Excession

Excession is another Iain M Banks culture novel and again like the others it is a fresh story with in the same universe. This book starts with a prologue of a perpetually pregnant women’s day to day life being mildly disturbed. Then Banks proceeds to jump from character to character with no apparent link to join any of them. This cleverly draws you in as intrigue for one character causes you to read, and begin to care, about others. Before you know it you will have raced through the first half of the book with its gentle and easy to read style powered by your own willingness to know how each part of the story develops.

The anomaly that draws the attention as the focus of this story is what the culture have labelled an excession, something external to the culture’s knowledge or technology. Although it does nothing and very little information can be gathered about it the entire universe takes note, even those who don’t appear to be taking notice of anything.

This book draws the reader in taking you to the zenith of the story leaving you happy and contented with what you have experienced. This is like many of Iain M Banks’ novels it well worth a read. As it is a good story while still engaging your mind with subtle social commentary easily ignored in today’s society but unobfuscated in a fictional future.

I hope if you get the chance you will take to this book as I have and maybe venture further into Banks’ Culture universe.

Goodbye and good reading.

Ed