3.5 stars

I really liked this work. The author has managed to create a very well-defined world that is rich in details. It's like stepping into a whole new universe when reading it. The level of detail is truly remarkable and makes the world come alive.

However, at times, I did feel a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of details. There were so many little things to take in that it almost became a bit much. It made me have to stop and really think about what was going on, which sometimes disrupted the flow of my reading.

Overall, though, I still think it's a great piece of work. The good definitely outweighs the bad, and I would recommend it to others who enjoy immersive and detailed worlds.

Spacefaring Derring-do

Scholarly seer Fassin Taak is dispatched by the Mercatoria’s militia on a perilous mission. He must find a mythical map of hidden wormholes and, if it exists, a means to translate it. This quest thrusts him into the heart of an inter-galactic war. Meanwhile, the comically named warlord, Archimandrite Luseferous of the Starveling Cult, has his own self-imposed mission. “Power was everything. Money was nothing without it. Even happiness was a distraction, a ghost, a hostage.” The Archimandrite also takes pleasure in the creative torture of his captives, similar to the officer in Kafka’s In the Penal Colony.

The first hundred and fifty pages of the story are engaging. The world-building is remarkable, with fascinating beings, civilizations, and ideas. The descriptions are delightfully incongruous and lyrical. However, as the story progresses, there are hundreds of pages filled with countless characters traveling, meeting, and parting, impending battles, more traveling, and so on. Astro-geology, galactic history, personal history, and intrigue all add to the mix. At times, like Fassin, the reader experiences “swim,” that intense feeling of disconnection when the outlandishness of a situation hits home.
The ending is neat but rushed compared to the drawn-out adventures that came before. The effects of living, traveling, and switching between different time speeds are not fully explored, and the storylines of the two main characters do not blend well. Overall, it feels like a poor imitation of Alastair Reynolds. If you want a good review of the book, see Apatt’s review. I will focus on a few aspects that I particularly enjoyed.
Fear of Artificial Intelligence is a central theme in this story. Despite the quest and battles, it is the fear and prohibition of AI that drive the plot. In 2004, when the story was published, this was a timely topic. Fifteen years later, real-life warnings about AI are abundant. Defining AI is a tricky task, and Banks does not fully achieve it. Those who have updated Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics often include a law about an AI being explicitly AI. We instinctively fear the Uncanny Valley, which may explain why the latest screen versions of Cats and The Lion King give some people the jitters.
Culture and Civilization are also explored in the story. What counts as civilized? Here, the ability to feel pain, both physical and mental, is considered a measure of civilization, but this seems a low bar. Social organization and culture, such as art, literature, and music, are lacking in this far future. However, there is a universal language, Standard, which is described as an almost perfect language.
Extreme Bodies are a common feature in sci-fi, and this story is no exception. Body mods in this world raise major consent issues. One person’s genital secretions can inject a truth serum, and another can control sweat and pheromone production for seduction and deceit. The different body shapes, sizes, and life requirements of various beings necessitate elaborate adaptations of transport and furniture. It is unclear what would happen to disabled babies in this world.
The Dwellers are perhaps the most intriguing aliens in the story. They are bizarre in appearance, vast in size and lifespan, and a “slow” species. They are full of contradictions and quirks, such as gathering huge amounts of data without cataloguing it and valuing kudos in a unique way. They have a vague disdain for “quick” species and treat the military as independent experts.
The story also contains many poetic quotes, such as “The interrogating tendrils of coherence were almost too quick to sense.” and “Magisterial, oblivious, moving almost imperceptibly with a kind of tumultuous serenity.” There are also sci-fi jargon quotes and philosophical quotes that add depth to the story. Overall, while the story has its flaws, it is an interesting exploration of spacefaring, AI, culture, and more.

Fear of Artificial Intelligence

Despite the quest and battles, it’s fear and prohibition of AI that is at the root of this story published in 2004. Fifteen years later, real-life warnings are plentiful. But before you can control it, you must define it. That’s intriguingly tricky, and not really achieved by Banks.

Those who’ve updated Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics invariably include one about an AI being explicitly AI. We instinctively fear the Uncanny Valley, which is perhaps why the latest screen versions of Cats and even The Lion King give some people the jitters.

