Pages : 279
Overall Mark : 4/10
It is the time of the Encroachment and, although the dimming sun still shines on the vast, towering walls of Serehfa Fastness, the end is close at hand. The king knows it, his closest advisers know it, yet still they prosecute the war against the clan Engineers with increasing savagery.
The crypt knows it too; so an emissary has been sent, an emissary who holds the key to all their futures
IAIN M. BANKS (1954-2013)
Iain Menzies Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984. His first SF novel, Consider Phlebas, was published in 1987. Acclaimed as one of the most powerful, innovative and exciting writers of his generation, he continued to write both mainstream fiction (as Iain Banks) and science fiction (as Iain M. Banks) until his untimely death in 2013.
VERDICT
This was the first book by Banks I’ve ever read, and I suspect it may be my last unless another one rears its ugly head in the SF Masterworks collection. Every fourth section of this book was written in a strange dialect of text message short hand that was very troublesome to read, yet these sections were the best parts. On the whole the rest of the book was confusing and really didn’t engage me in any way. My advice – don’t bother with this book, it’s just too much hard work and not enough reward.
