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Excession

Series: Culture
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( 33,605 ratings, 1,505 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Excession by Iain M. Banks dives into the complexities of the Culture, a utopian interstellar society, grappling with the sudden appearance of a mysterious and powerful alien artefact. The narrative follows various ships and humanoid characters as they engage in intrigues, alliances, and confrontations, exploring themes of artificial intelligence and the ethics of power within the vastness of space. This sci-fi novel presents a richly detailed universe with intricate plots and thrilling encounters.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate intricate science fiction with complex characters and high-stakes interstellar politics. The narrative delves into the mysterious appearance of an immensely powerful object, testing the limits of a futuristic society's technological and philosophical boundaries. If you revel in thought-provoking plots combined with a touch of humour and deep space exploration, this novel could be a fascinating read for you.

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Excession

A stunning new reissue edition of Excession - a space opera of stunning power and awesome imagination, from the modern master of science fiction, Iain M. Banks

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. His Culture books combine breathtaking imagination with exceptional storytelling, and have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre. 'Banks is a phenomenon' William Gibson

Two and a half millennia ago in a remote corner of space, beside a trillion-year-old dying sun from a different universe, the artifact appeared.

It was a perfect black-body sphere, and it did nothing. Then it disappeared.

Now it is back.

Diplomat Genar-Hofoen of Special Circumstances is sent to investigate but, sidetracked by an old flame and the spoiled-brat operative Ulver Seich, and faced with the systematic depravities of a race who call themselves the Affront, it's anyone's guess whether he'll succeed...

Praise for the Culture series:

'Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution' Independent on Sunday

'Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future' Guardian

'Jam-packed with extraordinary invention' Scotsman

'Compulsive reading' Sunday Telegraph

The Culture series:

Consider Phlebas

The Player of Games

Use of Weapons

Excession

Inversions

Look to Windward

Matter

Surface Detail

The Hydrogen Sonata

The State of the Art

Other books by Iain M. Banks:

Against a Dark Background

Feersum Endjinn

The Algebraist

Also now available:

The Culture: The Drawings - an extraordinary collection of original illustrations faithfully reproduced from sketchbooks Banks kept in the 1970s and 80s, depicting the ships, habitats, geography, weapons and language of Banks' Culture series of novels in incredible detail.

Series: Culture

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Excession by Iain M. Banks receives praise for its creative energy and elegance, highlighting Banks's versatility in both genre and non-genre fiction. It is anticipated with great eagerness by readers, and is noted for its mix of poetic, humorous, and at times baffling storytelling, adding layers of terror and sensuality in its narrative.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780356521671

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 November 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Orbit

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 32.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 320g

Pages: 464

About the Author

Iain Banks (1954-2013) came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984. Consider Phlebas, his first science fiction novel, was published under the name Iain M. Banks in 1987 and began his celebrated ten-book Culture series. He is acclaimed as one of the most powerful, innovative and exciting writers of his generation.

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