by Iain M. Banks
Apparently hostile alien artefact appears in deep space causing unease and speculation on the part of the investigating starships.
Reviewed by: Kit Thomas
About Kit Thomas
Erm...haven't we been here before? Well, yes...and then again no. It's all in the treatment as they say.
It has recently come to my notice that the Universe is absolutely teeming with these mysterious and possibly hostile objects, I say recently as it was only as I was re-reading Excession for this review that I noticed the glancing similarity between this and 2001/2010 by Arthur C. Clarke and a considerable array of movies/space opera episodes. But they weren't written by Banks.
I don't know whether Banks writes sci-fi as a counterpoint to his more literary back catalogue or whether, like some authors, he just needs to pay the rent but if he is just paying the rent I say INCREASE HIS RENT! This man is so gifted in the art of speculative fiction that it should be illegal for him to write anything else.
My point, should you choose to accept it, is that although this theme of an alien object which has evidently destroyed at least one investigating ship and may pose a threat to the rest of the Galaxy, has been chewed over many times before, no-one else does it with Banks' panache. His Universe, largely, if lackadaisically, run by the Utopian 'Culture', is breathtaking in its realisation and yet warmly humorous in its sideswipe at much we hold dear.
In overview, the plot deals with the gathering up of personnel and vehicles to investigate the Excession which, having already wiped out one of the incredibly powerful ships has subsequently done nothing at all. The human personnel co-opted for this mission come with varying degrees of enthusiasm for it ranging from 'none at all' to 'if I must' as it clearly involves dragging them away from their usual amusements some of which are exotic to say the least. The stars, however, as in many of Banks' sci-fi outings are the ships.
These almost unimaginably powerful interstellar vehicles are sentient and self-determining to the point of obtuseness going equipped with planet busting armaments if they feel like it or entire alien ecosystems if they don't. Among their hobbies the well crafted and multi-nested conspiracy provides them with entertainment and us with a sub-plot as it becomes clear that even the ships themselves are unsure as to which conspiracy they are actually conspiring in.
With a brutal but strangely endearing (up to the part with the bat) warrior race of giant jellyfish taking advantage of the Excession to declare war, the plot rambles frenetically to an explosive conclusion leaving many of the participants....well, I'll leave that for you to discover.
The strong, eccentric characterisation and the sheer quality of Banks' prose makes his esoteric slant on life, the Universe and Utopia a challenging read which I haven't been able to do the slightest justice to here. The best thing about Banks from my point of view, is that he manages to be quite prolific without any diminution in imagination so far and in that he is the obvious heir to Arthur C. Clarke, in most other respects you can't really compare the two, except for these strange alien artefacts being visited by sentient ships in an apparently threatened galaxy...
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Excession
Copyright © by Kit Thomas, 2002
Reviewed by Kit Thomas:
-- The Color of Magic/The Light Fantastic - by Terry Pratchett
-- Katherine - by Anya Seton
-- The Cat in the Hat - by Dr Seuss
-- Excession - by Iain M. Banks
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