Beyond Reality discussion

Please let us know if you've read or are planning to read Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks.

Please, **NO SPOILERS!!**

Read this one a few years ago and, like all Banks books, I liked it very much. I save all of his output, so I will skim through my copy before commenting in the spoiler section.

Finished it last week. Loved it.

About half way though. I thought it had a choppy start, but it's certainly picking up steam.

I bought it and am planning to read. I hope I don't get too far behind!

Started reading it about a week ago. I've read other things by Banks before.
It's good if a little confusing in the beginning.

I'm certainly going to be reading this one -- when my copy comes in. Matter is my favorite Banks, but I have liked all the Culture novels I've read so far and can't wait to get into this one.

Planning a re-read, so most of my comments will be in the spoilerrific thread.

I'm more than half-way through and really enjoying it. Funny thing, I'm sure I read this about 10 years ago but it doesn't seem familiar; I know enough about Banks, though, to strongly suspect it's not heading in the direction it's pointing at.

About a 100 pages in, and I'm a little confused. I sort of get the gist that the composer guy isn't human (I recall references to a prehensile tail or something fitting in a suit).

But are the two soldiers (Or rather, two heads in one soldier) of the same species? Because they seem to be described as human. Or a different castes.

Well, the characters are interesting even if the descriptions aren't exactly sticking in my memory.

I guess that's what you get with better charactersization vs pages and pages of non-sense description and back detail about the alien society.

I will have to bow out. While I know its not a sequel to any of the previous Culture books I tend to read books in order. I have only read Consider Phlebas. I plan to read more soon

Ken wrote: "I will have to bow out. While I know its not a sequel to any of the previous Culture books I tend to read books in order. I have only read Consider Phlebas. I plan to read more soon"

I was concerned about that myself, Ken, since I always read books in order. But I made an exception and I was glad I did. I may reread this when I get to it "in order" to see if my thoughts about it change.

Matthew wrote: "About a 100 pages in, and I'm a little confused. I sort of get the gist that the composer guy isn't human (I recall references to a prehensile tail or something fitting in a suit).

But are the two..."

The composer and the character who is a soldier with 2 personalities in his head are both/all the same species. They are Chelgrian. Many of the characters in the Culture books are nonhuman.

I knew they were the same species. But are Chelgrian's human? (I guess not, seeing as how they have fur.)

200 pages in, and not much has happened. Lots of discussion, some of it interesting, some not. Very little action or anything that moves the plot forward.

No idea what the guy studying the floating plant-dinosaur things has to do with the rest of the story.


I enjoyedThe Player of Games way more than this.

Finished it.