Transition

By: Iain M. Banks

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

There is a world that hangs suspended between triumph and catastrophe, between the dismantling of the Wall and the fall of the Twin Towers, frozen in the shadow of suicide terrorism and global financial collapse. Such a world requires a firm hand and a guiding light. But does it need the Concern: an all-powerful organization with a malevolent presiding genius, pervasive influence and numberless invisible operatives in possession of extraordinary powers?

Among those operatives are Temudjin Oh, of mysterious Mongolian origins, an un-killable assassin who journeys between the peaks of Nepal, a version of Victorian London, and the dark palaces of Venice under snow; Adrian Cubbish, a restlessly greedy City trader; and a nameless, faceless state-sponsored torturer known only as the Philosopher, who moves between time zones with sinister ease.

Then there are those who question the Concern: the bandit queen Mrs. Mulverhill, roaming the worlds recruiting rebels to her side; and Patient 8262, under sedation and feigning madness in a forgotten hospital ward, in hiding from a dirty past.

There is a world that needs help - but whether it needs the Concern is a different matter.

©2009 Iain M. Banks (P)2009 Hachette

This book Not up to 'Culture' Standards.

The story was somewhat muddled,
but Mr. Banks political views were troweled on a bit thick, without the wit and finesse of the "Culture" books.

How the mighty have fallen

I found this book readable at best. A far cry from the quality of the Culture series. Reading was excellent, but the story feels desperate and missing all the ingredients needed. Story feels wandering in sub plot, yet forced in major plot. I wouldn't recommend purchasing, but if you already have, it is readable/listenable.

Transition

A good read (listen). Banks never fails to surprise. Peter Kenny brings the story to life Banks has a number of other SF books available from Audible in the UK. Why not here?

Stunning

Took some time for the story to unfold--as is often the case with Banks' books. But he is one of my top 5 favorite authors and I knew it was worth being patient and allowing the story to unfold. I was not disappointed. This is a great story. The narrator is fantastic.

How I wish there were more Iain Banks novels on Audible.

Good!

I agree with Kurt; Iain Banks has been a long time favorite of mine, and i wish to see more of his books, although personally i want to listen to The Alchemist. I have heard that it was his best book.

Brilliant Science Fiction

I'm so grateful to Iain M. Banks for writing yet another complex, moving, intelligent and well told story and for Peter Kenny for doing such a wonderful job narrating it. Transition is a book worthy of the this same science fiction author who wrong "Look to Windward" and the "Algebraist".

Please be aware that Iain M. Banks tends to write very richly crafted villains as well as heroes, so if you're squeamish he's not for you. I'm not squeamish, of course, and love his style.

Finally, part of what makes Transition so rich is that it ties itself obliquely yet solidly to problems we face in our world, and he lets us make judgements for ourselves without telling us what to think. This is a great book.

Banks is a master of complex challenging sci-fi

I'm a huge Iain M Banks fan, and this book has been my favorite listen on audible so far. If only there were more of his books here. Please please please add some from the Culture Universe.

Banks writes complex, thoughtful and challenging sci-fi.... exploring themes in which morality is curved, good and evil are never quite straightforward and the narration can be interestingly non linear. If you like your protagonists to be sometimes flawed while always interesting, and your antagonists sometimes sympathetic yet always vile. Take a ride with Banks.

Peter Kenny's narration is superlative. Many readers could easily subtract from the genius of Banks' writing. I found it difficult to imagine anyone adding to it, but Kenny does so, bringing the subtleties of the characters out quite beautifully with his range of voice and accent. Brilliant.

First rate

I loved this book. Five stars! It was confusing at first (but in an interesting way,) but became more clear as it went on. Banks is the most wildly creative writer I've "read" in ages. I just wish I could get all his work here. Much to my annoyance some of his audio books are available in England though not here.

Brilliant SciFi. Philosophy. Socio-political discussion.

Iain Banks is one of the smartest SciFi writers out there. This is one of his few non-Culture series SciFi books.
The plot is complex. The characters various and often times deep.
I enjoyed the unreliable narrator. A thing we were told to generally avoid in college. It was fun to watch a master writer do it anyway, and do it well.
Mr. Banks’ college background in philosophy really shows in this book. If that’s your thing, this is your book.

His politics also come through, but in an intelligent way that really looks at our cultural perceptions and responsibilities.
If you read this book in close conjunction with “Raw Spirits” you’ll understand more of the political angles.

This book is a hybrid piece. It is as if he combines his fiction non-genre with his space opera SciFi.
It is a unique book in his body of work.

Not as much fun as the Culture novels

I'm a huge fan of Banks' Culture novels, but this book didn't quite rise to the same level. His gratuitous descriptions of sex acts tended to distract and detract from an otherwise thoughtful story. Several times.

WIth regard to the performance, the narrator did a good job voicing the different characters, but one or two of the English accents were occasionally too thick to comprehend.

Overall, I would still recommend Banks as an author, just not this particular work.