The Culture series is widely adored among today's science fiction readers. It might even be the most beloved, although there are no hard figures to prove it. Some books in the series are more popular than others. For example, The Player of Games and Use of Weapons are highly regarded, while Inversions and Matter are less so. Excession is one of the more popular ones, perhaps in the top 4. The book's synopsis intrigued me with the idea of "The Culture vs a BDO". It's a field day for BDO fans and also focuses on The Minds, the sentient AI entities in the series. They have human-like characteristics and are the real movers and shakers in The Culture society. The book isn't just about The Minds or the "Outside Context Problem" artifact. The author included human characters for readers to identify with, and they are well developed and believable, though not particularly likable. The Affronters, the single alien species in the book, are interesting as they are not "evil" but rather amoral. The prose is literate and a pleasure to read, with lyrical passages, action-packed scenes, and humorous moments. However, the large cast of characters can be a bit overwhelming. If you haven't read any book from this series before, it's probably best to start with Consider Phlebas or The Player of Games. But if you want to jump right in with Excession, you may want to read up some background materials. Overall, Excession is an excellent read and well worth your time.

The more I delve into the works of Banks, the deeper my awe grows for his remarkable ability to write in a plethora of different styles. Even within the ever-expanding brackets of his Culture setting, the individual stories span a wide spectrum, ranging from traditional epic Sci-Fi to thrilling adventures and even detective mysteries. Excession, for instance, reads like a fascinating blend of a love story and a political conspiracy, and it is remarkably un-centered on any particular character or plot. Instead, the narrative unfolds like a tapestry being skillfully woven before your eyes; dozens of divergent threads gradually come together to create the final, captivating scene.

The rear-cover summary can be somewhat misleading. Byr Genar-Hofoen hardly qualifies as a true protagonist, let alone the main character. Unlike most of the Culture novels, a significant portion of the action in Excession takes place among the Minds. These are incredibly intelligent thinking engines that govern the Culture on both the macro level of interstellar politics and the micro level of individual ships and habitats. These somewhat inscrutable figures have appeared in other books as well, but usually either as nebulous political pressure or as a single ship entangled with the protagonist. In Excession, however, we are given a rare glimpse into the intricate conversations, backroom deals, and outright conspiracies that make up the Culture's political landscape. Considerable portions of the book are dedicated to explaining the complex social structure that exists between the Minds and the various factors that drive them.
The plot of Excession is a labyrinthine sequence of misdirects, MacGuffins, and conspiracies, making it extremely challenging to discuss without spoiling the story. There are at least three primary narratives to follow. Firstly, there is Genar-Hofoen's mission to steal the soul of a dead captain. Secondly, we have the story of the Excession event, as related by the Mind, Fate Amenable to Change. And finally, there is the several-layered conspiracy within the Culture, particularly among the group of Minds called the Interesting Times Gang, who have been tasked with monitoring and dealing with Outside Context Problems.
The Excession itself is perhaps the most captivating single concept in the entire novel. The word Excession was coined by the Culture to describe events of an excessive nature. In this case, the Excession is an object from outside the universe. In Culture jargon, an Outside Context Problem refers to a situation that the society in question is completely ill-equipped to even understand. Banks uses an analogy of a tribe of primitive natives on an island who have lived in peace for generations at a stable technological level, suddenly being invaded by metal-plated monsters from a far-off land with magical sticks that bark fire. OCPs are often terminal for the society involved, as it either has to adapt and change or face extinction. These problems are all the more terrifying for the Culture, as they are nearly at the pinnacle of civilization in their galaxy. The concept itself holds more merit than the plot of the novel might initially suggest.
For long-time fans of Banks' Culture, Excession offers a wonderful peek behind the scenes at the powers-that-be that orchestrate the events of the rest of the continuity. However, for those less familiar with the setting, the abundance of extra details, coupled with a large cast and non-chronological narrative lines, can be quite overwhelming. The book is also filled with Banks' in-jokes and running gags. While Banks is a brilliantly witty author and his sense of humor adds a great deal to the overall continuity, the self-referential humor may not be very helpful to new readers. There is no definitive right order to read the Culture novels, but Excession is probably not an ideal starting point. Nevertheless, it is an excellent novel and a worthy addition to the cannon of Banks' magnificent Culture.

It showcases Banks' versatility as a writer and his ability to create a complex and engaging universe that continues to captivate readers.

