It was interesting to read a sizable sci fi book again - and this one kept me going for a while. A key criterion of mine was met: there was no clear violation of the laws of physics. For me, sci fi has to be a vision of the future or another part of the Universe that I find credible. Although long, this book was well-paced and it kept me turning the pages - it certainly lived up to some people’s description of it being a “space opera”.
I guess that I have 2 criticisms of the book. First, I found the death toll rather wearing. Second, at the end of the book I had this “where do we go from here?” feeling. All the loose ends were tied up, which I would normally regard as a good thing. However, this is the first book of a series [there are 10 currently], so I expected it to be a “scene setter” for the subsequent books. Other than explaining more or less who/what the Culture is, it gave me little in the way of expectations for the other books.
I am wondering whether each book in the Culture series is essentially stand-alone and the Culture merely provides a consistent framework for the stories. Maybe I will find out sometime, as I think I will probably read more of the series in due course.
I guess that I have 2 criticisms of the book. First, I found the death toll rather wearing. Second, at the end of the book I had this “where do we go from here?” feeling. All the loose ends were tied up, which I would normally regard as a good thing. However, this is the first book of a series [there are 10 currently], so I expected it to be a “scene setter” for the subsequent books. Other than explaining more or less who/what the Culture is, it gave me little in the way of expectations for the other books.
I am wondering whether each book in the Culture series is essentially stand-alone and the Culture merely provides a consistent framework for the stories. Maybe I will find out sometime, as I think I will probably read more of the series in due course.
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