Richard Abbott

Richard Abbott reviewed a book.

“I finished reading this book just a day or so before the sad news of Iain M. Banks' illness, so held off for a few weeks before summing up my thoughts. Inevitably it will be seen to some extent as a culmination of his science fiction writing work, though he also has a long string of novels set in...”

“I finished reading this book just a day or so before the sad news of Iain M. Banks' illness, so held off for a few weeks before summing up my thoughts. Inevitably it will be seen to some extent as a culmination of his science fiction writing work, though he also has a long string of novels set in the present day as well, with (so I have heard) one still in the publishing pipeline.

Sadly I have to say that I don't think this was his best addition to the Culture series. I certainly enjoyed reading it, more so than some other recent ones of his which have, in places, dwelt rather too much on horrific brutality for my liking. The Hydrogen Sonata shows a return to big picture, big life-decision stuff, with a mystery plotline weaving the whole together. As usual, the plotting involves a mixture of human and Mind (ie machine) investigation, and indeed the Minds get a higher profile here than in some of the books.

Banks has no problem in describing an array of fascinating places and people as the detective work continues. As ever, his portrayal of how an excess of time and resource can lead to both beauty and grossness is credible and imaginative. For me, the problem was that the central mystery that had to be solved was not very interesting. Without giving too much away, the initial reaction of some of the protagonists that it was just a scam... turned out to be true. But they took a long time finding that out. It was a bit of a let down.

In some ways it could justly be said that this really does sum up part of what the Culture series is saying - so much of what we chase after even now turns out to be a disappointment, and unlimited wealth does not alter that. In a society where resource is not a constraint, the opportunities to consume time and energy over things which are scams - or just plain disappointments - will surely be multiplied beyond imagination. Even in our current society, where we are far from solving resource problems, the quantity of electricity and computer disc space used up for storing ephemeral ideas sent off on a whim is staggering. The nuggets of real lasting value in all that sludge of data are, perhaps, rarer than bitcoins!

So I could appreciate the way Banks was able to address both the potential and the sheer banality of technological advance. However, there were none of the "aha" moments that he normally does so well, where some deft combination of words and ideas make the whole work suddenly come into focus. So, sadly, I ended up feeling that the story was not his best - for anyone who has never read Banks then "The Player Of Games" would be the book I would recommend. Four stars, but not five.

Strikingly, given my own enthusiasm for the art of designing the written word, Banks has chosen a ring structure for this book. The closing section quite obviously mirrors the opening one (leaving aside a brief introduction). The simplicity of atomic hydrogen is reflected in the simplicity of the ring structure, which is not, so far as I could see, developed into proper chiasmus. In passing, long term Star Trek TNG fans will recognise this as a theme in the episode Night Terrors - "eyes in the dark, one moon circles". A cool device, and one which for me at least enhanced the book... though not enough to get the final star.”

Richard Abbott rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Richard Abbott finished reading a book.

Richard Abbott now owns a book.

Richard Abbott reviewed a book.

“'Let us not live in ignorance' is a quite fascinating book for anyone wanting to get a sense for the cultural diversity and conflicts which arise out of today’s Middle East in other countries, in particular the USA. In this book, those conflicts are explored not through violence and terror, but...”

“'Let us not live in ignorance' is a quite fascinating book for anyone wanting to get a sense for the cultural diversity and conflicts which arise out of today’s Middle East in other countries, in particular the USA. In this book, those conflicts are explored not through violence and terror, but the more everyday and lasting areas of friendship and love. The two central relationships in the book cross different kinds of social and personal boundaries – one in a much harder and more profoundly radical way than the other – and Anastasia does not avoid the difficulties that arise from all that.

My own knowledge of the Middle East is largely rooted in the ancient world, but issues of cultural difference have always been important there. So when I came across Anastasia’s book, and realised what the subject matter was, it was a must-read. However, contemporary romance books are not my normal fare, so I had to get myself used to the conventions of the genre. The central characters are described as total paragons of physical perfection, with intellect and ethics to match. It took me a little while to realise that these descriptions are simply part of the literary style of this form, and that I didn’t have to feel inadequate or out of place myself! Nor that Anastasia was necessarily describing real Americans, Lebanese, etc – from my albeit slightly distant knowledge of the US I am pretty sure she is not! She is thinking about what might happen when idealised representatives of these cultures encounter one another, with a sincere desire to meet on a deep and intimate, rather than superficial and prejudicial level. Seen in that way, the profound difficulties in both of the relationships stand out all the more, since they are placed in a context of being open to relationship rather than closed to it.

It is clear that Anastasia is writing out of direct experience, especially in passages where people react in ignorance, naively clumping together quite different groups of people and ideas. She has a passionate desire that her readers would understand the diversity of culture within any one of the countries she speaks of, wanting to move away from simplistic stereotypes which tend to dominate the media. We like to think that here in the UK we are a little more aware of this, and most likely the average Briton has more personal interaction with this diversity than the average American. But it is, I think, a line of thought that is well worth revisiting, and there are plenty of people and families in this country and others, who grapple with cross-cultural issues on a daily basis.

For my part, this book has helped renew the sense that the diversity issues I like to explore in the ancient world are still active and vivid today. I shall return to my own writing with a renewed sense that these things are well worth exploring in any era, and that many of the same situations recur over and over again.

The book kept me reading eagerly right to the end, especially as it was unclear how – or even if – one particular situation was going to be resolved. I don’t have the experience to say whether it is a good book purely as a contemporary romance, and I don’t think that that genre is one which I am especially drawn to. All things considered, I prefer to read and write about other times than our own. So on those grounds I am giving 'Let us not live in ignorance' four stars rather than five, but the lack might well be in me rather than the book. If the exploration of friendship and love across cultural and religious divides interests you, or if you enjoy contemporary romances, then this is a book to be read.”