Whether you are a die-hard fan or a newcomer to the Culture series, Excession is definitely a book worth exploring.

After painstakingly making my way through Use of Weapons a few pages at a time, resolute not to let it defeat me, this book was like a gust of fresh air. I have a passion for SF, and Banks is undoubtedly one of the very best. What's even more wonderful is that he was still actively engaged in writing. I was attempting to read through his collection of "culture" themed books approximately in their chronological order, which meant this was still one of his earlier works.

This book had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions,纯粹出于对作者惊人且近乎残酷诚实的想象力的喜悦。What set this book apart from others I've read by Banks was the focus on "Minds" - a term used for the massive intellects that form the foundation of the "culture galactic society". How these minds grappled with an "out of context" situation where their technological superiority was suddenly reversed, and they were confronted with an entity seemingly vastly superior to them, was a captivating case study in how humanity itself might behave when faced with a similar scenario.

Banks skillfully crafted "minds" that were essentially interstellar space-faring craft, and I truly came to care about them as fully three-dimensional characters. Given the magnitude of their intellects and power, they became in many respects grand warlords or humanitarians on a cosmic scale. I feel a profound sense of gratitude towards the author for taking me on such a thrilling and thought-provoking journey, and I'm already eager for more. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in SF as a means of exploring humanity at both the micro and macro levels.

Hours after penning this review, I learned that Banks has terminal cancer. It's ironic as all hell considering I'd just made the assertion that he was still actively writing. Apparently, he has one final book forthcoming, and it will be his last. I have a hollow sensation in my stomach, as if someone just reached their hand down my throat and yanked out some of my internal organs. In other words, this just feels so very wrong. I was on the verge of researching the next book of his that I was going to read. I will still do that, but it will be with an extremely heavy heart.

Terry Pratchett once made an interesting observation that horses take longer to reach full speed as they have more legs to sort out. In the case of "Excession", it seems to have about a dozen "damn legs" as it takes half of its length to feel like it's gathering any real momentum.

The cast of thousands approach doesn't do much good either. By the time the narrative circles back to certain characters, one has trouble remembering who they are or what their exact desires are. And the absurd names of the machine minds, avatars, and drones only add to the confusion.

However, the biggest problem with "Excession" is that it shatters a great deal of the mystery surrounding the Culture from the previous books and fails to really add anything remarkable. We get to read conversations between the minds, which are massive super-AIs, but they end up sounding more quaint than intellectual. One would expect a group of supercomputers to be able to exchange novel-worths of information instantaneously, yet their conversations have the dull quality of a bunch of C3POs chatting about tea-serving traditions.

The humans don't fare much better. It's several millennia in the future, but the dialogue and mannerisms seem to be straight out of the 80s. The men and women in this book are all rather ridiculous stereotypes, and one never gets the sense of thousands of years of progress in the way they interact. It deflates the fanciful world of the Culture and makes them seem more like a future stand-in for the British Empire, a group of ultra-powerful aristocrats imposing their values on anyone they perceive as out of line.

I do respect the ambition that the Culture books display, but unfortunately, when the curtain is pulled back and their world is made explicit, it can't help but disappoint.

This was mostly just an okay book.

It had the potential to be as thoroughly entertaining as the previous books, excluding The State of the Art (Culture, #4) by Iain M. Banks, which I haven't gotten to yet. With a few changes, it could have reached that level.

I could have done without some of the human side characters. The only integral human was Dajeil because of her relationship to the Mind; Sleeper Service and by proxy Genar-Hofoen, who was sort of a douche.

If a book that's supposed to be mostly about the Minds was actually about them, it would have been way more fleshed out. However, all of those side storylines about different humans or species made for a meandering and at times confusing story.

It would have been great if there had been more humour and snarky conversations from the different Minds. That was the standout factor from the book. I could have had it all with this one, but oh well.

Overall, it was an okay read, but it didn't quite live up to its potential.

Iain M. Banks is my absolute favorite sci-fi author, and I often find myself reflecting on his works. His first three books in the Culture series are truly not to be missed. In my opinion, he is the equivalent of a KJ Parker in the sci-fi realm. His writing features very entertaining dialogues, with subtle hints at world building. There are moments of both deep darkness and lightness, along with philosophical commentaries. The plotting is quick-paced yet complex, and the prose is exquisite.

