I'll try to keep this spoiler-free. If you want to talk more in depth about events in the book, please don't forget the appropriate warnings.
I finally got _Transition_ from the local library and finished it last night. Overall opinion: quite good! I thought Banks had gone downhill a bit with _The Algebraist_ and really downhill with _Matter_, but _Transition_ is excellent. I won't call it a return to form, because it's really very different from his usual, but it's at least a return to former heights of quality.
The structure of the book makes the plot difficult to follow, especially for the first 2/3rds or so. The story is told from the viewpoint of many different characters, and is very disjointed, both spatially and to a lesser extent temporally. Each character's viewpoint lasts a couple of pages, then you jump to another character, quite posibbly in a completely different place and maybe a different time. It takes a fair amount of mental work to piece everything together. The action is also very slow to start, with the first 2/3rds or so feeling like setup, and the last part finally building up to an actual climax.
Normally this might bother me, but not in this case. At least 90% of the individual passages were interesting enough on their own that I could just enjoy them individually and let the connections come. The remaining few that weren't didn't really matter because they were soon over, and still contributed to the overall story.
The main character (which is a difficult title to assign here, but he is ultimately the focus) is an agent for "the Concern", an organization whose people can "flit" between alternate realities, and sometimes have other similar powers. Nominally, this power is used to improve lives in the many worlds: they assassinate dictators and potential dictators, save the lives of people who will eventually make significant contributions to society, etc. Of course not is all as it seems at first glance.
We get to see an interesting collection of other characters, including one of the agent's teachers, a powerful member of the Concern's ruling council (who has cats with names like Monsieur Pamplemousse, cracks me up every time I think about it), a professional torturer, and a British cocaine dealer who's trying to get into stock trading.
This book is not for the faint of heart. There are some graphic descriptions of torture and one pretty disturbing rape scene. I didn't find them to be gratuitous, and indeed they contribute strongly to the story and the characters, but that doesn't lessen their impact.
All in all, highly recommended, but beware that the plot can be difficult to keep track of.
-- Mike Ash Radio Free Earth Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon
On Oct 16, 10:51 am, Mike Ash <m...@mikeash.com> wrote:
> I'll try to keep this spoiler-free. If you want to talk more in depth > about events in the book, please don't forget the appropriate warnings.
> I finally got _Transition_ from the local library and finished it last > night. Overall opinion: quite good! I thought Banks had gone downhill a > bit with _The Algebraist_ and really downhill with _Matter_, but > _Transition_ is excellent. I won't call it a return to form, because > it's really very different from his usual, but it's at least a return to > former heights of quality.
Banks seemed worse to me lately in the non-SF version. I didn't mind Algebraist, really. And I couldn't remember anything bad about Matter. In fact, I couldn't remember what Matter was about until I read its Wiki entry. That barely jolted my recollection.
But I've just re-read Use of Weapons and could use a good Banks again.
> All in all, highly recommended, but beware that the plot can be > difficult to keep track of.
Txs. Good review. I was really wondering if Transition was worth looking into and you've typed me into it.
One question, though. Is Banks all preachy about his political views in this one? I don't mind subtlety, but he's been getting worse in non-SF.
DouhetSukd <douhets...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Oct 16, 10:51 am, Mike Ash <m...@mikeash.com> wrote: > > I'll try to keep this spoiler-free. If you want to talk more in depth > > about events in the book, please don't forget the appropriate warnings.
> > I finally got _Transition_ from the local library and finished it last > > night. Overall opinion: quite good! I thought Banks had gone downhill a > > bit with _The Algebraist_ and really downhill with _Matter_, but > > _Transition_ is excellent. I won't call it a return to form, because > > it's really very different from his usual, but it's at least a return to > > former heights of quality.
> Banks seemed worse to me lately in the non-SF version. I didn't mind > Algebraist, really. And I couldn't remember anything bad about > Matter. In fact, I couldn't remember what Matter was about until I > read its Wiki entry. That barely jolted my recollection.
