The Hydrogen Sonata

English language

ISBN:
978-0-316-21236-6
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4 stars (2 reviews)

The Hydrogen Sonata is a science fiction novel by Scottish author Iain M. Banks, set in his techno-utopian Culture universe. The hardcover edition was released on 4 October 2012 in the United Kingdom, and on 9 October in the United States. The book's release marked 25 years since the publication of Banks' first Culture novel. A paperback edition of the book was released on 5 September 2013 in the United Kingdom, and on 10 September in the United States. The Hydrogen Sonata was Banks' last science fiction novel, as he died of gall bladder cancer in June 2013.The Hydrogen Sonata of the title is a fictional work of music which is woven into the plot.

3 editions

The Hydrogen Sonata

5 stars

J’ai commencé à lire le cycle de la Culture début décembre. Nous approchons de la fin du mois de janvier et je viens de terminer le dernier roman du cycle. Un peu de moins de deux mois d’un voyage littéraire dont je garderai à jamais un souvenir fort. Mais avant de revenir sur le cycle complet, parlons d’abord du roman que je viens de terminer.

« The Hydrogen Sonata » est le dixième et dernier roman du cycle de Iain M. Banks. Il s’intéresse principalement à une civilisation qui a failli figurer parmi les fondateurs de la Culture, avant de renoncer au dernier moment. Des millénaires plus tard, cette civilisation s’apprête à atteindre son stade ultime : la Sublimation, le passage du monde réel à une autre dimension, laissant ainsi la place aux civilisations plus jeunes. A cette occasion, la tradition veut qu’une autre civilisation lui livre un secret avant …

Review of 'The Hydrogen Sonata' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

It is very well written, and is much better than Matter just in terms of its character and plotting... But the Ghizt don't make any damn sense at all. They are like a Heinlein military kludged together with Culture tech, and they have all the street sense of a 1950s sitcom character. The Sublime is needlessly obfuscated and repeated as ineffable,but there's no logical reason for it to be quite the mystic experience that it is described as... And the Minds themselves can't quite work out why they are engaged in this exercise, and they don't change anything. The plot of the book is without purpose.

The nihilism in the book is something that shows up repeatedly in Banks novel, but there is not enough payoff for me to say this book is worth recommending.