Inversions - Iain M. Banks

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19 of 20 Ciao users found the following review helpful

bphester99

Member since 11/07/2001

Reviews written: 16

Not his finest hour 03/08/2001

User doesn't recommend the product

Advantages Good characters, detailed environment, subtle
Disadvantages Slow plot, rather forced feel to the ending

There is no doubt that Iain Banks has written some fantastic books. Unfortunately he seems to have this habit of punctuating modern classics with some distinctly so-so titles. ‘Inversions’ is not really one book, but two separate tales told together. The writing styles and storylines remain separate until the inevitable tie in at the end. The chapters, titled simply ‘The Doctor’ and ‘The Bodyguard’ are told in sequence, with the plot of each story proceeding at roughly the same pace, so a development in one plotline will be closely followed by an equally ... more
3 of 3 Ciao users found the following review helpful

pvincent

Another Culture novel but in disguise 16/01/2001

User recommends the product

Advantages Subtle, controlled tale that rewards close attention
Disadvantages Not for those expecting a space techno-romp!

This is the subtlest of Iain M. Banks's SF novels set in the universe of The Culture, the galaxy-spanning society in which most of his other SF novels are squarely set. At first sight, this appears to be two totally unrelated tales, set on the same world, whose low tech-level makes plain that it is not a Culture member world. One tale is of the King's doctor, a woman whose potions appear to imply possession of a degree of pharmaceutical knowledge rather higher than this planet possesses, but who endeavours not to interfere with palace politics. The other tale is that of a man named DeWar ... more
0 of 0 Ciao users found the following review helpful

markos3

Good culture story (I think) 24/08/2000

User recommends the product

Advantages Good story
Disadvantages A bit confusing

Iain M Banks is an science fiction author who also pens non science fiction under the name Iain Banks. Banks has created the Culture. This human society set in the far future has mastered technology to the extent that moon sized ships and planet sized 'orbitals' are created with ease. Artificial intelligence has reached the stage where the computers are far smarter than people and are considered Culture citizens. Inversions is apparently a Culture novel, but this is never made clear. The two main characters are agents of 'Special Circumstances' but only clues to their identity are given. The ... more
2 of 2 Ciao users found the following review helpful

ferd

Not as good as I hoped 12/07/2000

User doesn't recommend the product

Advantages Different from the others in the series
Disadvantages Can feel like you got a plum when you expected a melon!

Being another one in the series of 'Culture' books, I was expecting a bit more Science and a bit less Fiction. The story revolves around 2 main characters who come from a technologically advanced race, and they're interactions and dealings on a world where feuding, torture, and basic medieval goings on take place. The female takes up a post as a Kings Doctor, whilst the other becomes a bodyguard in a Cromwellian society. The story itself has a few moments of action, but on the whole, I felt a bit dissatisfied (and almost cheated) at the lack of gadgetry on the whole, with merely the faintest ... more
1 of 1 Ciao users found the following review helpful

NeilHudson

Good but puzzling 12/08/2000

User recommends the product

Advantages Good plots, well-drawn characters
Disadvantages Doesn't quite hang together

"Inversions" is an odd addition to Banks' science fiction - a Culture story which never actually admits to being one, an sf novel that insists on not displaying its science or technology. Indeed, a superficial glance might even cause one to wonder if it is even a single novel. Two stories are told in "Inversions". One concerns a female doctor in a society where such a combination is rare. She has succeeded in becoming doctor to the King for the simple reason that her medical knowledge is centuries ahead of what it should be. The second story concerns the bodyguard to a self-proclaimed ... more
13 of 13 Ciao users found the following review helpful

blueonred

Inversions (Culture gone medieval) 01/07/2008

User recommends the product

Advantages Another fresh view of Culture
Disadvantages Not the book for somone starting Culture series

Iain M Banks Inversions is another page-turner in the great Culture series. A general description of Culture is that an Utopian, post-scarcity (limitless resources) alien society, lead/controlled by powerful Als. The view of Culture is that less-advanced societies would benefit from their influence, thus the series describes the interaction between Culture and other civilizations. Inversions continues on that similar theme but in a complete different background, it's based on a planet similar to medieval England and packed full of complex, fallible characters. The two plotline follows Special ... more
0 of 1 Ciao users found the following review helpful

Dave350

Good, but self-indulgent 11/07/2000

User recommends the product

Advantages Great plot and characters
Disadvantages First timers will scratch their heads in confusion

'Inversions' is the latest sci-fi book from Iain M. Banks and though it's not as epic in scale as his previous books, it still packs a punch. It concerns two characters, a Doctor and a Bodyguard, and over the course of the book their seemingly separate paths intertwine. Each chapter alternates between the couple and there are occasionally flashbacks relating to a couple of children, but to reveal more would spoil the story. The descriptions of settings are very emotive and almost all the characters are fully engaging. Possibly, the only downside is that newcomers to the world of the Culture ... more
0 of 1 Ciao users found the following review helpful

Ceebs

Quality once again 27/07/2000

User recommends the product

Advantages enjoyable as usual
Disadvantages a bit thin

A book that at first glance does not seem to be connected to the culture, but what is really going on is given away by a capital letter in the first dozen or so pages. A good book about the choices we face when meeting other societies and cultures. Although it is not amongst the best of his books, the style of running the two stories interleaved in the book works well in the compare / contrast style of the two characters approach to essentially the same problem. Use of Weapons and Player of games are still my favorites though ... more
0 of 1 Ciao users found the following review helpful

Gervase

Iain's loosing it 18/07/2000

User doesn't recommend the product

Advantages It is a nice way to spend a couple of days
Disadvantages His other books are better

He isn't really, Inversions is another gem - but it doesn't sparkle like the last few. In particular it's neither as mad as Feersum Endjinn nor as inventively violent as Excession. Inversions is too short. You shell out your £7 and after a couple of days of fevered reading and missed meals you are finished and put it down feeling a little cheated. A nice enough tale of a couple of Contact spooks doing their low key stuff, but there isn't enough meat. Reading it I wanted to know all about their history and how they came to be there and exactly why. But all you get are hints. And in the end what ... more
1 of 16 Ciao users found the following review helpful

haconsulting

Fantastic Read 28/06/2002

User recommends the product

Advantages Excellent characters and storyline; really grips you to the end
Disadvantages none whatsoever

I have read several on Iain M Banks with mixed opinions so far but Inversions was in a different class. If this is your first read of Iain M Banks then I'm sure you won't be disappointed. The lead charactert is a female and Bamks builds an enigmatic and deep person for his lead. The story is written in the first person from the point of view of the servant of this female character in a world dominated by males, but the strength of the woman and her character dominates proceedings. As a counterpoint there is a second storyline written from a man's viewpoint describing events in a different part ... more