Transition
Sep 2009 · Hachette UK
4.4star
34 reviewsreport
Ebook
416
Pages
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About this ebook
A world that hangs suspended between triumph and catastrophe, between the dismantling of the Wall and the fall of the Twin Towers, frozen in the shadow of suicide terrorism and global financial collapse, such a world requires a firm hand and a guiding light. But does it need the Concern: an all-powerful organisation with a malevolent presiding genius, pervasive influence and numberless invisible operatives in possession of extraordinary powers?
On the Concern's books are Temudjin Oh, an un-killable assassin who journeys between the peaks of Nepal, a version of Victorian London and the dark palaces of Venice; and a nameless, faceless torturer known only as the Philosopher. And then there's the renegade Mrs Mulverhill, who recruits rebels to her side; and Patient 8262, hiding out from a dirty past in a forgotten hospital ward. As these vivid, strange and sensuous worlds circle and collide, the implications of turning traitor to the Concern become horribly apparent, and an unstable universe is set on a dizzying course.
On the Concern's books are Temudjin Oh, an un-killable assassin who journeys between the peaks of Nepal, a version of Victorian London and the dark palaces of Venice; and a nameless, faceless torturer known only as the Philosopher. And then there's the renegade Mrs Mulverhill, who recruits rebels to her side; and Patient 8262, hiding out from a dirty past in a forgotten hospital ward. As these vivid, strange and sensuous worlds circle and collide, the implications of turning traitor to the Concern become horribly apparent, and an unstable universe is set on a dizzying course.
Ratings and reviews
4.4
34 reviews
Glyn Harrison
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January 1, 2014
This really kept me turning pages. I found myself frequently on the edge of grasping the whole but never quite getting it until the very last few pages. Fantastic concepts, with great characters and set pieces, written together brilliantly. I'm a big Iain Banks fan, both the culture novels and his non sci-fi stuff. This ranks up there as one of my favourites of his works.
1 person found this review helpful
A Google user
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June 11, 2012
First one I have read of Iain Banks, and I would read another but by the time I got my head round what was going on and settled into it the book was winding up... Far too much toot really but still a fairly good read.
Andrei Badoiu
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November 5, 2023
Builds up to a very nice story, in the last quarter. Couldn't read it in a fluid manner, be it because of myself or how the book is structured.
About the author
Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984. He gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels. Iain Banks died in June 2013.
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