(Not in that order for the picture above !)
(Oh and that may well be my arm causing the shadow to the left. Oops ! Puts "Better lighting" on Xmas list)
First up is Consider Phlebas by the dearly departed Iain M. Banks. This is the novel that kicked off his series of Culture books, introducing the future setting, the universe of The Culture, the alien races that share the universe and in the case of this book, an equivalent tech race called the Idirans who were waging war on the Culture.
This book will be a classic. Possibly not for everyone but it keeps the tale rattling along through numerous locations in the Culture universe. The point of reference is kept consistently to the same character, the protagonist called Bora Horza Gobuchul. You are kept constantly aware of the war that's rattling along in the background, with apocalyptic forces never too far away.
Interesting characters abound, both in the meat world of the people and the machine world of the drones and the Minds. The Culture isn't run by people, it's run by massively advanced AIs that coalesce into the Minds that run the Culture stellar cities and their ships. The AI Minds stay above the routine, while making sure the routine runs smoothly. They interface with avatars and with drones that are often irascible in personality and deadly in the tricks they have built in. And then the people are mostly human .... but often modified as the whim hits them.
It's an excellent book and I'd thoroughly recommend it.
And then when you're finished, read Excession. One of the issues with the Culture books is that they are so advanced compared to other races, you don't believe they could be taken down. Or could they ..... Excession is the highlight of these books for me.
But I'm starting to talk about a second book there. Consider Phlebas, the story of Bora Horza Gobuchul on a madcap jaunt across the galaxy staying one step ahead of a war, chasing an immensely valuable prize.
Next !
Is Isaac Asimov's The Complete Robot. I have to confess that I have not yet found the chance to read this one. I gather that it's a forensic psychological examination of robots and what happens when their governing laws come into conflict with each other and into conflict with the world around the robot.
I definitely enjoyed the Will Smith I Robot movie, where the central character was a living artifact of where one of those robots had been forced to choose between a child and the man. Good film, should be an even better book.
Last up is Man Plus by Frederik Pohl, which was bought for me for Xmas 3 years ago and I devoured it within the next week.
A compelling tale of a man who finds himself being steadily converted into a cyborg in order to assist with the exploration of Mars. His body is steadily replaced with implants and the book traces his changing mental state as this occurs and he becomes less than human and more than machine.
Definitely a compelling tale.
I've been attempting to acquire more Frederik Pohl books since Man Plus ... need to find the good bargains. I refuse to pay £10 for books ! That's a rip off.
Oh and there may have been a lego on the floor incident earlier. But I think I've found it all.
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