Surface Detail (A Culture Novel Book 8) (edició 2010)

The Culture is a galaxy-wide civilization of mostly recognizable humans. There are a few books in the series and while I think they can be read in any order, I've found that the universe that Banks has created has become more detailed and complicated over the series. This is the latest and we learn a lot more about the Culture and the other vast alien civilizations it interacts with. At 654 pages, this is a pretty big novel, as are all of the Culture novels. One problem I have with Banks is that his books get off to really slow starts. I nearly gave up on this one at around 100 pages because I couldn't see where the story was going. But it was worth finishing. ( )

So, after reading four titles in the Culture series, I was teetering on the verge of abandonment. I started with A Player of Games (skipping Consider Phlebas on the recommendation of many) and was VERY happy with the result and looking forward to tearing through the remaining books in the series.

The following two books, Use of Weapons and Excession were disappointments, primarily due to their level of complexity and my struggle in keeping on top of the various story lines. The fourth title, Inversions was in no way science fiction and only extremely tangentially Culture. One more strike, and I was out.

Fortunately, Look to Windward was excellent. Better than A Player of Games and orders of magnitude better than the other three. Surface Detail, the next in the series is better still, some of the best science fiction I’ve read.

The story consists of several threads that alternate in their advancement. At times, it might take a little while to get back in the flow of an individual thread, but not if you consistently read the book. You can’t put it down for a few days and pick it back up expecting to remember all of the back stories.

At its heart, the story involves the practice of some civilizations to maintain a simulated Hell, where afterlife punishment is relentlessly and painfully meted out. Some of this is not for the squeamish and many will be turned off by it. A virtual war is being waged between opponents and proponents of the practice.

The various threads gradually coalesce to a very satisfying conclusion. A Player of Games was a very simple science fiction novel to read and follow. A couple of the successors, not so much. This book walks the fine line between being intellectually challenging and difficult to follow, much as some of Neal Stephenson’s work, which I thoroughly enjoy.

All of the Culture novels I’ve read so far stand completely on their own. There is no reason to feel compelled to read one for fear of losing track of a story arc. They appear to be capable of being read in any order. I would recommend reading a Player of Games first, as it sets out the Culture universe more fully than the others I’ve read subsequently. I cannot recommend Use of Weapons, Excession or Inversions, but would advise to follow up a Player of Games with Look to Windward and Surface Detail. ( )

One of his better culture stories, possibly the best - Player of Games was my first in this series, and remains a very strong choice as a starting point for an introduction to the Culture, but this one is very strong for those who are already immersed in the world.

As usual, lots of characters and plotlines twist through to a compelling and not quite predictable finish. Particularly enjoyed the ship "Falling Outside the Normal Moral Constraints" and his role in keeping things up in the air. Lots of fun.

The hells are ... hellish. Didn't love reading those sections, but a gruesome characterization of some of the horrors that could come with simulating mind states. ( )

What the hell? ( )

Fairly good. Had to skip over the long boring descriptions of people being tortured and spaceship battles - but otherwise quite entertaining. ( )