The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks

[randy_byers]

Comments

[surliminal]

Really intriguing review. But then I always think Culture reviews sound great when in fact I dont appear to actually enjoy reading them..

[randy_byers]

If it's space opera or military fiction you don't like, I doubt you'd like this any better than the others. Have you ever tried Inversions? It reads like more of a medieval fantasy or novel of court intrigue, with no explicit mention of the Culture and told from the point of view of people who have no idea that the Culture exists. John Berry and Claire have both said that it was the first Culture novel they read, which you would think would be the absolutely wrong way to enter that universe, but apparently it works just fine even if you don't know about the Culture yourself.