> But I've just re-read Use of Weapons and could use a good Banks again.
I didn't *mind* _The Algebraist_, it just wasn't the level of quality I expect from the man. Still better than 99% of what's out there, but I expect Banks to be better than 99.99% of what's out there.
_Matter_ was, as you say, kind of uninspiring.
_Transition_ doesn't quite reach the heights of UoW, but even good Banks rarely does, and I'd definitely put it in the "good Banks" category.
> > All in all, highly recommended, but beware that the plot can be > > difficult to keep track of.
> Txs. Good review. I was really wondering if Transition was worth > looking into and you've typed me into it.
> One question, though. Is Banks all preachy about his political views > in this one? I don't mind subtlety, but he's been getting worse in > non-SF.
I think the answer to this one will be pretty personal. In my opinion, no, he's not preachy. There are a couple of characters which are preachy. For example, the main agent character describes our world as being a typical example of a "greedist" world, and this seems to have a bit of authorial voice behind it. On the other hand, this fellow kills people for a living and thus does not exactly occupy the moral high ground. The British coke dealer is one of those "greed is good" types, has a chance to explain his attitudes a couple of times, and is never "shown the error of his ways" or anything like that, so it seems to cancel out. You can agree with one and dismiss the other, or simply read them both as being interesting windows into the characters' brains, as you like.
-- Mike Ash Radio Free Earth Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon
>In article ><a3df29a5-4b60-4848-b56e-0f9f0068a...@m3g2000pri.googlegroups.com>, > DouhetSukd <douhets...@gmail.com> wrote: >> One question, though. Is Banks all preachy about his political views >> in this one? I don't mind subtlety, but he's been getting worse in >> non-SF.
>I think the answer to this one will be pretty personal. In my opinion, >no, he's not preachy. There are a couple of characters which are >preachy. For example, the main agent character describes our world as >being a typical example of a "greedist" world, and this seems to have a >bit of authorial voice behind it. On the other hand, this fellow kills >people for a living and thus does not exactly occupy the moral high >ground. The British coke dealer is one of those "greed is good" types, >has a chance to explain his attitudes a couple of times, and is never >"shown the error of his ways" or anything like that, so it seems to >cancel out. You can agree with one and dismiss the other, or simply read >them both as being interesting windows into the characters' brains, as >you like.
Um, if orvat dhvgr yvgrenyyl xvyyrq ol uvf cbffrffvbaf doesn't constitute being "shown the error of his ways," and preachiness, what would?
-- Bill Snyder [This space unintentionally left blank]
> On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:18:58 -0400, Mike Ash <m...@mikeash.com> > wrote:
> >In article > ><a3df29a5-4b60-4848-b56e-0f9f0068a...@m3g2000pri.googlegroups.com>, > > DouhetSukd <douhets...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> One question, though. IsBanksall preachy about his political views > >> in this one? I don't mind subtlety, but he's been getting worse in > >> non-SF.
> >I think the answer to this one will be pretty personal. In my opinion, > >no, he's not preachy. There are a couple of characters which are > >preachy. For example, the main agent character describes our world as > >being a typical example of a "greedist" world, and this seems to have a > >bit of authorial voice behind it. On the other hand, this fellow kills > >people for a living and thus does not exactly occupy the moral high > >ground. The British coke dealer is one of those "greed is good" types, > >has a chance to explain his attitudes a couple of times, and is never > >"shown the error of his ways" or anything like that, so it seems to > >cancel out. You can agree with one and dismiss the other, or simply read > >them both as being interesting windows into the characters' brains, as > >you like.
> Um, if orvat dhvgr yvgrenyyl xvyyrq ol uvf cbffrffvbaf doesn't > constitute being "shown the error of his ways," and preachiness, > what would?
> -- > Bill Snyder [This space unintentionally left blank]
It took me about three weeks to finish this (which is 21 times longer than a good Banks novel) and I really didn't like it all, I will post a longer version of the many reasons why at some point but I do find it saddening to see an author who I adore write yet another weak book
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