The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
ObDisclosure: Whilst I received a free review copy, I would have purchased this anyway.
The Gzilt are preparing to sublime, and the scavenger races are circling, waiting for the pickings. Traditionally, pre-sublimation is the last chance for the various species to come clean on any sins or other secrets they’ve been keeping from the race about to sublime.
When one such message reaches the Gzilt, its claims, if proven, could rock the species to the core, undermining several of their core beliefs and possibly even cancelling their sublimation. Different factions will do anything to expose or keep said secret, leading to a number of Culture ships and a few key Gzilt getting involved in the search for the truth.
I often find Banks’ Culture novels hit or miss – some hit the spot, others I may give up on half way through. This one’s a hit, a good tale of mystery and intrigue in a high tech galactic environment, set against the backdrop of a race making it’s final preparations before it sublimes.
prk.
Leave a Reply