Look to Windward (A Culture Novel Book 7)

Mysterious, subtle and thoughtful. Less of a mindless space adventure story with juvenile one dimensional space morons(i.e. Hamilton's Reality Dysfunction behemoth) than a crime fiction novel of sorts that moves with wit and finess, inexorably towards its ultimate conclusion.
Quilan is a Chel. A member of a nation moving out of the shadow of a sudden and violent civil war. It's relationship with the vast Culture civilisation is ambiguous. Quilan is sent as an emissary to a Culture orbital to meet with a famous Chel exile. As we move through the book the past of the central character is slowly peeled away as both he and the reader come to understand the implications fo his terrible mission.Muhahahaha!
This is one of those rare novels that reminds one of how truly satisfying it is to read, wrapped in blankets or draped across a sofa with a coffee in easy reach. The repartee between the Culture figures is almost Vancian (as in Jack Vance)in its quick indulgent interplay. There is little of Bank's (at times maligned) penchant for descriptive violence. Rather mystery blends deliciously with succulent characterization in this truly worthy addition to Bank's Culture series. I growled at times at pointless scences reading through 'Consider Phlebas'(esp the eater scene on a Caribbean-esque beach - Nice book title though!)Such superfluity has been truly expunged in this tight novel. Here I whoopped and chuckled with joy and delight as I read, locking myself in the bathroom so that I might finish it undisturbed by my family. It is perhaps Bank's finest work; Subtle in ways many people seem not to have picked up on. Ho ho.
If you enjoy this then do all you can to read any of Jack Vance's works. The Demon Princes series is as good a place as any to start.

Banks is one the rare writers who can hop through different genres and be worth reading in all of them. However, his sci-fi, and especially the Culture novels are a cut above the high standard he sets. This book is a worthy entry into the Culture pantheon, if not quite as good as Excession or Use of Weapons. Once again, Banks examines war through the lens of space opera. His musings on war are not restricted to a simplistic good guys/bad guys view, but instead focuses on tragedies and triumphs from the societal level down to the individual. Toss in a generous mixture of humor and tight prose and you have a wonderful book. As with some of his other works, it does take a while for things to get moving. Stick with it, for once things do start to move it becomes a hard book to put down.

In Look to Windward, Banks has his masterpiece. It tells a story of revenge, heartbreak, forgiveness, war and loss. A much more subdued novel than others in the Culture series, without the breakneck action scenes of Consider Phlebas or the outright strangeness of Excession, Look to Windward's strength is in Banks's characters, all of whom succeed in stirring deep emotion within the reader. From the apparently serene Mind of Masaq' Hub to the tormented Major Quilan to the haughty but deeply insecure Ziller to the gently sardonic Kabe, all of the protagonists are well done. The book has some pacing issues, as all of Banks's works seem to, and there's an entire subplot that should have been cut altogether--it's cool, but it ultimately affects the main plot not in the least, and doesn't help the already off pacing at all--but the book does such a good job invoking emotion with its beauty and brutality that these can be largely ignored. It's not perfect, but it's definitely his best.

Wow, he's good! Banks had already earned five stars for this Culture novel with his fastidious plotting, his diverse and real characterisation, an enchanting creation of an alien ecology and his warm depiction of the day-to-day life of a non-human protagonist. Then, as the story seems to conclude, he steps back out of the narrative, with a revelation accompanying his every step.

Some critics of Banks want new Culture novels to be more consistent with their predecessors. To the contrary, I consider the series is enriched by fresh perspectives and trust that Banks will continue to tap this rich vein in a similarly creative manner.

Look to Windward is the seventh book in Banks' science fiction universe based on a utopian society of advanced artificial intelligences and the humans (and other organic life forms) that originally created them, loosely termed the Culture. With each book, Banks has built his plots out of the interstitial area where the idea of this utopia fails, typically in its dealings with other, different societies, through its para-military/intelligence arm called Special Circumstances. This time, the Culture has interferred in the "advancement" of another society, failing miserably, and then must deal with the diplomatic fallout from their actions. That the other society, the Chelgria was a predator-based race with a rigid class structure and a warlike demeanor, makes this all the more difficult.
On this backdrop is placed several interesting characters: the Chelgrian Ziller, a composer who has ex-patriated himself because of his support for the rebels who attempted to overthrow the class structure, and wishes to have nothing to do with his old society or race; the Chelgrian emissary, Quinlan, whose despair over losing his wife in the war between the traditionalists and the rebels will drive him to commit the unthinkable; and the orbital Mind known as Masaq', who has hosted Ziller for years and asked the composer to create a new symphony based on the fading light of two suns--suns that went nova two thousand years ago when Masaq', as a warship, set off a chain reaction that destroyed them and the two orbitals around them.
As in his other novels, this one has several storylines to follow that eventually come together by the climax. Each storyline is given its own chapters, which some people find difficult to follow but I've always enjoyed, although it makes keeping track of the story much more difficult when the time spent reading the book occurs over weeks rather than hours.
It's not that Banks brings anything new to science fiction in his Culture novels; even the Culture itself can be found by looking at some mixture of Cordwainer Smith and Isaac Asimov. His ideas are culled from the classics as well, as in this book the orbital is roughly Larry Niven's "ringworld" mixed with John Varley's world-mind Gaea from his Titan trilogy. But what Banks can do better than those four, and a host of other published SF writers, is create believable characters whose motivations mesh with the unlikely locations and situations he sets for them. There's a reason why this type of SF is called space opera, but in Banks' hands it refers not to the televised soap operas but the sturm und drang of classical music. Yes, there are exaggerations here, but when a Banks' character has amnesia, it becomes a thematic device, not just a crutch to get you from one chapter to the next.