Excession not only succeeds in these aspects but offers even more. However, due to the multifactored plot and the recurrence of odd but awesome names of the major players (the ships in the Culture always have memorable names), I feel that I may not have fully grasped the entire story as well as I would have liked.

The story involves the appearance of an Excession, which the Culture terms as something outside of their norms and excessive in nature. This Excession is from another universe and presents as a black hole. Given the highly advanced nature of the Culture, they are baffled by an entity that is beyond their understanding, leading to competing interests from various factions vying for power.

Several species within the Culture are introduced, some of which play significant roles and have very empathetic scenes (such as the scenes with the couple that used to be lovers... I'm trying to be vague to avoid spoilers). The Minds are also used quite a bit, and it is interesting to see how they communicate with each other. This is what makes Banks' Culture work so well: they truly seem alien yet are presented in an approachable way.

While the plot sometimes left me a bit lost, I eventually understood the gist of what was happening. The back half ended up being more enthralling and engaging than the front half. That's not to say the first half is bad; it just throws you into the deep end of a mystery. Along the way, you'll still get very impressive world building... the scale of the Culture ships or living environments is always mind-blowing (for example, the GSV ships have whole country-sized living environments in them... an insane scale).

Overall, this book was very entertaining, but it should probably be read multiple times once you understand what is going on.

Banks is truly at his best in this work.

It has a vast scope that takes the reader on an extraordinary journey. The ideas presented are dizzying, making the mind race with possibilities. The characters are endearing, whether they are human, alien (oh, how I loved the Affronters!), the drone, the ship Mind, or the black bird Gravious!

The humorously laconic dialogue adds a touch of lightness to the story, while the action is intense, including some VERY BIG action! There is also romance, political intrigue, and betrayal, with many strands interwoven and skillfully brought together.

The ending, perhaps slightly anticlimactic, but I realized fairly early on that the Excession itself was essentially a McGuffin. The story was really about the various sentient reactions to its presence and how they played out.

I'm really struggling to think why anybody who read this would not give it 5 Stars. It's a masterpiece that engages the reader on multiple levels and leaves a lasting impression.

Each entry in the Culture'series' varies tremendously, even though they share the same universe and feature "The Department of Special Circumstances," the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section.

With Excession, a strange artifact, deemed excession, appears one day in a lonely solar system. About the size of a mountain, it defies all attempts at scanning but also taps into two varieties of 'hyperspace' at the same time; something far beyond the Culture's tech. Turns out this had appeared roughly 2500 years ago along with a trillion-year-old star until they both vanished.

Unlike the previous volumes, Excession spends quite a bit of time developing the'minds', e.g., the AIs that run the Culture itself. Yes, the minds are curious about the artifact, but they are also divided regarding what to do about it. In fact, there seems to be a split among the minds and each'side' undertakes what it thinks is most prudent.

On the one hand, there is the sole survivor of the mission that found the artifact 2500 years ago. Only she (the captain of the mission then) is now just a mental pattern on a strange Culture ship dedicated to hosting'sleepers'. When the other minds put pressure on the sleeper ship to access her, it demands the presence of Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen to finish up some old business first.

This is a rather strange entry in the series. Yes, we have some outside threat to the Culture and Special Circumstances (SC) attempts to deal with it somehow, but this theme is pretty much a constant in the series. What Banks introduces here as a linchpin to the story is the faded romance between Byr and an old lover/partner residing on the Sleeper ship; in fact, the only live person on the ship. Banks takes a while to develop this theme, introducing the very aggressive Affront race to which Byr currently is posted with, along with the various divisions among the Minds.

Excession tends to meander a bit, but the dry humor of Banks pulls the story along. Also, the true existential questions typically evoked in this series stand out; what makes life meaningful? A truly key question when people normally live several centuries and can be made almost immortal.

I last read this a few decades ago, when Banks was just about the only one writing good space opera; glad to see it has aged well! 4 shimmering stars!

Hmmm.... Big picture: Least favorite Culture installment so far for me.

It's a real conundrum. The only remaining question is whether it so soured me on the series that I throw in the towel.

