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Look to Windward

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Authors:: Iain M. Banks (author) and Jerry Vanderstelt (covers)
Language:: English
Original language:: English
Publisher:: Pocket Books
Categories:: Novel, science fiction and space opera
Universe:: Culture
Series:: Culture (7/10)
Publication year:: 2002
Original publication year:: 2000
ISBN:: 0-7434-2192-2
Pages:: 483
Synopsis:: During one of the most violent skirmishes in the Culture-Idiran War, a binary star system is blown up, and as the light from that event reaches the Orbital Masaq', the renowned composer Mahrai Ziller (an alien, a Chelgrian) is slated to conduct his latest masterpiece in coincidence with it. Meanwhile, another Chelgrian, the Major Quilan, is tasked with a mission (and a cover-story for that mission) whose objectives are unknown to him but which are gradually revealed (both to him and the reader).
Review:: As this is a Culture novel I could almost have recommended it without reading it, and the verdict after having read it is still the same. This is an excellent story, one of political intrigue, love lost, secret missions, espionage, and huge sceneries. I particularly enjoyed the light-hearted chapters about Uagen Zlepe and 974 Praf, the former a human-turned-simian scholar (and an all-around twitchy and funny character), the latter a pterodactyl-like sentient creature and Zlepe's companion (also pretty incompetent and funny because of that). Their extremely serendipitous doings and fallings (don't ask) did much to lighten the otherwise heavy mood.
Has read?: Yes
Debut?: No
Images:
High-res images:: [Back (4.24 MB)] [Spine (973.5 KB)] [Front (4.48 MB)]
Table of Contents:: [Toggle visibility]

Prologue

1 The Light of Ancient Mistakes

2 Winter Storm

3 Infra Dawn

4 Scorched Ground

Airsphere

5 A Very Attractive System

6 Resistance Is Character-Forming

7 Peer Group

8 The Retreat at Cadracet

Dirigible

The Memory of Running

9 Pylon Country

10 The Seastacks of Youmier

11 Absence of Gravitas

12 A Defeat of Echoes

Flight

13 Some Ways of Dying

14 Returning to Leave, Recalling Forgetting

15 A Certain Loss of Control

16 Expiring Light

Space, Time

Closure

Epilogue

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