Inversions (Culture gone medieval)

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 Circumstances agents in their widely different missions. Unfortunately I can't make an unbiased opinion on whether this a good book to start on Iain M Banks' Culture series. I would recommend to start the series with The Player of Games...

blueonred 01.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of Inversions - Iain M. Banks

Turn your life upside down & feel better for it

Advantages: Relaxes and decompresses the spine and muscles
Disadvantages: Takes up a lot of room

...and the jutting out bone in the back of my neck was flat. The drawback was that this was costing me £60 per week then after four months £60 per month. Prior to attending this treatment I had been tempted to buy an inversion table to see if it would help as the claim was that it helped to align your spine and took all the stress out of it aiding decompression and allowing your body to relax and revitalize. As usual I had an excuse for spending the £99.00 as I figured it was less than two sessions with the physio and would hopefully save me money by not having to attend sessions anymore. I bought it about a year ago and have not been back to the physiotherapist since. I cannot claim that this piece of kit cured my alignment I know that the physio did that but I do believe that using this to decompress my spine most evenings has prevented my pain from...

sandra102 28.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of V-FIT Inversion Table

Not his finest hour

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 paced development in the other. It is this ability to bend the rules of traditional storytelling that is undoubtedly one of Banks’ greatest assets. This simply reads differently to most other books you are likely to come across, and so...

bphester99 03.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of Inversions - Iain M. Banks

Good but puzzling

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 Protector, struggling to identify the source of the latest threat. It's hinted, but never actually stated explicitly, that the two are former friends, living out the conflicting philosophies that caused them to fall out in the first place...

NeilHudson 12.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Inversions - Iain M. Banks

Another Culture novel but in disguise

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, bodyguard to the General of a military power, who uses only traditional weapons, but who is more embroiled in the power plays. So clearly, in a sense, these characters and their situations are "Inversions" of one another. It also becomes...

pvincent 16.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of Inversions - Iain M. Banks

A Swiftian inversion of reality

Advantages: Self's most emotionally effective work to date.
Disadvantages: None that I can think of.

......

Nichevo 09.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Great Apes - Will Self

Not as good as I hoped

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

......

ferd 12.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of Inversions - Iain M. Banks

A Very Unique Product

Advantages: Lightwieght,easy to apply and can be used as an emergancy radiance boost
Disadvantages: Initially fairly expensive, can smell if not looked after properly

...of Touche Éclat on top to achieve a radiant, more delicate look than just using concealer. This, for me, gives the best of both worlds: coverage and a soft, fresh, radiant look. I must offer a further warning- being rosy cheeked, I cannot use this product without applying a full face of foundation as otherwise I get an “inverse panda” look. I have seen other friends who do not have my high colouring wear it and it can be worn on its own and not look unnatural. However, be careful as if you are just wearing it without foundation, certain lights and even camera flashes can mean that the area of application stands out as being whiter, or brighter than the rest of your face, and experience has taught mew that this is not a good look! One further comment is that the brush and the cap of the product need to be washed regularly to prevent...

louisa_woolley 24.04.2003 · Read review
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Review of Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat (Radiant Touch)

"Six" is vastly different....and all the better for it!

Advantages: 1 of the most original alt rock/indie/brit pop albums ever recorded! Intelligent lyrics! Catchy!!!
Disadvantages: possibly most radio-unfriendly album ever made,though not necessarily a bad thing whatsoever, IMO.

..., personal favourites include the title track "Six", "Special/Blown it(delete as appropriate)" with its' anthemic lyrics and a riff which might well inspire a dance around the bedsit in simultaneous defiance and acceptance of the status quo, life, the universe, and everything (with tongue firmly in cheek...). "Inverse Midas" is another great track with a beautiful, melancholic melody and similarly sombre, yet somehow assuaging vocals. This album really deserves to be listened to in its' glorious entirity to be fully appreciated... It may take a couple of listens to instill in the memory, (which I found happened to me very, very quickly), but when it does, it is an example of an artistic masterpiece which will surely not be forgotten (in contrast to Paul's lyric on Legacy, "Nobody cares when you're gone", actually, some of us do care, - RIP...

fluorescentjade 28.07.2009 (29.07.2009) · Read review
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Review of Six - Mansun

What do you know about sex? (Vol. II)

Advantages: Informative, entertaining, and not difficult to read
Disadvantages: More recent studies can be more accurate

...Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume II Sexual Inversion By Havelock Ellis Although the term sexual inversion might not be favourable for some, Havelock Ellis' second volume of Studies in the Psychology of Sex is considered, even now, as one of the most open minded treatises on homosexuality. The book discusses various issues starting with homosexuality in animals and ending with the society's attitude towards this sexual trend. This is, of course, in addition to important topics like temporary homosexual tendencies, the prevalence of homosexuality in men and women, and the endeavours to prevent it. The first chapter of the book, which is simply entitled Introduction, sheds light on homosexuality among animals and the "lower human races," but the most interesting section of it, for me, remains to be that which discusses...

sottovoce82 15.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Studies in the Psychology of Sex (Vol. 2) - Havelock Ellis