To be clear, there are plenty of amusing flourishes and tidbits and nuggets throughout the book. However, it just feels like there's too much of everything. It's too cute by half, with too many pages that don't seem justified by the whole. There are too many voices that are difficult to weave together into a cohesive tapestry. Also, there are too many fonts in a trade paperback, which is quite distracting. There are too many digressions and too many moments where I'm left wondering where is this going? without sufficient return on investment or ultimate payoff. There's just too much struggle without corresponding gratification.

This took me an inordinately long time to read, because I found it very easy to put down (and increasingly hard to pick up). I seriously considered abandoning it altogether, and I can't say with confidence that I made the right choice in sticking with it.

Lots of folks seemed to enjoy it. So I guess I'm in the minority here. This one simply didn't speak to me on a personal level. It's a shame, really, because I had such high hopes for this installment of the Culture series.

The best book I have ever read is "Excession" by Iain M. Banks.

It is an absolute masterpiece that takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through a universe filled with imagination and wonder. Banks has created a galactic framework that is truly awe-inspiring, with its advanced physics, astrophysics, and technology.

The ships in the story are not only gargantuan and beautiful but also operate within a network of Minds that have eccentric and humorous personalities. The symbiosis between the Minds and the pan-galactic human civilisation, the Culture, is a sight to behold.

The story stretches the imagination and thrills, amuses, and sheds light on every page. It speeds through every kind of possible habitat in a space populated by a diverse range of alien species, each with their own unique characteristics and motives.

To have looked so far forward to the evolution of the Culture is a fascinating leap of imagination, and to be able to listen to the Minds of the ships communicating is a world beyond what any other science fiction writer has achieved.

Reading "Excession" in the sequence of the Culture Novels allows the reader to inhabit the galaxy and habitats of Banks's total imagination. It is a micro-environment amidst the universe, but there is still an awful lot more to imagine and explore.

The book also has a superb structure, wonderful (and awful) characters, huge scope, breadth, sexiness, wit, humour, and class. It is without equal in the Culture series and is the modern equivalent of some of the greatest science fiction works of all time.

I truly adore this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves science fiction or is looking for an unforgettable reading experience.

Excession is, without a doubt, Iain Banks' clunkiest book to date. While it is enjoyable as it introduces us to the concept of Infinite Fun, it suffers from an overabundance of distractions and characters. There are far too many Minds, and their personalities and loyalties often don't make complete sense over the course of 400 pages. Perhaps having the full-sized paperback would have helped, but with the airport-sized one, it simply became tedious. It definitely didn't have the page-turning quality that one might hope for.

However, on the whole, Excession is a very good story. It's a strange love story, a fairly decent alien story, and an excellent introduction to how machine intelligences might function. It would be impossible to translate this book into a movie. It is an absolute necessity for understanding the Culture and how Minds work together or separately, with some still unanswered questions about how exactly the Minds regard humans - as symbionts, pets, or masters?

In fact, one of the major motivations of a significant character in the book, the Eccentric ship Sleeper Service, is to make amends for a decision that led to the catastrophic injury of a man and the psychological trauma of a woman who were once lovers. This is part of a strange love story between a man who enjoys the company of a cruel and brutish race that resembles the slobbering tentacled aliens from The Simpsons and a woman who has decided to remain pregnant for 40 years, keeping that man's child in a state of suspended animation.

As far as Culture stories go, this one focuses on the ship Minds, what they say to each other, and what they do when they encounter the unfathomable. It may be a bit all over the place, but it is still recommended.

At this juncture, I have essentially transitioned to a distinct rating scale for Banks.

Every piece he has penned makes everything else I am perusing - surely in the sci-fi domain, but in reality, it implies everywhere - seem paltry and meager in comparison.

This installment, being the fourth novel and fifth book in the Culture cycle, doesn't quite ascend to the vertiginous emotional peaks of "Use of Weapons". Structurally, it feels somewhat analogous to (albeit vastly more intricate than) "The Player of Games". It leads us through a mysterious sequence of events, only to ultimately disclose that everything was more or less predestined in a particular manner.

However, holy shit, the explication of artificial intelligence in the Culture universe is more than worthwhile and then some. By far, the vast majority of the book is presented from the perspectives of AIs. The scope and complexity of Banks' vision are truly awe-inspiring.

Just consider how adroitly he essentially alters the time-scale of typical narration to operate on machine-time, for instance, or the profound implications - both philosophical and narrative - of the fact that "mind-states" can be saved and transmitted at will.

Basically, it's just 450 pages of pure excitement for nerds.