This is my fifth Iain M. Banks ‘Culture’ novel. I purchased the complete set all at once, and I’m working my way through them in order. It’s an interesting series which all takes place in the same Universe and revolves around the same civilization/society (The Culture), but the characters are, for the most part, new each novel. You can think of ‘The Culture’ as similar to ‘The Federation’ in Star Trek.
This book came closer to my favorite theme/plot/storyline in Science Fiction, which is ‘Wonder and Big Ideas’ than the first four books in the series. Bank’s reveals more about the technical wizardry of The Culture and it’s AI ‘Minds.’ We learn more about how FTL works, and we get deep into the thinking, communication, and motivation of the AI ‘Minds.’ We got some exposure to the Minds in prior books, but this one cracks them open bare for us to see. Ultimately, it’s one of the challenges of writing far-future grandiose science fiction. How do you characterize vast artificial intelligence far beyond human thinking in a way that’s approachable and interesting for the reader. In Excession, the Minds are very human-like in their thinking and somewhat in their motivation. It’s slightly disappointing, as I had higher expectations of the Minds, but also understandable, as it wouldn’t make much of a novel, to have them be flawless and communicating in incomprehensible binary languages. There is also an artifact that appears in this book (The Excession), that makes the Culture Minds look like drooling toddlers. This god-like power also creates another common problem for this and similar sci-fi books, how do you end it? Think of 2001 – ‘A Space Odyssey’ – big build up . . . what will happen . . . it’s . . . it’s. . . “something wonderful.” Don’t get me wrong, I love ‘2001,’ it’s just it can’t help being a little anti-climactic.
There is a second plot line in this tale – more focused on humans. Genar-Hofoen is the main character, that keeps us connected to the storyline. Genar-Hofoen again felt to me like the same character Bank’s reincarnates (not literally) over and over again. He’s Horza in ‘Consider Phlebas,’ Jernau Morat Gurgeh in ‘Player of Games,’ and Cheradenine Zakalwe in “Use of Weapons.” Despite being in a future society, managed by super-advanced artificial intelligence, he’s still a ‘notch in the bedpost,’ love ‘em and leave ‘em character. I’d like to talk about my major disappointment in this strand of the tale, but it would include major spoilers.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the book. There’s more of the Culture revealed, a deep dive into Mind’s, the threat of galactic war, and some intriguing big sci-fi ideas. I once again enjoyed the non-human characters more than the human ones and I found the ending disappointing. I wish Bank’s would have found a character or two, that could tie all these books together (a drone and ship Mind would be perfect).
Four stars for this creative, energetically written adventure that continues to build out Bank’s wildly imaginative ‘Culture’ universe. ( )

For me this is the high point of Iain Banks generally amazing Culture series and a candidate for my favourite book of all time. With a multi-threaded swiss-watch of a plot I'd have to admit this won't be for everyone, but I find the scale of imagination and sheer authorial confidence on display here mesmerizing. Simply wonderful. ( )

Like with other Culture books I don't really think the first impression will be the last. There is too much going on with too much entities in this book. Plain overload of plot lines and themes. It seems there is no central point to this... yet. ( )

People change. It must have been 2008 when I started reading fiction again, and Iain Banks’ Culture series became among the first things I devoured. Excession was my favorite of the series back then, and I decided it was time to reread it – hopefully to be entertained and awed again, and, at the very least, to take a long, hard look in the mirror of time.

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Last time I read a speculative work of Banks was in June 2019, over 4 years ago. I didn’t think Transition was a success, and I vehemently disliked The Algebraist, which I started in 2018. Before that I read Inversions, and I didn’t really like that either. So I was starting to wonder: was I too easily impressed in 2008 and 2009? Or did, by sheer luck, I read all the Iain M. Banks books that where least to my liking last?

It turns out – as expected – the answer is a bit of both. I did like rereading Excession – mostly, that is. But I wouldn’t call it a favorite book anymore, and I’ve taken it off my list.

Let’s do a quick run-up of the good and the bad.

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Full review on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It ( )

Ah, what a scrumptious, cool space opera! The scope. The amazing world building. The sheer amount of themes and ideas. Mysterious artifacts. Understated humour. My third Culture novel was a treat.

There are many threads for the reader to unravel, and the book takes its time in the first half, to become a roller coaster in the second. I loved the layers upon layers of conspiracies – that explode in the reader’s face, sometimes literally and loudly (on page, I mean, he he), sometimes just quietly and brilliantly (cruelly, crazily).

I also have a weakness for when authors do this:

“Slogans, signs, announcements, odours and personal greeters vied for attention, advertising emporia and venues. Stunning ‘scapes and scenes played out in sensorium bubbles bulging out into the centre of the street, putting you instantly into bedrooms, feast-halls, arenae, harems, seaships, fair rides, space battles, states of temporary ecstasy, tempting, promoting, suggesting, offering, providing entrance, stimulating appetites, prompting desires; suggesting, propositioning, pandering.”

What did I say? Scrumptious.

The human characters were not particularly interesting – pathetic is a word that comes to mind. Ulver the spoiled brat does grow on you. A little. Somewhat. It doesn’t mean I did not care about them at all, though. On the other hand, I enjoyed following every single one of the too-clever-too-eccentric-too-everything-for-my-own-good sentient spaceships. Perhaps it was intentional? Anyway, I loved them! Their names are splendid, too. I suspect that lots of sci-fi authors with cool spaceship names in their books had read Banks ;) Shoot Them Later. Serious Callers Only. Fate Amenable to Change. Quietly Confident. Awww.

The wrap-up was immensely satisfying.
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