I haven't read any Iain Banks for years and I love lots of his books, so starting this was like being reacquainted with an old friend. I found this on my friend, Nicky's bookshelf, took it, started it and have devoured it in just a few days.
It started so well, really weird stuff based around an infinity of parallel universes in which special people,called transitionaries, can move. They take a pill called Septus and transition all over the place. They take over the physical body of locals (leaving a lobotomised version of themselves in their previous bodies) and murder people who they think will be harmful to the society. They also torture lots of people in order to get information.
The organisation running this system is called the Concern, and like all uber powerful countries and government systems it has become highly corrupt and their leader, Mrs d'orletean, is an evil despot.
It started so well, really weird stuff based around an infinity of parallel universes in which special people,called transitionaries, can move. They take a pill called Septus and transition all over the place. They take over the physical body of locals (leaving a lobotomised version of themselves in their previous bodies) and murder people who they think will be harmful to the society. They also torture lots of people in order to get information.
The organisation running this system is called the Concern, and like all uber powerful countries and government systems it has become highly corrupt and their leader, Mrs d'orletean, is an evil despot.
This book promised so much, but in the end,never really delivered. Also it was incredibly dark and depressing...with horrid sections on the place of torture in society and long rambling sections on the evil of capitalism. (Parts of which were very clever and funny.)
There were lots of gratuitous sex and drug references, but to be honest, I couldn't see why. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a puritan in anyway, but it was as if Iain Banks was just being lazy and putting lots of sex and drugs into the plot just because he thought his loyal reader fanbase liked that kind of kinky, weird shit.
I wasn't convinced...sad thing is this book was SO GOOD at the beginning with its Christian terrorists and world jumping assassins. But I feel I never got past the great ideas to any kind of plot or reason behind what was going on.
I wasn't convinced...sad thing is this book was SO GOOD at the beginning with its Christian terrorists and world jumping assassins. But I feel I never got past the great ideas to any kind of plot or reason behind what was going on.
It was a seriously dark book with lots of pseudo philosophy. A book which has ultimately left me feeling a little bit queasy and with a thousand unanswered questions. A shame really because I loved the ideas.
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