Insightful clear thought wrapped in a fantastic and surprisingly humorous package. It took me a little while to figure out why Mr. Banks dedicated the book to the Gulf War veterans. Without spoiling the book, think of the "Culture" as USA plus UK and Chel as the middle east, Afganistan, Vietnam...etc.
In the end, I think the Gulf Veterans he dedicated the book to are all the people who lived and survived the war regardless of whether they were Americans, British, Iraqis or Kuwaitis.
Considering the fact that the book was published in 2000 and the subsequent tragedy of September 11th, the book is almost prophetic. I believe it is critical that more people read this book. And the sooner the better.

I can't actually give this book anything less than four stars. I want to give it three, but I can only justify giving the book three in light of his other Culture novels: Excession, Consider Phlebas, Player of Games, Use of Weapons, etc. Meaning, after reading those and waiting for this book, and reading it... it's the same old familiar tune. Space Opera, War, Genocide, Intensity (psychological/emotional), Plot driven. And, obviously, that's why one reads Banks and his culture Novels; many of them are about these topics. But, there just wasn't anything... original, it was almost like he was ripping himself off. Not that bad. Just a rehashing and a remix of alot of his other ideas. Don't get me wrong, there's some cool stuff in there: the aliens, the sublimed aliens, the conspiracy, the whole part with the air bubbles in space; there's alot of that Banksian amazing imagination, and he works it in a great story, and it is well written, but really, it's just kinda the same old song. If it had been written as not part of a series, or the first Culture book, I'm sure I would be crazy about it.

While I agree that this is not quite the excellent read as Consider Phlebas or Use of Weapons, I found it to be highly engaging and easily superior to 99% of this year's sci fi. After all, Phlebas and Weapons are some of the best space operas ever written, in my opinion. We can't expect Banks to churn out a masterpiece at each go. I will say that a lot of the pleasure I experienced reading this was in revisiting the Culture universe. Banks' trademark inventiveness should excite any sci-fi reader. Avoid the Publisher's Weekly review if possible, it has a fairly large spoiler.

from the back cover of the November 2002 Pocket Books paperback edition

cover art by Jerry Vanderstelt

Eight hundred years after the most horrific battle of the Idiran war, light from its catastrophic, world-destroying detonations is about to reach the Masaq' Orbital, home to the far-flung Culture's most adventurous and decadent souls. There it will fall upon Masaq's 50 billion inhabitants, gathered to commemorate the deaths of the innocent and to reflect, if only for a moment, on what some call the Culture's own complicity in the terrible event.

Also journeying to Masaq' is Major Quilan, an emissary from the war-ravaged world of Chel. In the aftermath of the conflict that split his world apart, most believe he has come to Masaq' to bring home Chel's most brilliant star, the self-exiled celebrity Composer Ziller.

Ziller suspects Quilan has come to murder him, but the major's true assignment will have far greater consequences than the death of a mere political dissident. He is part of a conspiracy more ambitious than he can know - a mission his superiors have buried so deeply in his mind that even he cannot remember it.