I recently read of an AI program that "generates coherent paragraphs of text, achieves state-of-the-art performance on many language modeling benchmarks, and performs rudimentary reading comprehension, machine translation, question answering, and summarization—all without task-specific training". It's imperfect, of course, and it's within tight constraints, but impressive. The developers rightly fear its power for generating fake news and other scams (as well as foreseeing useful applications). Read about it HERE. To skip the tech angle, scroll to the two panels with a dark grey background.

On a completely different hand, are prejudice and legislative restriction of conscious AIs akin to institutional racism?


Image: xkcd Turing Test, “Extra credit: convince the examiner that HE'S a computer.” (Source.)

Culture and Civilization

What counts as civilized? Here, the answer is said to be the ability to feel pain, physical and mental, which seems a low bar. What about social organisation and culture?

There is still war, bureaucracy, religion used to control the gullible, and sport (space-sailing races), but not much culture (art, literature, music) in this far future.

However, there is a universal language, Standard:
“An almost perfect language: flexible, descriptive, uncoloured..., precise but malleable, highly, elegantly complete yet primed for external-term-adoption and with an unusually free but logical link between the written form and the pronounced... Best of all, it didn't belong to anybody, the species which had invented it having safely extincted[!] themselves millions of years earlier.”

Extreme Bodies

“The only ugly people were those making a statement.”

Body mods are common in sci-fi, but those here should raise major consent issues: one person’s genital secretions can inject a truth serum, and another can control sweat and pheromone production, which is useful for seduction and deceit in meetings (yet he judges others by their body language).

The utterly different body shapes, sizes, and life requirements of different beings necessitate elaborate adaptations of transport and furniture. I guess disabled babies would be aborted or have their bodies fixed, but if not, it’s a very accessible place.

Dwellers

The Dwellers are probably the most intriguing aliens I’ve encountered in sci-fi. Bizarre in appearance (like “anorexic manta rays”, with “signal skin”, and wheel-like protuberances), vast in size (9 metres diameter) and lifespan (billions of years), a “slow” species(?) who are the most widespread planet-based lifeforms.

They are a species of contradictions and, to humans like Fassin, quirks: they gather huge amounts of data on everything for no obvious purpose (little interest in other species), and without cataloguing it; they’re non-hierarchical but have 29 levels of seniority/age; they resist change but are not a monoculture; they value kudos, which almost the opposite of money (“The harder you’d worked for your kudos, the less it was worth.”); they are all male except when social duty requires a pregnancy, and they care little for their young (to say the least!); they treat the military as independent experts (rather than a tool of democratic government); practice collective inheritance, and have vague disdain for “quick” species (“Your passion for doing each other harm never ceases to amaze, delight and horrify.”).

Poetic Quotes

•\\t"The interrogating tendrils of coherence were almost too quick to sense."
•\\t“Magisterial, oblivious, moving almost imperceptibly with a kind of tumultuous serenity.” A gas giant.
•\\t“He left in the false dawn of an albedo sunrise.”
•\\t“Small bubbles of gas rose to the surface and broke, giving some tiny proportion of the substance of Earth to the atmosphere of a planet twenty thousand light years away.” (Champagne)
•\\t“Dark glitterings, everywhere. The Dreadnaught lit up along its length, speckled with fire… freckling bruises across the stir of dark gas.”
•\\t“The spastic spasming light of the battle view swinging wildly across the screens.”
•\\t“The vast being [a Clouder] was like a million great long gauzy scarves of light, a whisper of matter and gravity… drifting yet purposeful.”

Sci-fi Jargon Quote

•\\t“K, who was coming to the end of a tream, socked into a traumalyser and a linked-up subsal.”

Philosophical Quotes

•\\t"All solo societies were possessed of both an inflated sense of their own importance and a kind of existential terror at the sheer scale and apparent emptiness of the universe."
•\\t“Wild years… losing money and illusions, gaining weight and some small amount of wisdom.”
•\\t“‘We are wasting time.’
‘Time wastes itself. Who are we to float in its way?’”

Other Quotes

•\\t“You custard-brained phlegm-wart.”
•\\t“Fashion-gaunt in the latest war-chic.”
•\\t“The psychic pain of realising that the world is not really as splendid as it seemed the evening before.” (the Dweller equivalent of a hangover)

I have been a fan of Iain Banks' fiction for several years now. Ever since reading The Wasp Factory, I have considered him among the ranks of interesting, inventive, and perhaps even important living novelists.

