Excession

By: Iain M. Banks

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

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.

"Banks is a phenomenon." –– William Gibson

Two and a half millennia ago in a remote corner of space, beside a trillion-year-old dying sun from a different universe, the artifact appeared.

It was a perfect black-body sphere, and it did nothing. Then it disappeared.

Now it is back.

Diplomat Genar-Hofoen of Special Circumstances is sent to investigate but, sidetracked by an old flame and the spoiled-brat operative Ulver Seich, and faced with the systematic depravities of a race who call themselves the A­ffront, it's anyone's guess whether he'll succeed . . .

Praise for the Culture series:

"Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution." –Independent on Sunday
"Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future." –Guardian

"Jam-packed with extraordinary invention." –Scotsman

"Compulsive reading." –Sunday Telegraph

The Culture series:
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
The State of the Art

Other books by Iain M. Banks:
Against a Dark Background
Feersum Endjinn
The Algebraist

Also now available:
The Culture: The Drawings- an extraordinary collection of original illustrations faithfully reproduced from sketchbooks Banks kept in the 1970s and 80s, depicting the ships, habitats, geography, weapons and language of Banks' Culture series of novels in incredible detail.

Critic reviews

“Banks is a phenomenon...writing pure science fiction of a peculiarly gnarly energy and elegance.”—William Gibson

“Banks writes with a sophistication that will surprise anyone unfamiliar with modern science fiction.”—The New York Times

“An enormously enjoyable book, full of wonderful aliens, a sense of wonder and subtle political commentary on current events.”

—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on The Algebraist

“Banks never lets up in a dizzying array of characters, mind-bending ideas, and dazzling action.”—Booklist

“Few of us have been exposed to a talent so manifest and of such extraordinary breadth.”—New York Review of Science Fiction

“[Banks] can summon up sense-of-wonder Big Concepts you've never seen before and display them with narration as deft as a conjuror's fingers." —scifi.com

"Nobody does it better."—Times (UK)

"Banks writes space opera on the grand scale: he measures time in eons, space in lightyears, tragedies in gigadeaths."—Time

"Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution."—Independent on Sunday

"Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future."—The Guardian

"Jam-packed with extraordinary invention."—Scotsman

"Compulsive reading."—Sunday Telegraph

Multiple pages missing

Edit: I believe this has been fixed, but I am still listening through. The run time has had 20-30 mins added, and the chapter list is organized differently.


Original review: I love this book, and have been waiting for YEARS for it to be released on audible in the US, only for a shoddy copy to be delivered with many pages just chopped out.

Even after it was scheduled to be available in the US, the release date was pushed back multiple times, for many months in each instance. Was none of that extra time used to help publish a presentable product? Or were lawyers just pushing paper around for their own benefit?

This audiobook has been available for years, how have you not just copied an intact version?

Audiobook fixed

Glad they fixed the originally broken audiobook. One of the best culture stories. Well narrated.

Recording issues

I love the culture. These are my favorite books. Here in the US this title was unavailable for years and years. When I learned it was coming, I pre-ordered. I was so excited. The narrator is great same narrator as the other books however the chapters cut off early sometimes, and you don’t get to finish what they’re saying. And the last few words of a chapter can be pretty important.

Broken Audio

Chapters are cut mid-sentence. This is a first for me for Audible. Hope it’s a last.

Incomplete

Like everyone else has said. Chapters just stop mid word. Sounds like it would be a good story if it was complete.