Another simply amazing Culture novel from Banks. This one is somewhat experimental in form—a chronological narrative alternating with a reverse-chronological one—but there are good reasons for this as you will discover toward the end. Banks' characters are amazingly done—complex, sympathetic—and the multi-planetary story-world he creates feels incredibly real. The writing is beautiful—vivid, lyrical, and witty—and one feels *improved* after reading it, as if one has been in the company of the most civilized and entertaining host. And yet these are not light novels; they're quite dark, with thematics that feel important and universal. Three books in, and Banks has already taken his place in the pantheon of my personal favorite novelists.
The third Culture novel from the awesome imagination of Iain M. Banks, a modern master of science fiction.
The man known as Cheradenine Zakalwe was one of Special Circumstances' foremost agents, changing the destiny of planets to suit the Culture through intrigue, dirty tricks or military action.
The woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and pushed him towards his present eminence, but despite all their dealings she did not know him as well as she thought.
The drone known as Skaffen-Amtiskaw knew both of these people. It had once saved the woman's life by massacring her…
I read this book in advance of an upcoming trip to Peru and I must say, it blew me away. I only intended to read the first few chapters but quickly became swept up in the narrative, read it cover to cover, and put it down with a sense of sadness and satisfaction. Sadness because the book was over, and even more so because the story was over—and what a story, of brutality, merciless profiteering colonialism, and the wanton destruction of yet one more great indigenous civilization of the Americas. Satisfaction for having read a great work of narrative history. The research is thorough, but what made this book stand out for me is McQuarrie's skill with narrative; you often hear of nonfiction that "reads like a novel" but this one really does. I learned a great deal that I will never forget. Highly, highly recommended, whether travel to Peru is in the cards for you or not.
The Last Days of the Incas is a popular epic history of the conquest of the powerful Inca Empire, the largest empire ever known in the New World, by 168 Spaniards, led by Francisco Pizarro, a one-eyed conquistador, and his four brothers. It describes the three-year conquest and the 37 year guerrilla war that followed as the Incas relocated from their capital, Cuzco, high in the Andes, to a new capital, Vilcabamba, deep in the Amazon jungle.
Because they brought with them two powerful weapons, horses and muskets, the Spaniards were able to conquer an Inca force that outnumbered them…
This fascinating account provides something I've long craved: a big-picture view of the people that inhabited the cliff-dwellings and made the rock art that is so ubiquitous in the parts of the US southwest desert that I've visited so often and a viable theory about what really happened to them. It's combined with a travelogue of the author's own reflections as he pursues various adventures of outdoor discovery, which I might have lost patience with in another book but in this one found absolutely palatable and even somewhat gripping. It also doesn't hurt that the writing is strikingly poetic and in places flat-out gorgeous. Highly recommended for anyone who's spent time in the US southwest, or is heading there, or is interested in pre-Colombian cultures. Definitely interested in reading the other books by this author as well!
The greatest 'unsolved mystery' of the American Southwest relates to the Anasazi, the native peoples who in the 11th century converged on Chaco Canyon (now New Mexico) and built a flourishing cultural center that attracted pilgrims from far and wide, a vital crossroads of the prehistoric world. The Anasazis' accomplishments - in agriculture, in art, in commerce, in architecture and engineering - were astounding, rivaling those of the Mayans in distant Central America. By the 13th century, however, the Anasazi were gone from Chaco. Vanished. What was it - drought? pestilence? war? forced migration? mass murder or suicide? Craig Childs…
The Gatepost is a speculative novel that will appeal to readers of Susanna Clarke, Emily St. John Mandel, David Mitchell, Richard Powers, and R.F. Kuang. Featuring a hidden cave, psilocybin mushrooms, and a mysterious ancient artifact that may act as a portal to the Mesoamerican underworld, The Gatepost blends modern science and ancient cosmology to take readers on a journey offering glimpses into realities beyond our own.
“This spellbinder from Weed . . . is sure to entertain.” — Publisher’s Weekly
“Combines literary suspense, speculative fiction, and spiritual inquiry . . . a fascinating surprise.” — Vermont News & Media
“If you want a single book that captures everything thrilling about speculative fiction, look no further than Tim Weed’s The Gatepost . . . A fresh, propulsive mystery.” — Libby Life
