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Review title: No Hugos for Iain? No justice!
Product review: Banks is easily the best science-fiction author to be repeatedly stiffed for its major awards, which makes no sense to me considering some of the mediocrities that have been so rewarded (David Brin, Orson Scott Card). As always, pay close attention or else, because Mr. Banks never panders to his readers. His books are dense, ambiguous, and laced with irony, and Excession is no exception to that rule. This is one of his more playful books, however, especially in the wordplay between the various Culture Minds who constitute the novel's main characters. Though Banks's Culture books need not be read in any particular order, I would not recommend this as an introduction to his universe-start instead with Player of Games or Consider Phlebas (if you can find them). Excession is best read in a few sittings-say, a nice weekend at the beach. Stretching it out over a period of weeks may cause one to lose track of the nuances, which are typically plentiful and worth catching.
