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| The Hydrogen Sonata | |||
| Author | Iain M. Banks | ||
| Publisher | Orbit Books | ||
| Publication Date | 4 October 2012 (UK) 9 October 2012 (USA) | ||
| Page Count | 528 | ||
| ISBN | 978-0356501505 | ||
| [Source] | |||
The Hydrogen Sonata is Iain M. Banks' ninth novel in the Culture series, and, due to his passing, also the last.
Synopsis
The Hydrogen Sonata is about the Gzilt, a civilisation that almost joined the Culture 10,000 years before the novel, that have decided to Sublime, leaving behind “the Real” to take up residence in higher dimensions. The Zihdren-Remnant, what is left of an older species that Sublimed before the Culture was formed, send an envoy to confess a long-kept secret before the Gzilt depart but a Gzilt warship intercepts and destroys their ship several weeks before the Sublimation is due to take place in order to preserve that secret.
The story follows a group of Culture Minds that are trying to find out the secret and what to do after they find it. The search centers around a truly ancient Culture citizen (Ngaroe QiRia) who is supposed to have taken part in the setup of the Culture some 10.000 years ago.
Artefacts etc.
- Antagonistic Undecagonstring, an eleven stringed musical instrument, designed to be played by a humanoid musician with four arms
- Apranipryla, a giant raft, on Perytch IV, capable of storing a body, in a usable state, for decades
- Book of Truth, aka BoT, Gzilt holy book
- Emergency Helmet Collar, a Gzilt safety device, worn like a thick necklace, creates a helmet shaped protective area when needed
- Hydrogen Sonata, a piece of music, clashing and atonal, written for the Antagonistic Undecagonstring by T'ikrin Vilabier, as "a joke", according to QiRia
- Raspulescent, adj, Of a simulated scenario: becoming ripe with political intrigue, Presumed to be coined after the Russian historical figure, Grigori Rasputin.
Civilisations & Factions
- Gzilt
- Issialiayns, of Perytch IV, a water world
- Liseiden
- Ronte
- The Culture
- Werpesh, builders of the Girdle City on Xown, also the sculptors of Eshri
- Zihdren-Remnanter, the portion of the Zihdren that are in contact with the Gzilt
- Zihdren, a sublimed race
Characters
- Berdle, avatar of Mistake Not ...
- Boyuter, Gzilt Marshal
- Briper Drodj, a Gzilt scribe, a disgraced, ruined trader from a fallen aristocratic family with classical military connections, writer of the Book of Truth
- Cagad Agansu, Gzilt
- Chekwri, a Gzilt Marshal
- Chuje, a child
- Eglyle Parinherm, aka Unit Y988, a Gzilt android
- Folrison
- Frix, Gzilt
- Gaed, Gzilt, Tech Commander
- Gazan'tyo, Gzilt General
- Geljemyn, the Gzilt president.
- Jevan
- Mierbuenes, an Iwenick, a Liseiden Ambassador to the Gzilt
- Ngaroe QiRia, aka Isserem, aka Tursensa Ngaroe Hgan QiRia dam Yutton, an ancient Culture citizen, supposed to have taken part in the setup of the Culture
- Ny-Xandabo-Tyun
- Nyomulde
- Oceanic-Dissonance, oZihdren-Remnanter Adjunct Entity
- Orpe, aka Virisse
- Ossebri 17 Haldesib, Ronte, Swarm Prince, Sub Swarm Divisional Head, Fleet Officer in Charge,
- Pyan, Cossont's familiar
- Quvarond
- Reikl, Gzilt General, Marshal elect
- Scoaliera Tefwe, a friend and a lover of Ngaroe QiRia, when he was already a very old man and she had been of conventional middle age – a little under two hundred
- Septame Banstegeyne
- Sklom, avatar of Warm, Considering
- Solbli
- T.C. Vilabier, aka Vilabier The Younger
- Uhtryn, combat arbite, companion to Cagad Agansu
- Vyr Cossont
- Warib, Cossont's mother
- Yegres, Quavarond and Int'yom - Gzilt trimes
- Yenilve, Gzilt
- Yueweag Etalde, commissar colonel
- Yutten Turse an alias? "Claimed to be Peace Faction Culture and to have come all the way from somewhere called Neressi, which, on closer inspection, is somewhere that doesn’t exist"
- Ziborlun, an avatar of Passing By And Thought I'd Drop In
Ships
- 5*Gelish-Oplule, Gzilt regimental cruiser
- 7*Uagren, Gzilt
- Anything Legal Considered, GCU
- Beats Working, Culture, Limited Contact Unit, Scree Class, 5 crew
- Caconym
- Contents May Differ, GSV
- Displacement Activity, Contact Unit (GCU)
- Empiricist, GSV
- Eshri, a Gzilt sculpt planet
- Exultation-Parsimony III
- Fzan-Juym, sub-summit-orbit satellite of Eshri
- Gelemtyan-Asool-Anafawaya
- Headcrash, GOU, Delinquent-class Offensive Unit
- IR-FWS 8*Churkun
- Kakistocrat, Home GSV to Caconym
- Melancholia Enshrines All Triumph, Ronte Flagship
- Mistake Not..., Erratic Eccentric
- Outloaded, Culture
- The Outstanding Contribution To The Historical Process, VFP
- Passing By And Thought I'd Drop In, GSV
- Pressure Drop
- Refreshingly Unconcerned With The Vulgar Exigencies Of Veracity, Very Fast Picket
- Smile Tolerantly, GCU
- The Washing Instructions Chip In Life's Rich Tapestry, GSV
- Uagren, Gzilt Battle Cruiser
- Value Judgement, Very Fast Picket
- Warm, Considering, GCU, Delta class
- Xenocrat, GOU, Delinquent-class Offensive Unit
- You Call This Clean?, LSV
- Zoologist, Superlifter, Boulder class
Locations
- Ablate
- Barlbanim, Gzilt world
- Dibaldipen, Culture Orbital
- Eshri a Gzilt world in the Izenion system, a Werpesh Sculpt planet
- Izenion, Gzilt world, home of Fourteenth Regiment
- Kwaalon
- Land, the landmass in the Pinicoln Sea, on Zyse (a Gzilt world)
- Loliscombana, ??
- M'yon
- Ospin, a Bokri, microrobital, in a red giant system
- Perytch IV, a water world, home of the Issialiayns
- Sapanatcheon, a star
- Taushe, Gzilt world
- Xown, a Gzilt world in the Mureite system.
Bibliography
To be Added
References
To be Added