Prior to The Algebraist, I had not delved into any of Banks' science fiction. So, with great anticipation, I picked up this book at the library. I had thoroughly enjoyed \\n  The Wasp Factory\\n and \\n  The Crow Road\\n, and I was certain that his \\"M.\\" branded science fiction would be equally exemplary. However, imagine my surprise as my enthusiasm ebbed and flowed throughout the reading.

Right from the start, I was struck by how the language seemed stilted or over the top. I knew that the novel was a space opera, but why did it have to be so operatic? The style seemed to overshadow the substance for the first 100 pages or so. I had a sense of what was unfolding, but it randomly flipped between different times, places, and voices. I had an inkling that the stage was being set, but it took me a while to become engaged.

By the time I was about 25-30% through the story, it began to gain some real momentum. The style receded into the background, allowing the story to shine through. I started to feel okay about investing myself in the events, and some of the characters began to really come alive. I got to meet some interesting dwellers. And this momentum continued and remained quite strong. But I still had some nagging concerns in the back of my mind. Would \\"The Style\\" return with a vengeance? Weren't there one or two important-seeming characters who had fallen off the radar a while ago? Would I remember who they were? Would I even care? And sure enough, some tedium crept back in, and I found myself feeling like I had missed the best part because I had zoned out.

But then the war started, and the style once again took a backseat. The pace picked up rapidly, and it felt great. The reading became fun again. However, I found myself waiting for a twist that never materialized. (Or perhaps it did, but I realized that it had already come and gone, and the only thought I had was: \\"That? Duh, that was given away on like page 9...\\")

Ultimately, it was a fun read. It had its tedious moments, but it was still an enjoyable, deep space opera with some interesting hooks and a few compelling subtexts.

The Algebraist: A Disappointing Space Opera

Let's start with a joke. This book is so big and heavy that it could double as a doorstop, a weightlifting bar, or maybe even a weapon in a pinch. But when it comes to reading, it's a bit of a different story. The excessive use of esoteric terminology in this book is enough to make your head spin. It's like the author is showing off his knowledge of science fiction jargon, rather than using it to enhance the story.

Most reviews of this book probably begin in a similar vein, and for good reason. The length of the book is also a bit of a concern. While some books are justified in their length, this one seems to drag on at times. The story is supposed to be a space opera, but it often feels like a slog through a dense forest of words.

The heart of the story is Fassin Taak's search for a mathematical Transform that will unscramble a list of coordinates of secret wormholes. The Mercatoria, the supposed good guys, are desperate to get their hands on this information, as wormholes are the only viable method of faster-than-light travel. But Banks spends most of the book keeping us in the dark about whether or not this secret wormhole network actually exists. When the truth is finally revealed, it's a bit of a letdown.
The two main plots in the book, Fassin's search for the Transform and the invasion of his home system, Ulubis, become disconnected and neither is very satisfying on its own. The Dwellers, the alien species who may or may not have the Transform, are an interesting addition to the story, but we don't get to see enough of their society. The actual object of Fassin's quest, the Transform, is far less interesting than the Dwellers themselves.
The invasion's mastermind, Archmandrite Luseferous, also starts out as a credible threat, but his characterization takes a nosedive as the story progresses. He goes from being intelligent and ruthless to a laughable stereotype. The various sub-plots, revenge plots, and miscellaneous exposition about the types of species that inhabit the galaxy only serve to further muddy the waters.
In conclusion, The Algebraist is a disappointing space opera. It has a strong opening, but the story falls apart as it goes along. The excessive use of esoteric terminology, the disconnected plots, and the weak resolution all contribute to a less-than-enjoyable reading experience. While there may be a good story hidden somewhere within these pages, it's not worth the effort to find it.

In need of a reread.

During my first read, I felt underwhelmed. The story didn't seem to have the impact I was expecting. However, as time has passed, I wonder if my perspective has changed.

Maybe now, with different life experiences and a more developed understanding, I would view the plot in a completely different light.

It's possible that the nuances and subtleties that I missed the first time around would now become more apparent.

I'm looking forward to giving it another go and seeing if this reread will bring a new appreciation for the story.

