The Hydrogen Sonata (Culture)

This Culture novel is absolutely one of the most thoughtful, funny, thrilling and well-written novels by Iain M. Banks. It is the existential issues of, whether our individual or collective contributions and efforts and our constructions of meaning matter (in the short or in the long run), which is dealt with here. The issues are being adressed from not only epistemological / philosophical angles, but also more sociological angles. The book was released in October 2012 and Banks died in June 2013. What a fine way to say goodbye.

Lots of sound and fury, signifying little. The usual dark humour and interfering Culture Minds, but seems a little bit inconsequential (which may be the point). Lots of loose ends, as others have said, with characters popping in and out with little resolution. A middling Culture novel, but doesn't soar to the heights of his earlier books.

Ian Banks is currently my favorite science fiction author. I like all the Culture books, but this has to be the best. If you would like to know what good science fiction is, you should read Banks. He is just as good as Arthur C Clark and Isaac Asimov.

I await Ian M Banks new additions to his collection of 'Culture' novels with great anticipation and this one did not disappoint. Grumpy drones, aloof but sarcastically humurous 'Minds' (be they GSV's, GCU's or fast pickets), different societies with strange ways of doing things and mind boggling technology are once again part of a Banks offering. And boy does it fall exacty into what I want from a novel about the culture. A novel that i could not put down until it was done and then one of those reading experiences that when finished you wish had another 1000 pages of the same.

Man, is this guy smart. his ability to create new concepts and words is amazing. I would occasionally get a little lost in what he was trying to describe that had no earthly comparison, but the story moved things sufficiently that i just went with the flow.

Unlike other reviewers I think there is plenty of tech and sexy 'mind' power here, with action sequences as good as any he's written. The 'mistake not...' is a great new ship. It doesn't hang together perfectly as a novel I admit, but still it's a fantastic read and a great fix for lovers of the series like myself. And sadly poignant at the end as it's his last.

A good reading for any fan of the Culture novels, but this one does not rise to the heights some of the previous ones have. For Example, Surface Detail, in my opinion, has more depth, and Consider Phlebas more compelling story line. This one reminds me of Surface Detail both in the level of sentences and in the way the plot is woven - sentences are sometimes fairly complex, and several stories go side by side to come together as the novel progresses. Would I recommend this? Yes. Would I recommend some other Culture novels over this? Also yes, most of them (have not read Inversions and Matter).

The Hydrogen Sonata.

Typically, Banks is an excellent science fiction writer. His concept of a future (the Culture) civilization is so far reaching that the reader's imagination is always gratified. As with all his Culture novels, he has further expanded his broad vision. Excellent.

The interactions of his AI intelligences are wonderful to read. The technologies he envisions are interesting and new, the story is a little... bare. The main driving subject of the plot is rather abstract, and thus leaves the reader a little emotionally distant from the characters. Not his best work, but fun to read.

Fans of Banks and the Culture novels will love this. It strikes a welcome balance between epic scale and snarky humor, present in "Player of Games" and some of his other novels. Starts to explore the true nature of the universe in which the Culture novels take place.

For me, I love the culture storylines with plots which in the end appear relatively insignificant in the overall scheme of life in that universe. This was a great introduction into races or species who sublime. Iain M Banks will be sadly missed by this reader.

I'm an admitted culture fanboy. So, it should come as no surprise that I like this book. But, as a culture fanboy, the book must meet my expectations to get my recommendation. If you're reading my review, you've probably read some Iain in the past. You liked what you read, but maybe picked up a novel of his that stunk or just rubbed you the wrong way. Buy this book. So far, I'm about half way in, it has been a great read. If dig minds, subliming, intrigue, etc. you'll be stoked.

Everything this man wrote was epic, and "Sonata" is no exception. For Bank's fans, essential reading. If you're new to his work, then I suggest you find an earlier start point, such as "Consider Phlebus", "Player of Games" or "Use of Weapons". Enjoy.

I'm an admitted culture fanboy. So, it should come as no surprise that I like this book. But, as a culture fanboy, the book must meet my expectations to get my recommendation. If you're reading my review, you've probably read some Iain in the past. You liked what you read, but maybe picked up a novel of his that stunk or just rubbed you the wrong way. Buy this book. So far, I'm about half way in, it has been a great read. If dig minds, subliming, intrigue, etc. you'll be stoked.

Everything this man wrote was epic, and "Sonata" is no exception. For Bank's fans, essential reading. If you're new to his work, then I suggest you find an earlier start point, such as "Consider Phlebus", "Player of Games" or "Use of Weapons". Enjoy.

Banks again brings us into the hopeful yet exciting world of the Culture. Good action, exploration of deep thoughts (life, the universe, and everything!), and a fun read. I recently hear Mr. Banks is ill, and that this may be one of his last books, dreadful if true, but catch the master while you can...

The Hydrogen Sonata deserves six stars for the caniving, scheming, sarcastic and superior intelligence portrayed in the dialogue. Banks is a master at weaving a story filled with a dark and ironic humor, all embroiled in a great "Culture" novel. If only Iain Banks wrote more SciFi, he's so bloody good at it!

Good Culture novel. Solid writing with an intricate plot and good characters. Not the best book if you haven't already read a Culture novel. If you don't know what that means, go read The Player of Games or The Use of Weapons.

