false 18629 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166984449m/18629.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166984449s/18629.jpg de rigueur. But more than two millennia ago the appearance--and disappearance--of a star older than the universe caused quite a stir. Now the mystery is back, and the key to solving it lies in the mind of the person who witnessed the first disturbance 2,500 years ago. But she's dead, and getting her to cooperate may not be altogether easy. ]]> 12013 9 1494164 1996 Excession total:1164|5:340|4:500|3:260|2:52|1:12| 1164 4596 1526 82 7628 3.83 12639 1181 38295218 1713956 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.94 950 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 3 6 false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Fri Nov 21 05:35:22 -0800 2008 Thu Jul 02 01:38:57 -0700 2009 1
- Hello? This is Kinda Disappointed, do you read me?

- Hello Disappointed, this is Still Plenty of Good Bits. I'm another superintelligent AI entit...more...]]> 12802632 49620 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 4 1 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Thu Jan 17 19:06:34 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 17 19:12:54 -0800 2008 more...]]> 43211648 1917795 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 3 0 false Thu Jan 15 22:24:13 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 16 18:44:05 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4034991 251258 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 2 1 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 03 12:25:36 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 09 21:36:57 -0700 2007 more...]]> 78385131 2331913 535060 185723457X 9781857234572 9 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175612801m/535060.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175612801s/535060.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/535060.Excession 3.97 140 1996 3 0 false Wed Dec 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 19:41:10 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 18 11:54:28 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 53331782 629369 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 4 0 false Mon Apr 20 07:58:54 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 08:26:59 -0700 2009
Also, for a big chunk of the book, the chapters are...more...]]> 1626959 31929 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 1 1 false Sun Jun 03 09:16:56 -0700 2007 Wed Dec 16 20:37:20 -0800 2009 81124428 2133111 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 3 0 false Sat Dec 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 15 15:13:26 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 15 15:16:22 -0800 2009 I loved the rich, detailed world that Banks describes. The sea within the ship, the artificial world of Tier, the scarysmart AIs, all fascinating. His human characters, unfortunatel...more...]]> 66318043 1744633 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 3 0 false Sat Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 12:01:14 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 21:05:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 63963234 2296163 535060 185723457X 9781857234572 9 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175612801m/535060.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175612801s/535060.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/535060.Excession 3.95 1164 1996 4 0 false Mon Aug 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 05:10:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 15:45:06 -0700 2009
I found Excession to veer to...more...]]> 58200967 1687185 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 0 0 false Sun Nov 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jun 02 12:19:13 -0700 2009 Tue Nov 10 10:27:58 -0800 2009
"there was a possibility that the ship's mind had lost control but n...more...]]> 34458128 260600 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 5 0 false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Oct 03 13:49:31 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 15 09:21:16 -0700 2008 more...]]> 26193012 1156136 129132 2253072419 9782253072416 1 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171981758m/129132.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171981758s/129132.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/129132.Excession 4.64 14 1996 5 0 false Fri Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2002 Thu Jul 03 04:59:41 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 09 08:32:33 -0700 2008 more...]]> 23068809 1173656 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 2 0 false Fri Jun 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 27 14:17:12 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 20 16:18:25 -0700 2008
...more...]]> 18869143 1022982 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 3 8 false Tue Oct 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 28 13:50:21 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 14 15:56:24 -0700 2009 Excession was too damn convoluted to be good.

Iain M. Banks’ Excession was living up to the definition of its title:
"Excession; something excessive. Excessively aggressive, ex...
more...]]> 16585634 718566 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 5 0 false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 28 00:34:24 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 28 00:54:12 -0800 2008 Excession in the least.

This post-scarcity universe is dominated by the Culture, and the Culture is run by Minds, who are hyper-intellig...more...]]> 16304984 940282 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 5 1 true Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999 Mon Feb 25 05:39:43 -0800 2008 Thu May 15 11:14:29 -0700 2008 ...more...]]> 14872882 592761 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 4 0 false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 07 19:32:32 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 15 13:26:47 -0700 2008
The story is rather involved and the writi...more...]]> 53564376 2186493 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 5 0 false Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 03:15:40 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 02:05:30 -0700 2009 Ian M. Banks' fans.
My first approaches to Banks' Culture universe were not very successful. Happily, Psychophant have another point of view and made me give another try. I do not regret it.
It has been a quite enjoyable reading. Moreover,...more...]]> 56025923 326195 12013 0553575376 9780553575378 69 <![CDATA[Excession]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849m/12013.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166490849s/12013.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12013.Excession 3.95 1164 Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace...or to the brink of annihilation.

]]> 1996 1 0 false Wed May 13 23:40:29 -0700 2009 Sun May 24 12:02:15 -0700 2009 I'm particularly annoye...more...]]> 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=18629