Yes, finally we see Banks portray the Culture as something
other than the civilised good guys and other races as something
other than simple primitives in need of the Culture's high-
handed intervention. Banks also expresses the sentiment,
implied previously in Excession, that the Culture is in
danger of stagnating, and also offers a shot in the arm,
hopefully to be revealed in a sequel.
In Excession (which I found to be faster-paced), the
primitives in question were the "hearty but horrible" (sic)
Affronters. However, in "Look to Windward" we are presented
with two Chelgrians.Two different characters with much more
depth. This made "Look to Windward" very rich in comparison
to "Excession" which only presented the Affronters as "the
Culture's Burden". Quilan, in particular is a noble and
complex character, made mature by his experiences, his
suffering and bereavement. His interaction with the
comparatively simple-minded amiability of the Culture
citizens around him was nicely assayed, and poignant
when you bear in mind that they are arguably responsible
for his anguish. Imagine how poor the story would have
been if he had been presented only as a terrorist.
In addition we have samples of the elder races: the Oskendari
inhabitants and their wonderful strangeness, and the very
patient Homomdan ambassador. They, along with the endearing
Uagen Zlepe, illuminated a bigger picture of the Culture's
place in the Galaxy, while hinting at the powers of the
unknown forces gathering against them.
I loved this book. Even the smug complacency of the
Culture added to the story. The Culture needs a wake-up
call, and I want a sequel!

While not a sequel to 'Consider Phlebas', this book results from the consequences of certain events that happened in the idiran/culture war of that novel, namely, the destruction of a couple of stars.
Here, Banks has weaved another tale of intrigue, mystery, drama, suspense, and action that is rivalled only by previpus efforts such as 'Consider Phlebas','Use of Weapons' or 'Against a dark background'. The characters are troubled, as usual!, some have to go to extraordinary lengths to not only 'beat the baddies' but to also survive. (One character in particular has quite a unique way of beating the odds-at the end of the book of course.)
The plot is much simpler than some of Iain's work, but is no less riviting. And the innovative ideas still abound.
This is an author who is at his best and is still getting better, and this one of the best sci-fi books written in a few years!

The setting is Masaq; an Orbital (a man-made space station housing millions of people and machines), where the light of two exploding suns hundreds of light years away can now be seen. The first is celebrated with a festival of music by all on the Orbital. But behind all the celebrations, a grizzly and sinister plot is being played out, which would mean the inhabitants of Masaq never seeing the second light they are all eagerly waiting for.
Look To Windward, along with all the other books written by Iain M. Banks is staggering to say the least. Once again you're taken into the seemingly limitless breadth and depth of Banks' mind, with the subtleness and almost poetic nature that only he has. The story is cleverly cut up and rearranged in a manner true to a Tarantino film, which makes the story slowly reveal itself, to brim up to a timeless climax. Read this book, and you will be totally enriched by the experience.

A very honest, sad story, that says much about human nature. Look to Windword fills me with painful, sad emotion whenever I am reminded of it, but then I remember how much I enjoyed the telling, and it warms my heart. It makes me feel the opposite of bittersweet. It has been years since I read this book, but the characters and their story still feel fresh and real in my mind.

Definitely not for those with a short attention span 'Look to Windward has' a lot to offer in respect to it's parallels to our own present `Culture'.
The novel starts quite slowly and progresses in a way that, at times becomes excruciatingly detailed. However, taken in the context that the ultimate aim of this work is to raise us to a higher level of thought about our own place in the world, than it is to purely entertain us, it definitely achieves.
As usual with Banks, the climax to the story telling builds slowly. You must be willing to wait until the very end to discover the true nature of the beast.
The parallel story lines, which I imagine can be quite difficult to follow for some, don't hold our hand in the experience of understanding the message. This is the true attraction to the Banks' novel, the experience of discovery. I'm sure that for every person who reads it, the message is a little different, couched in an understanding of the world they live in and the place they (and the characters) hold in their universe.
I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Even if the ending wasn't what I expected. That's life!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest Culture novel, by which Banks maintains his ranking as my favourite SF author.
Windward's focus on the occasionally ambiguous results of the Culture's dominant (a)morality was a welcome change: in his other novels Banks has tended to portray the Culture as part Libertarian Utopia and part Galactic Police. This book shows that even though it is--at least in the long run--omnipotent, it still can make costly mistakes.
One highlight--an obvious sop thrown to fans of the Culture's ships--is a fairly lengthy conversation concerning the hilarious names of many previously unheard-of ships.
A book of this calibre from any other author would easily rate five stars; unfortunately, where Iain M. Banks is concerned, I've become used to perfection! I can't easily articulate where he goes wrong here; it just didn't quite grab me the way his books usually do.

"Look to Windward" has all the hallmarks of Banks' ingenious invention in the genre of Sci Fi.
A "Chelgrian", Quilan , originating from a technologically sophisticated, but socially backward race, tries to get revenge on the Culture for causing civil war and countless deaths on his planet .

Under the pretence of encouraging an ex-patriot Chelgrian composer to return to his home planet, Quilan journeys to Masaq Orbital when his real intention is to destroy the deity-centred and iconic Masaq and countless of those inhabiting that world.

Superficially, the plot revolves on one level around the tension of whether Quilan will succeed in wreaking his vengeance on the Culture or whether the latter will defeat his endeavour but "Look to Windward" is probably saved from being another tiresome vengeance-writ-large theme by the interesting diversion of Banks to his bizarre worlds and technologies.