Certainly not my choice for where to start if you've never read the Culture books before but if you are well versed in the Culture then this is a winner. And it seems to be Banks' second in a row with a Patrick McGoohan homage.

No spoiler alert here. A full throttle Culture book, Banks again explores his post scarcity universe first conceived long ago in Consider Phlebas. In this, the mongrel human machine hybrid Culture supports the transcendence of a kindred species into the sublime higher dimensions. Banks surely joins Asimov in creative capabilities and thought-provoking concepts. This book features the rich, complex, occasionally generated language that makes all his works so challenging and intriguing. The Hydrogen Sonata lacks the incredible complex and intricate plotting of other Banks novels, (i.e. Use of Weapons), and so is a fine entry point to Culture novels, if you must. However, Banks is good enough to demand chronological reading. Great fun!

I purchased the Kindle version of The Hydrogen Sonata.
Banks once again delves into his Culture Universe, this time around you see a a lot more perspective from the Minds.
If you haven't read a Culture novel then this book might not be the one to start with, good news though there are a bunch more before this, I would suggest you start with his earlier books.
It does introduce the Culture more slowly, and they are fun reads as well!!

This, the latest (and last) Culture novel, has got to rank with Iain Bank's best work. The storyline is fairly simple but he manages to bring so much into play. The Ships' Minds play a big role in this novel and it is all the better for the wit that they bring.

I would compare this novel to "Player of Games" for the depth of the intrigue and plots within plots.

An Iain M Banks book normally takes me about 2 weeks to read but I got through this one in 5 days. Absolutely one of my favorite.

What is the use of political power when rapture is Real Soon Now? Would you kill to go to "heaven"? If so, how many? Not only does Banks flesh out his ideas about how a "heaven" might work in a Hard SF world, but he explores the moral questions that follows. A great read, and the afterglow of questions and dilemmas his stories leaves behind makes your brain buzz.

I liked the one about the elephant hell better, but this was still a fun read.. I feel that his last few plots were more inspired and interesting, and i enjoyed them. He will be missed.

This books has its share of Banksian nihilistic sudden conclusions, which are, admittedly, more real than the typical melodrama in the genre, and his optimism about a potential future, for some species out there, will stick with me.

This is arguably the pinnacle of Banks' Culture stories for me, in that his 'Mind' ships are really taking the lead for all of the Culture and their action set pieces were spectacular though sometimes a little too far apart. Always a risk when so much attention is focused on secondary characters.

Anyhow, a great read...shame it was to be the last Culture story, but a strong entry to the canon nonetheless.

I cannot believe Iain passed away. He was one the most prominent Science-Fiction writer. His Culture series are just... I'm at a loss to describe the emptiness left by his departure to other systems and bigger adventures.
I'll miss Iain's future stories.

Others have well described the universe of the culture.

This book was attractive for the potential discussion of 'the Sublime,' a realm including but not limited to this universe where sufficiently advanced populations retreat from the vicissitudes of 4-D existence. But 'the Sublime' is not fully discussed, only outlined. The means of entry? Say 'Sublime' three times.

The technologies described by Banks are fascinating; the ship-to-ship communications surprisingly engrossing.

And so I recommend this book. That in mind, their is some pretty graphic sexual content involving a plastic surgeon named Ximenyr which a kid should probably not read.

Iain M Banks' Culture novels have been around for 25 years now. Given Mr. Banks propensity for experimenting with the form and content of the things, they've been a bit hit and miss... though given his skill as an author, even the misses are thought provoking and well worth reading. The Hydrogen Sonata is at the faster paced, lighter end of the spectrum and I had a rollicking good time reading it. The title doesn't have a lot to do with the content, the heroine seems to be a pawn, the Minds remain inscrutable, the ending is morally ambiguous, and you can't help wondering while you read it if the chief protagonists are all in pursuit of a MacGuffin - but the action set pieces are fantastic, the environments epic and the themes of the nature of Memory, Machiavelli and Truth suitably imponderable. In short, a Culture novel. If you haven't read one before... choose some of the earlier stuff to get started on. If you have, then you know more or less what you're in for.

A fine continuation of Mr. Banks's Culture series. I enjoyed this book as much as any of the previous ones and it resembles Excession as much as any of the others IMHO. I loved Excession as well.

If you are not familiar with the Culture, I strongly suggest starting with the other books in order of publication as much as possible. This will enhance the pleasure of reading this book.

Most of the fun to me is the exquisite detail and quality of the prose used to set the scenes and describe the action. Not a quick commuter read but worth the effort.

Very solid Culture novel. Not quite at the standard of Player of Games or Surface Detail, but right up there with Excession. Banks has been pushing his social commentary a bit more overtly in recent years and thanksfully this steps back from that and while his views are still plainly apparent he isn't slapping you in the face with them. Good book, no hesitation to recommend to fans of his other sci-fi.

The storyline, although grand in scope as Banks always liked to do, left me feeling a little flat. I just couldn't get into the plot line as defined. I highly recommend picking up "Consider Phlebas" over this one if you have a choice.

Hydrogen Sonata is classic Banks, and if you love the Culture novels it is a must read. If there is something less than stellar to be said about the novel it would be that it is not something we have not seen before. The last Culture novels have explored different new aspects of the culture, this otherwise fine book feels a bit unimaginative at times.