dacre Stoker: Will be "misting" into Waterstones Picadilly on Monday 28th September at 7PM (Sunset is interestingly enough 6:38pm) to sign his new novel, the official sequel to Dracula entitled "Dracula: The undead" More details: 020 851 2400Dan Abnett: Will be doing a massive tour of the north, dates are: Friday 16th October, Games Workshop Metrocentre, Gateshead, 0191 461 0950Saturday 17th October: 11-12.30 Games Workshop Edinburgh 0131 220 6540 1-2pm Waterstone's Edinburgh West End, 0131 226 2666Sunday 18th October 11.30 - 12.30 Games Workshop FalkirK, 01324 624 553 3-4pm GW Glasgow, 0141 221 1673 Monday 19th October 1-2pm Waterstone's Leeds 0113 244 4588 3 - 4pm TravellingMan. 0113 242 7227 Derek Landy: Will be appearing at Waterstones Liverpool One on Tuesday, 13 October 2009, 4:30PM - 5:30PM to sign the latest offering in his Skulduggery Pleasant series. For more info call: 01517099820Eoin Colfer: Will be appearing all over the place in order to promote the new Hitchhiker novel "And Another Thing":11/10/09, London Hitchcon’09 12/10/09 Glasgow, 18.40-19.30 Glasgow Film Theatre 0141332812813/10/09 Birmingham, 13.30 Borders (Bullring Shopping Centre) 01216161094 19.15 The Inkpot, Cheltenham Literature Festival 0844576897914/10/09 Cambridge, 13.00 The Cambridge Union Society, 0122335168 18.00-19.00 Forbidden Planet 0207803190015/10/09 Manchester 13.00 Waterstones Deansgate 01618391248 20.00 The Contact Theatre, Manchester, 01612740600Iain M Banks: Will be appearing at the following locations to promote his new book Transition: 10/09/09: Horsecross, Perth 19.00 0738 62103114/09/09: The Roundhouse, London, 19.30 15/09/09: St Etheldreda's Church, Ely, 19.3016/09/09: Topping and Company, Bath, 19.3003/10/09: Forbidden Planet, London 13.00Ian Rankin: Will be appearing all over the country, some to sign his first Hellblazer Graphic novel, Dark Entries:11/09/09: Waterstones Perth 13.00-14.00 01738630012 University of Dundee. 19.00 0138220032212/09/09: WH Smiths, Gyle, Edinburgh 12.30-13.30 01313398855 Borders Kiniard, Edinburgh 15.00-16.00 0131657404114/09/09: Stirling Festival Open Night Event, Tolbooth Theatre, Stirling, 19.30 01786431239101/10/09: Richmond Walking Festival, Zetland Centre, 20.00 0174882536206/10/09: Inverness Book Festival 07/10/09: Inverness Book Festival15/10/09: Waterstones Edinburgh, 18.0017/10/09: Belfast Festival, waterfront Studio 18.30 0289097119722/10/09: Biggar FestivalJoseph Delaney: New Blog Pal Joseph will be appearing at the Lancaster Waterstones on 03/10/09 at 14.00 01524 842561Simon Scarrow: Blog Pal Simon will be appearing at Nottinghams Waterstones on 10.09.09 to sign his new novel The Gladiator.
