Transition

[Deep Black]

Gets a decent write up & 4/5 in the latest Issue of SFX

[FearfulSymmetry]

The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/transition-by-iain-banks-1777592.html
... they like it.

[edash]

That's a spot-on review.

[Conscious Bob]

Short review of Transition in this weeks Bella Magazine, they liked it. I just wanted to look at Denise Welch in the buff.

[FearfulSymmetry]

Short review in the Metro
http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/books/article.html?Iain_Banks_makes_an_easy_Transition&in_article_id=729261&in_page_id=28

And a longer one in the Torygraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/6132913/Transition-by-Iain-Banks-review.html

[RedKing]

Short review of Transition in this weeks Bella Magazine, they liked it. I just wanted to look at Denise Welch in the buff.

That's a odd conjunction, tho' better than a review of Den's book and a nekkid TMH... :eek:

[Big Orange]

It sounds like he's making the same mild mistakes he made with The Algebraist and Matter, overall great story, but for Satan sake edit down a few subplots and chapters...

[Conscious Bob]

It sounds like he's making the same mild mistakes he made with The Algebraist and Matter, overall great story, but for Satan sake edit down a few subplots and chapters...

Read it for yourself before you make the judgement and post your own crit.

[edash]

There's only 15 chapters.

[FearfulSymmetry]

The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/26/transition-iain-banks-book-review

He doesn't like it and it's very spoilery (like major plot twists that occur well into the book)

[FearfulSymmetry]

And another one for Transition in the TLS
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article6855138.ece

[Deep Black]

Link dunee wark

[Garry W -London]

Having purchased all Ian's books (none Sci FI) I had forged my relationship with the author early doors.

I tried Consider Phlebas at my own risk. It didn't work for me - sorry I just don't like Sci Fi (does not make me a bad person)....

So my path was made clear - if it say Ian Banks I buy it, If it says Ian M Banks it stays on the shelves.

So imagine how "pleased" I was with the latest offering. Sorry Little Brown but you cheated me, there is no M on the cover!

This book seemed to me mixed between The Tomorrow People, Doctor Who and 1984 - all based on principles I just don't want to be bothered with. I can't suspend my disbelief.

I would normally devour a Bank's novel in a few days, I spent three weeks on this tosh! It really is not for me...

What makes me feel cheated (and I don't think that is too strong a word) was the letter M missing on the packaging) Is that there was no clue to a change of policy.

Now some smart arsed marketing manager may well decide to migrate his audience across, if so I look forwards to the next Ian M book featuring a Tortured Scott Cello player living an urban existence in 1980’s Islington. (see how you like those Apples Sci Fi buffs)

I don’t want to transitioned I like his novels, but not his Sci Fi…so leave me with what I like!!

I was misled, disappointed...and would welcome a refund. I do not want to keep this book with my previous collection.

[Deep Black]

Hi there Garry. So I'm getting the impression that you're not keen on the new novel?

To be fair to the marketing people this is a non"M" book, it's just that Iain chose to include some SF elements - kind of along the same lines as "The Bridge" (did you like that one). His next novel will be an "M" with aliens & space ships etc.

If you were American then you would have avoided this problem as it was brought out under the Iain "M" Banks name over there.

Ohh & (pedantic mode) - I notice you spell Iain's name "Ian" in your above post ;)

[rac]

Transition is reviewed in the latest Private Eye #1247.
Surprise! They didn't like it!

[vermeer]

The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/26/transition-iain-banks-book-review

He doesn't like it and it's very spoilery (like major plot twists that occur well into the book)

Ugh.. that was a terrible "review"! That guy went out of his way to misrepresent the book. If I search for the reviewer on Guardian, I get children's book reviews.... :eek: hmmm. Snub by the Guardian anyone?

[haddonsman]

Transition is reviewed in the latest Private Eye #1247.
Surprise! They didn't like it!

"..a clever and slightly troubling meditation from a man who clearly can't wait to get back to the Dungeons and Dragons console for some really hot action".

What bollocks. We all know TMH prefers Civilisation...

[Deep Black]

My little review here:
http://www.thegoldensprout.com/review/iain-banks/transition

[Conscious Bob]

Heh, eh'ness. What an eh'ness remark.

[Deep Black]

Nothing wrong with a bit of eh?ness

[oneexwidow]

First post, but I thought I'd jump in with my own review:

http://oneexwidow.blogspot.com/2009/12/transition.html

Off to do some nosing around elsewhere on the forum now...

[Conscious Bob]

I got more a feeling of injustice prevailing myself, liked it though.

[Deep Black]

Nice one oneexwidow & welcome aboard

Are you a fan of A Song of Stone then?

[oneexwidow]

Thank you - on both counts!

Am I a fan of A Song of Stone? That's a difficult one... much like the book. It's a long time since I read it and I think I struggled with the third person narrative but appreciated the story and what he was trying to do with it.

The point I was trying to make was that - for me - Transition was a return to a form and to a style which had been missing from Dead Air (if not The Business) onwards. A Song of Stone, while difficult, belongs with Walking on Glass and The Bridge for confident and ambitious writing that plays with the form of the novel.

I'm working my way through re-reading them (have done up to Complicity) so will revisit and re-appraise Song in due course!

[Deep Black]

Fair enough, whilst I did like "Song" (it is infact a friend of mines favorite) I think Whit is the last really good non"M". The Bridge being my fav (I've not read Steep Approach) :)

Agreed Transition was more ambitious again like his earlier works

[jag]

When is transition coming out in paperback?

[Deep Black]

1st July according to http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=transition+iain+banks&sprefix=transition

[jag]

Hells teeth!, it's gonna be a long few months. Still, it'll make a good holiday read.

[oneexwidow]

Fair enough, whilst I did like "Song" (it is infact a friend of mines favorite) I think Whit is the last really good non"M". The Bridge being my fav (I've not read Steep Approach) :)

Agreed Transition was more ambitious again like his earlier works

Steep Approach is like a cross between The Crow Road and The Business... but aside from a couple of purple passages it never hits the heights.

[Deep Black]

What are "purple passages"?

[oneexwidow]

The good bits!

Wikipedia definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose

I was using it in the more general sense, rather than suggesting it was overly flower

[Deep Black]

Well you learn something new everyday. i've never heard that before (or if I have I don't recall)

The Purpele thing sounds like a double edged sword; great writing, but pos irritating?

[oneexwidow]

Yes, I suppose that is the danger... In this case it's more that occassionally you see glimpses of Old Banks in a book which doesn't quite get up to those standards.

The passage that sticks in my mind from Gabardale was, for me, classic Banks - the description of someone engineering suicide by drowning.

It was on the (old) website as a preview but I can't find it now :-(

[RedKing]

The drowning was possibly inspired by Virginia Woolf, who committed suicide in just that way.

[Tangendentalism]

http://www.sfra.org/sfra-review/292.pdf

Pp.17-18

[papamishka]

Suicide Christian terrorists were a bit of a cheap shot and the jab at libertarians was uncalled for and nothing to do with the story.

[Conscious Bob]

Suicide Christian terrorists were a bit of a cheap shot and the jab at libertarians was uncalled for and nothing to do with the story.

Transition is one of these books that didn't do what I expected as a consequence I found it to be rather thought provoking. The alternative Christian terrorism thing underlined the point to me just how close Christianity and Islam are as religions.