The Hydrogen Sonata (Culture)

Banks, Iain M

4.2

23,594 ratings by Goodreads

9781619695481: The Hydrogen Sonata (Culture)

ISBN 10: 1619695480 ISBN 13: 9781619695481

Publisher: Hachette Book Group, 2013

It is, truly, probably, the End Days for the Gzilt civilization. An ancient people, they 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. Amidst preparations though, the Regimental High Command is destroyed and Cossont is blamed. Wanted dead—not alive. Now, 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—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. Cossont must discover the truth before she's exiled from her people and her civilization forever—or just plain killed.

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About the Author:

Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial acclaim with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984. However, it was his 1987 novel Consider Plebas which introduced his remarkable talent to the science fiction community, and also saw the addition of the 'M' to his name—an addition which remains a distinguishing feature of his science fiction work. He has since written five science fiction novels, and a collection of science fiction short stories, The State of the Art. He lives in Fife, Scotland.

Review:

"This rich, sweeping panorama of heroism and folly celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Culture, Banks's far-future semi-utopian society.... The action tumbles along at a dizzying pace, bouncing among a fascinating array of characters and locales. It's easy to see why Banks's fertile, cheerfully nihilistic imagination and vivid prose have made the Culture space operas bestsellers and award favorites."―Publishers Weekly

"One of Banks' best Culture novels to date."―Booklist on The Hydrogen Sonata

"It's fantastically good fun that throws in some big ideas about life, the universe and everything, and like the unabashed leftie that he is, Banks manages to get in there a few sizable shots at unthinking, dogmatic religiosity for good measure."―SciFi Now

"Banks's charming prose and the scale of his imagination continue to delight Culture vultures."―SFX

"The Culture, the post-scarcity, hedonistic, Machiavellian, libertarian, arse-kicking science-fiction society created by the late Iain M. Banks...one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future."―The Guardian

"Incomparable entertainment, with fascinating and highly original characters, challenging ideas and extrapolations, and dazzling action...sheer delight."―Kirkus Reviews

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