I have read some of Banks' other novels and enjoyed them as well, particularly Player of Games, Inversions, and Use of Weapons. I read Banks Science Fiction because he is obviously a brilliant guy who has a lot of fun with the genre. The thing is, there's a lot of smart folks writing science fiction, but they often write flat characters or flat worlds or both. Banks is literate and interesting and he has something to say. I am not a die hard science fiction fan, but when I do read it, I look for something that will provide a sense of wonder and leave me thinking for days after. Banks accomplishes this as does Robert Charles Wilson (especially Blind Lake). Look to Windward is as good a place as any to start with Banks. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I've been reading the Culture novels in publication order, and I seem to enjoy each one more than the last. This one is the most morally comple yet, but it doesn't skimp on the adventure. It had my heart pounding toward the end, and I can't remember the last time a book did that to me.

Ian Banks' Look to Windward takes its time to develop its story. Banks revels in the universe he has created and will not be rushed to deliver his plot at the expense of painting a complete and complicated picture of his far-off future. Banks invests his technology and societies with grandiose detail and those descriptions do go a long way towards placing his story, though at times they can be long-winded and repetitive. But where Banks really shines is in creating characters to inhabit these well articulated settings. Banks has a particularly good grasp on articulating the alien nature of a character while giving his reader enough common ground to still be able to relate to the character. The tripod ambassador and the simian anthropologist in Windward are both intriguing, but especially compelling is the Hub of Masaq' Orbital, particularly as Banks lends it more and more personality towards the close of the novel. However, despite Banks' facility with setting and character, the plot of Windward was plodding and predictable. The only major plot twist was completely without precedent and in fact contrary to everything that the reader had been able to perceive for all but the last five pages of the book. Such shifts in plot are not so much twists as retroactive plot rewrites particularly unsatisfying to readers who have stuck with Banks' slow development of character, plot and setting throughout the balance of the book. That said, Windward was my first taste of Banks' Culture novels and I found it to be a very good introduction to the Culture, if not a great novel overall.

But I love the Culture series. Banks is having fun with this one, stowing his nicely disguised utopian communist ethics lessons into the text. There is a perfectly OK story too, but not as strong as his best. Some of the tricks have been used before. The plot needs more tension. And Banks salts the story with exotic episodes that aren't structurally related to the story line. That's my main complaint about his books, I guess. But just imagine what it must be like as a writer to have your mind so full of these bizarre scenes that they have to be tossed out to make space for other wild stuff. Banks is great.

Long ago the Culture and the Idiran Empire fought a significant war. The conflict destroyed 2 suns into supernova and killed hundreds of billions of sentients. As a result the Chelgrian civilisation collapsed into a civil war. A gifted composer, Ziller -- who turned his back to his Chelgrian heritage -- has settled a ring-shaped artificial worldlet of the Culture called Orbital Masaq; home to fifty billion intelligent life-forms. He is writing a symphony in the light casted by the destroyed supernovae that has finally crawled its way to Masaq. The Chelgrian Major Quilan was despatched to Masaq' to convince Ziller to return home and cancel the concert. But Quilan, now monk, is burdened by his wife's death during the Chelgrian civil war. His mission is to strike back at the Culture with help of his soulkeeper. But the soulkeeper is occupied by a co-pilot to ensure the success of the mission.

The Culture is a interstellar society where no one is exploited, and very little is forbidden. The AIs, minds, handle all of the day-to-day details. The story takes quite long to develop in several parallel plot lines. A concept of the Sublimed is introduced: how the AIs, when intelligent enough, vanish to higher forms. In spite of fabulous thinking power of the Minds The Culture cannot guarantee that all the interventions will produce desirable results.

Two (2) stars. Written in 2000 this is the 7th book set in the Culture universe. It examines the morality of warfare, the dubious notions of acceptable losses and proportionate responses. The angle is more character exploration than the technology. The pace of the book is sleepy and it takes half the book to set on tracks of the combined events. The narrative is contemplative and lot of the book concentrates on building the scenery for the actors. A thinking, but melancholy novel.

I think this (the latest Culture novel) is the worst of Banks' novels. It appeared to me as if a good down payment from his publisher was his key motivation rather than literature (I saw Asimov do the same think with his later Foundation novels). The storyline was incredibly weak and finally fizzled into about 3 weaker non-endings. Characters were invisible to my mind's eye; twists generally turned into Moebius vortexes and the SF concepts were generally self-indulgent and verging on lifeless. Sorry, I was a huge fan until yesterday - hey Ian M. Banks, where's your Culture gone?