The Algebraist - Iain M. Banks
Update 4 Nov 2021: Iain M. Banks was apparently a "self-avowed socialist" who wrote books about "hippy commies... a deep distrust of both Marketolatry and Greedism." I don't remember that coming across in The Algebraist, but maybe it did. Anyways, it doesn't prevent the author from deeply interleaving misogyny throughout this story...
I've read this book, so you don't have to!
I'll be honest -- this is a really cool space fantasy story. It has spaceships, warp travel, laser blasts, weird aliens, and robots. It is also written with much more technical jargon and plot complications than Star Wars, since it is intended for a sci-fi inclined audience.
It is, however, intended for manly macho male readers. The book is absurdly, infuriatingly masculine. Nearly every important character is male. The most powerful alien species in the book, the Dwellers, are male for almost their entire billion-year-plus lifetimes, and view being female for childbirth as a frustrating burden. The one exciting non-male character gets killed just as the action picks up, and then the main character (whose name I've forgotten) galavants around the galaxy with some wacky Dweller buddies to try and save the galaxy.
The plot of this book, broadly, is as follows. Some bad guy in some part of the galaxy wants to conquer all the systems, because he is so evil (there are gratuitous rape and torture scenes). In a different part of the galaxy, our not-convinced-he's-a-hero hero uses his special connection with the Dwellers to putz around on their planet. The bad guy attacks the hero's solar system and kills his family. Then, the Dwellers use their ancient and powerful technology to stop the bad guy.
Much of the plot revolves around the idea that the Dwellers have access to a secret network of wormholes that nobody else can use. The hero accidentally discovers some info about this network, leading the bad guy to attack his solar system. The hero pings around the galaxy with some Dweller buddies via the network, but ultimately discovers nothing, while the Dwellers solve all of everyone's problems with their godlike powers.
I really expected more from Iain M. Banks, since I had heard he was a maestro of sci-fi. While this book is well written, and the plot was exciting in a pulpy way, it just does not resonate with me at all.
I'll be honest -- this is a really cool space fantasy story. It has spaceships, warp travel, laser blasts, weird aliens, and robots. It is also written with much more technical jargon and plot complications than Star Wars, since it is intended for a sci-fi inclined audience.
It is, however, intended for manly macho male readers. The book is absurdly, infuriatingly masculine. Nearly every important character is male. The most powerful alien species in the book, the Dwellers, are male for almost their entire billion-year-plus lifetimes, and view being female for childbirth as a frustrating burden. The one exciting non-male character gets killed just as the action picks up, and then the main character (whose name I've forgotten) galavants around the galaxy with some wacky Dweller buddies to try and save the galaxy.
The plot of this book, broadly, is as follows. Some bad guy in some part of the galaxy wants to conquer all the systems, because he is so evil (there are gratuitous rape and torture scenes). In a different part of the galaxy, our not-convinced-he's-a-hero hero uses his special connection with the Dwellers to putz around on their planet. The bad guy attacks the hero's solar system and kills his family. Then, the Dwellers use their ancient and powerful technology to stop the bad guy.
Much of the plot revolves around the idea that the Dwellers have access to a secret network of wormholes that nobody else can use. The hero accidentally discovers some info about this network, leading the bad guy to attack his solar system. The hero pings around the galaxy with some Dweller buddies via the network, but ultimately discovers nothing, while the Dwellers solve all of everyone's problems with their godlike powers.
I really expected more from Iain M. Banks, since I had heard he was a maestro of sci-fi. While this book is well written, and the plot was exciting in a pulpy way, it just does not resonate with me at all.
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