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Book 58: "Look to Windward" by Iain M. Banks
Monday, August 3rd, 2009 12:04The Chelgrians had partially Sublimed; about six per cent of their civilisation had quit the material universe within the course of a day. They were of all castes, they were of all varieties of religious belief from atheists to the devout of diverse cults, and they included in their number several of the sentient machines Chel had developed but never fully exploited. No discernible pattern in the partial Subilming Event could be determined.
None of this was especially unusual in itself, though for any of them to have gone at all when the Chelgrians had only been in space for a few hundred years did seem - perversely - immature in the eyes of some. Wheat had been remarkable, even alarming, was that the sublimed had then maintained links with the majority part of their civilisation which had not moved on.
Chegrian composer Ziller has been commissioned by the Masaq' Hub to write a symphony commemorating the death of two stars in the Idiran War eight centuries before, whose first performance will be timed to coincide with the light from the second of the stars going nova finally reaching Masaq' Orbital. Zillero has been living in exile on Masaq' Orbital since before the Chelgrian Caste War, which was ignited by Culture meddling leaving them feeling very guilty about what happened, but unrepentant about the need to meddle in other species' affairs. When Ziller hears that an emissary is being sent from Chel to ask him to come home, he refuses point blank to meet him, and that is about all I can tell you about the story without giving a big spoiler warning, so I'll just say that the story includes themes of guilt, bereavement, revenge, death and the afterlife, and leave it at that.
Iain M. Banks does create some fantastic alien species. Apart from the furry, five-legged, predator-descended Chelgrians, "Look to Windward" features the incredibly long-lived behemothaurs, forever travelling around the edge of the galaxy in the mysterious air spheres lit by orbiting sun-moons. But the Affront in "Excession" are still my favourites.
None of this was especially unusual in itself, though for any of them to have gone at all when the Chelgrians had only been in space for a few hundred years did seem - perversely - immature in the eyes of some. Wheat had been remarkable, even alarming, was that the sublimed had then maintained links with the majority part of their civilisation which had not moved on.
Chegrian composer Ziller has been commissioned by the Masaq' Hub to write a symphony commemorating the death of two stars in the Idiran War eight centuries before, whose first performance will be timed to coincide with the light from the second of the stars going nova finally reaching Masaq' Orbital. Zillero has been living in exile on Masaq' Orbital since before the Chelgrian Caste War, which was ignited by Culture meddling leaving them feeling very guilty about what happened, but unrepentant about the need to meddle in other species' affairs. When Ziller hears that an emissary is being sent from Chel to ask him to come home, he refuses point blank to meet him, and that is about all I can tell you about the story without giving a big spoiler warning, so I'll just say that the story includes themes of guilt, bereavement, revenge, death and the afterlife, and leave it at that.
Iain M. Banks does create some fantastic alien species. Apart from the furry, five-legged, predator-descended Chelgrians, "Look to Windward" features the incredibly long-lived behemothaurs, forever travelling around the edge of the galaxy in the mysterious air spheres lit by orbiting sun-moons. But the Affront in "Excession" are still my favourites.