Who knows, it might just turn out to be a completely different and more fulfilling experience this time. :)

A science fiction "space opera," The Algebraist is an interesting and enjoyable read, although it's not set in (as far as I could tell) Banks's Culture universe. What makes it engaging are the little details that Banks throws in from time to time, rather than the overall plot or characters. There's a central mystery that the lead character is striving to solve, and I managed to figure it out about two-thirds of the way through. However, I wasn't completely sure, so I was still captured enough to make sure. Of course, by the time I'm two-thirds through a book, I'm likely going to finish it anyway.

This book was written after 9/11 by someone who attempts to explore in fiction some of the dilemmas of our lives. It's buried within the adventure plot, but Banks touches on ideas such as cruelty, horrifying acts of war/terrorism (the description of the destruction of a space habitat used as an example to get the overall resistance to surrender was quite harrowing), and what constitutes martial defense and offense. It's a fairly even-handed treatment, with no culture directly analogous to the U.S. or Iran or even vague terrorists. Banks supplies no solutions, just food for thought.
On the science fiction front, the main plot device is a fairly interesting idea. His portrayal of the Dwellers, long-lived creatures that inhabit gas giant planets like Jupiter, was one of the more interesting alien creations. They resemble a bit Michael Moorcock's hedonistic dancers at the end of time in their games, attitudes, and relative power compared to other races. They are the Slow, while humans are the Quick - quick to live, quick to be extinct, while the Dwellers remain for eons.
But the best part of the book for me was Banks's description of the Truth, the largest religion in the galaxy portrayed. Followers of the Truth believe that everyone is living in an ultra-realistic virtual reality that is a kind of psychology test. The only way to break free of the computer is for everyone to truly believe, without any doubt, that this is true. The idea is that if at least half of the people believe they are in a virtual reality, it will invalidate the test and cease operation. As a religion, it's insidious, relying on the idea of faith. Is the program still running because you don't believe, or maybe it's your fellow believers who don't believe strongly enough, or maybe you need to do more recruitment? One way to help bring about the end of the program is not only to convince more people of the Truth but also to get rid of those who refuse to believe, thus reducing the ratio of believers to non-believers.
The novel as a whole isn't as cohesive as some of his past ones, as he weaves in various side plots that take away from the main storyline. However, as long as those side plots remain interesting and are the only flaw, I'll forgive Banks for that.

I find myself in a rather difficult position. I just can't face spending the next week and a half of my life drudging through the rest of the book. The start was very weird and creepy, which in a way made it fairly intriguing, like when you look over at a crash as you drive past. But then it moved on to Fassin, the Booooo-ring protagonist, and his Walrus uncle! You're also introduced to a host of aliens with strange unrememberable names. This makes following the story more of a challenge than a pleasure. There are so many words, yet not a lot actually seems to be happening. I've been reading for 3 hours, and all that has happened is there's a dude who likes torture, a scholar who has a walrus uncle, a race of aliens who live for billions of years inside gas giants, and an empire that has called upon said scholar. For fans of the book, I realise I may be acting unfairly by giving up after only 15%, but I simply can't bring myself to endure another page.

A truly entertaining tale of space opera unfolds before us.

Our protagonist has the crucial task of communicating with the denizens of the local gas giant. These beings lead a life at a much slower tempo compared to us humans.

They might (or might not) be the keepers of an ancient enigma, which accounts for why a deranged religious warlord is on the verge of invading their solar system.

This isn't the Culture where most of Banks' science fiction is set, but perhaps it's the same universe at an earlier juncture of its history. (Though likely not.)

The story is both humorous and captivating. However, the resolution to the mystery isn't entirely persuasive, and I felt that the antagonists were a bit one-sided.

In particular, it seemed less laborious than some of Banks' other writings - usually a positive aspect, but in this case, I thought it was a bit lackluster.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read with some minor flaws.

This is not necessarily the best novel by Banks. There are characters who seem to be taken from a pulp novel (that villain with diamond teeth...), and others with overly one-dimensional motivations.

However, despite this, the novel overflows with imagination in torrents. There are overwhelming scenarios, epic space battles, and charismatic characters.

The vivid descriptions of the settings transport the reader to a world beyond their wildest dreams. The space battles are intense and thrilling, making the heart race.

The characters, although not all perfectly developed, have a certain charm that keeps the reader engaged. Their actions and decisions drive the story forward, creating a sense of excitement and anticipation.

Overall, while the novel may have its flaws, its strengths in imagination, setting, and character charisma make it a worthwhile read for fans of science fiction and adventure.

