Alfredo Bela Bela itibaren 28560 Carabaña, Madrid, Spain
I enjoyed the first book, I have to admit, probably because the story had more originality. I don't want to spoil for readers, but the events in this book didn't add much. I imagine the third book will bring more to the story.
Iain Banks is on form again with the latest of his Culture series of books. The interplay between the Minds and Biological beings is fascinating. The role the bios play in the governance of their civilisation is as ever vague but they form the central characters of a story with many interlocking themes, most standard sic-fi, but one a depiction of medieval visions of hell and another taking place in virtual realities that stretch the imagination. As always Iain Bank's quirky humour, wit and political views shine through. The pace of the stories gathers momentum to a finale that is a satisfying conclusion to most story lines although there are one or two unanswered questions. Finally, the epilogue has a little twist connecting the story back to previous tales. A book that is difficult to put down and leaves you wanting more - I had to read it twice!
I had more trouble getting through this book than any other I have read. It's been on my list to read for a while I have to say overall I was dissapointed. I think I get the underlying themes, etc. but much of the book seemed very tedious. I enjoyed the story and characters, but it seemed a good quarter of the book was various chapters on the physiology and behavior of whales. I'm sure when it was written this was fascinating but even with the symbolism it seemed dated and boring.