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The Hydrogen Sonata
- Culture Series, Book 10
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
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The Hydrogen Sonata
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Summary
The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. His Culture books combine breathtaking imagination with exceptional storytelling, and have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.
The Scavenger species are circling. It is, truly, the End Days for the Gzilt civilisation.
An ancient people, organised on military principles and yet almost perversely peaceful, the Gzilt helped set up the Culture ten thousand years earlier. Now they've made the collective decision to follow the well-trodden path of millions of other civilisations: they are going to Sublime, elevating themselves to a new and almost infinitely more rich and complex existence.
But, amid preparations, the Regimental High Command is destroyed. Vyr Cossont, a former soldier for the Gzilt, appears to have been involved, and she is now wanted - dead, not alive. Aided only by an ancient, reconditioned android and a suspicious Culture avatar, Cossont must complete a final mission; she must find the oldest person in the Culture, a man over nine thousand years old, who might just hold the key to understanding what happened . . .
The final days of the Gzilt civilisation may prove its most perilous.
The Culture series:
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
The State of the Art
Other books by Iain M. Banks:
Against a Dark Background
Feersum Endjinn
The Algebraist
Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Nobody does it better." (Sunday Times)
"The standard by which the rest of SF is judged." (Guardian)
"Essential for SF fans." (Library Journal)
What listeners say about The Hydrogen Sonata
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Colin
- 11-10-12
Hi-Tech Intrigue
Yet again Banks supplies a gripping tale of eons spanning intrigue. This story doesn't have quite the depth of some previous Culture novels but it gives another insight into the many layers that make up his Universe. The Culture ship Minds steal the show yet again but you can't deny that without their seemingly 'pet' biologicals they would get bored and have no choice but to Sublime which would seem to be the point of this book.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tutankamen
- 01-10-19
Enthralling
I genuinely felt sad when Peter Kenny finished the book. How do I become a part of the Culture?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Waspfactor
- 13-03-21
Usual Banks genius.
Loved it,great narration,practically acted,very good.A fantastic addition to the culture universe.Banks is a great loss.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. R. H. Waight
- 23-09-19
Loved it! Such a great story
The Culture Series has been the best sci-fi series I've ever read/listened too. And the narrator brings it ever more to life. Fantastic
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Martin Eager
- 31-12-15
What a way to say goodbye
Would you consider the audio edition of The Hydrogen Sonata to be better than the print version?
I have the paperback but I find the small print a strain these days, so the audiobook was a much more relaxing way to enjoy the story.
What did you like best about this story?
It's maybe not the pinnacle of Iain Banks' Culture novels but it's certainly up there among his best. It has all the right ingredients for a classic Culture novel - intrigue, plot twists, humour, great dialogue, exotic tech and wonderfully developed characters, organic and AI. Perhaps these ingredients aren't as impeccably mixed as Banks in his pomp, but nevertheless it's still an artfully constructed and engaging story and I was hooked from start to finish.
What about Peter Kenny’s performance did you like?
Peter Kenny brings the book alive with an astoundingly good performance. I can't imagine anyone doing better. The way he slips effortlessly between the different voices, especially those of the ship AIs bantering with each other, giving them each a unique personality, is a joy. Clear, well-paced and engaging.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me laugh and it made me cry. Whilst there's some great moments of humour, this book is primarily about closure on multiple levels. It's the last Culture book of course, which brings its own sadness that there will be no more. But the over-arching themes of the book are mortality / immortality, closure and spirituality, expressed via the plot mechanism of 'subliming'. It's a thought-provoking and appropriate goodbye, both to the Culture and to Banks himself. It's also a wonderful celebration of the rich imaginary universe that Banks created, his imagination and invention will be sorely missed.
Any additional comments?
If you've never read any of Iain Banks' Culture novels, whatever you do please don't start here. It's a fine book, but it's a finale of sorts and a farewell. Pick one of the earlier novels, Consider Phlebas being the obvious place to start.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AudioLemon
- 20-10-16
Excellent narration, Fair to middling book
I found the narration to be excellent with great character voices, not overly forced and but clear and distinct throughout. I would happily listen to this reader again.
The book itself kept my interest until close to the end. The last few chapters, hours, dragged. The early part of the book was very interesting with all the inventive flair and style you'd expect of an Iain M Banks Culture Novel but unfortunately for whatever reason the entire premise started to feel lacklustre as it approached its climax.
Of course I'll try to listen to all the Culture books but some of them are weaker than the others. possibly it's that I recently listened to the truly fantastic Player Of Games and was unreasonably hoping for a similar experience.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-06-17
Brilliant story, brilliant narration.
I love this book, not only is it classic Iain M Banks, with a stellar cast of eccentric minds and "humans", but the voices given to these my the narrator are just so well done. You'll love it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- EMMA LOUISE MCLAREN
- 27-08-17
Loved It
one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jono
- 07-09-18
Another great Culture story
One of the best in the brilliant Culture series. highly recommend them all. Essential sci-fi.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 09-08-22
Mostly superb
Very good stuff from Iain Banks. Well read by Peter Kenny. Picture a galaxy of vivid colours and characters, here’s one.
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