This is the first book I've read by Iain M. Banks. All things considered, it was actually quite decent. Banks is renowned for his novels set in "the culture", a vast galaxy-spanning civilization that encompasses humans and various other alien species. Interestingly, this particular book is not set within the world of the culture, yet it seems to possess a similar galactic scope.

Much of the story unfolds on the planet Nasqueron, a gas giant. Among its inhabitants is a very old and extremely long-lived race of aliens who experience time at a much slower pace compared to relatively short-lived races like humans. Banks does an outstanding job of thoroughly exploring the setting on multiple levels. The concept of a gas giant planet and the perils it presents for the human protagonist are truly fascinating and distinct from any other science fiction story I've come across. Essentially, Banks has crafted a space opera, but he does a remarkable job of providing plausible background scenarios that offer more satisfaction than other books or TV shows within the genre.

My only gripe or criticism regarding the book pertains to its style. Banks, a Scottish writer, adopts a tone that incorporates elements of comedy and farce within what is otherwise a serious narrative. The language can be vulgar and conversational, especially when delving into the thoughts and emotions of the main characters. The end result makes the book feel somewhat like The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy if it were penned by Neal Stephenson. It's not necessarily bad. I'm undecided as to whether Banks is doing this to poke fun at the real world or simply to be lighthearted and silly. However, at times, I find myself wishing he had maintained a more serious tone and refrained from using quite so much vulgarity. Nevertheless, it's still a good read overall.

3.5 stars?

This is a highly interesting novel by Banks, both for what it encompasses and what it excludes. It presents a sprawling narrative set in a universe populated by numerous species, with humanity being just one among many. Humans hold neither a superior nor an inferior position. They coexist, collaborate with their partner species, and engage in hedonistic pursuits, enjoy long lives, and inhabit what appears to be a utopian capitalist society. However, this is definitely not the Culture universe that Banks is renowned for. In this world, artificial intelligence has been demonized and is eradicated whenever it can be identified. There are no sentient ships or cheeky drones.

Our protagonist, Fassin Taak, is a Seer, a scholarly visitor to the Dwellers, who inhabit the gas giant planet in his home solar system. The Dwellers are eccentric and seem anarchic. Moreover, they live at a much slower pace than those they term the Quick. With a potentially billion-year lifespan, they have traversed the universe without relying on faster-than-light speeds or wormholes, undeterred by the passage of time. They have little interest in anything beyond their own planetary affairs and are not particularly receptive to Seers or anyone else. Much of the time, they seem scatter-brained and easily distracted.

Fassin has had more success than some Seers, as he has obtained a sponsor, Y'sul. Perhaps it is because Fass is intelligent, gentle, and patient, yet still courageous enough to physically enter the gas giant's atmosphere and slow himself to the Dweller standard. Despite his scholarly pursuits, no one is more astonished than Fassin when he is suddenly seconded by the military branch of his local government. Apparently, the Dwellers possess a secret network of wormholes, which the Mercatoria desires access to, and Fass has unearthed an ancient volume related to it. He is swiftly given a military rank and a mission to uncover more. He is skeptical, but refusal does not seem to be an option.

Skepticism seems to have been a constant trait for Mr. Banks, as it pervades this story. He subtly questions the continued existence of the absurdly wealthy, the morality of the military, and the approved'religion' of his creation, known as the Truth. Fassin Taak quite openly doubts that the Truth is indeed what it purports to be. It is all explored with Banks' typical humor, not the satire of writers like Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, but rather illustrated by a quiet man fulfilling his duty, regardless of how absurd he may find it.

Book Number 455 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project

This is a very life- and freedom-loving manifesto, which is especially valuable now; wrapped in a rather colorful sci-fi, what more do you need?

The main thing is to endure the Villain with a capital letter and diamond teeth: in the review section, at least one author couldn't hold out, but on the other hand, I'm just not sure that the plausibility of such an absolutely caricatured evil is still questioned by someone.

This manifesto seems to be a bold exploration of the human spirit and its yearning for life and freedom. The sci-fi element adds an exciting and imaginative touch, making it even more engaging.

The mention of the Villain with diamond teeth creates a vivid and almost comical image, yet it also serves to emphasize the contrast between good and evil.

Whether or not the plausibility of such extreme evil is in question, it certainly makes for an interesting and thought-provoking discussion.

Overall, this manifesto offers a unique perspective and a captivating read.