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The Hydrogen Sonata
- Culture Series, Book 10
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
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The Hydrogen Sonata
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Summary
The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. His Culture books combine breathtaking imagination with exceptional storytelling, and have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.
The Scavenger species are circling. It is, truly, the End Days for the Gzilt civilisation.
An ancient people, organised on military principles and yet almost perversely peaceful, the Gzilt helped set up the Culture ten thousand years earlier. Now they've made the collective decision to follow the well-trodden path of millions of other civilisations: they are going to Sublime, elevating themselves to a new and almost infinitely more rich and complex existence.
But, amid preparations, the Regimental High Command is destroyed. Vyr Cossont, a former soldier for the Gzilt, appears to have been involved, and she is now wanted - dead, not alive. Aided only by an ancient, reconditioned android and a suspicious Culture avatar, Cossont must complete a final mission; she must find the oldest person in the Culture, a man over nine thousand years old, who might just hold the key to understanding what happened . . .
The final days of the Gzilt civilisation may prove its most perilous.
The Culture series:
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
The State of the Art
Other books by Iain M. Banks:
Against a Dark Background
Feersum Endjinn
The Algebraist
Critic reviews
"Nobody does it better." (Sunday Times)
"The standard by which the rest of SF is judged." (Guardian)
"Essential for SF fans." (Library Journal)
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What listeners say about The Hydrogen Sonata
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Colin
- 11-10-12
Hi-Tech Intrigue
Yet again Banks supplies a gripping tale of eons spanning intrigue. This story doesn't have quite the depth of some previous Culture novels but it gives another insight into the many layers that make up his Universe. The Culture ship Minds steal the show yet again but you can't deny that without their seemingly 'pet' biologicals they would get bored and have no choice but to Sublime which would seem to be the point of this book.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tutankamen
- 01-10-19
Enthralling
I genuinely felt sad when Peter Kenny finished the book. How do I become a part of the Culture?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jeremy
- 25-10-12
More mind stuff
I love culture minds and this book gives a broader view of them and shows that they're not all the same. After reading the summary I was looking forward to see how the culture would behave with another level 8 civ. I wasn't disappointed. There is the usual mesh of threads and some organically we get to care about (including a cute pet!). There are never enough "fights" for me but the ones here are up to the usual standard. If you read the book you'd know when you're getting near the end; with an audio book it can "end" quite precipitously - in this one the author does tie things up quite suddenly. If you enjoyed surface detail you'll love this one. If you've never read a culture book, I envy you. You're in for a real treat. BTW peter Kerry (reader) is brilliant using just enough "voices" to make it enjoyable without going into the eccentric. I just wish Audible would fill the Culture gaps (books 4-7?)
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eddie Kingham
- 08-03-18
Kenny is cool
Didn't like him initially at first hearing, Phlebas, but he grew on me. Technish superb.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Steve Bowen
- 01-11-18
wonderful thaumaturgical
this pedantic app insists on 15 more word's, what an utterly stupid requirement, plums all
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Mark B Holbrook
- 15-08-18
Fabulous
Well definitely one of the best, humour, action, well developed characters, wacky ships just fabulous. But once more a weaker ending than you would otherwise expect from such superb imagination. Great narration too.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. N. J. Richardson
- 01-12-13
Love Iain Banks
What did you like most about The Hydrogen Sonata?
I like some of the clever ideas like the 'sim problem' makes me smile at Banks' genius.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chris Turner
- 11-09-17
brilliant
Banks at his best with the excellent Peter Kenny bringing it to life...five stars all day long
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Gary
- 23-12-12
A Cultured Culture Novel
I'm very late to the Culture. Like lots of readers of science fiction and fantasy, I'd heard of this amazing - but very complex - series of novels. I'd even bought a couple of paperbacks that have knocked about the house (unread) for a few years. It's been Audible - or, rather, Peter Kenny - who finally got me into the series. And I'm very glad of it, too. I started with the first couple of audiobooks (both narrated expertly by Kenny) and, because this was the newest and just out, listened to The Hydrogen Sonata.
The novel has all the great qualities of a space opera epic: an alien race about to "sublime" into another dimension, robot ships, political intrigue and a quest by a six-armed main character to discover what was at the heart of a deadly mystery. I've noticed that Banks loves dramatic - almost widescreen cinematic - scenes set on giant spacecraft involved in a disaster and this one has one that literally had me on the edge of my sear (I was driving to work as I listened). It's also far from serious: there's a great deal of humour, too.
I can't recommend this audiobook highly enough. The story is thoroughly enthralling and is made so much more so by the amazing voice(s) of Peter Kenny. Download now. Go on - I insist!
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dawn
- 23-01-13
Keep him locked in that room
Fantastic Banks, with the usual Kenny enhancement. Please keep Peter locked in that damp cell chained to the wall until he has narrated the whole collection of Banks books. And while you're about it chain Iain in there too until he has produced at least another dozen.
They are both geniuses.
Thank you
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1 person found this helpful