Not many authors would name a science fiction novel after a fictional piece of classical music and none that I can think of would do it as well as Iain M. Banks.
The Hydrogen Sonata is Banks’ tenth novel set within his Culture universe and it continues the tradition of one of the great modern science fiction series. To a reader familiar with the Culture this book has all that you might expect, with alien political intrigues occasionally overflowing into outright violence, a galaxy-spanning scope and ships with peculiar names. To the uninitiated this might be a good place to start.
The eponymous Hydrogen Sonata itself only plays a minor role in the intertwining narrative threads, though a theme of music, and sound in general, runs deep. The Gzilt, an old ally of the Culture, are about to Sublime, but there are mutterings of a secret that could shake their civilisation to the core – and the power-brokers behind the scenes cannot afford to let it get out…
Banks tells his tale through the eyes of several individuals from different factions and his skill shines in the depth of the characters he creates and the believability of their motives and actions. The plot is not perhaps as mind-bendingly complex as some of his previous novels, but this is no bad thing and the story is not without twists and turns to keep the reader enthralled (certainly this reader, at least).
The Hydrogen Sonata is an excellent book, well worth reading and it ensures that Iain M. Banks keeps his place amongst space opera’s great authors.
The Hydrogen Sonata is out now in hardback, priced £20.
William Millar, care worker
ps – here is the geekzine’s interview with Mr Banks himself, from autumn last year….
http://www.geekzine.co.uk/2012/09/iain-m-banks-q-a-september-2012/
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