Book Bearings
The Hydrogen Sonata
- 517 pages · about 9 hours
- First published 2012
- 10 editions
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1 About this book
The Hydrogen Sonata is a science fiction novel by Scottish author Iain M. Banks, set in his techno-utopian Culture universe. The hardcover edition was released on 4 October 2012 in the United Kingdom, and on 9 October in the United States. The book's release marked 25 years since the publication of Banks' first Culture novel. A paperback edition of the book was released on 5 September 2013 in the United Kingdom, and on 10 September in the United States. The Hydrogen Sonata was Banks' last science fiction novel, as he died of gall bladder cancer in June 2013.
The Hydrogen Sonata of the title is a fictional work of music, a highly complex composition, which is woven into the plot. It is played on a stringed instrument which requires the player to sit in it like a chair. One of the novel's protagonists, Vyr Cossont, has undergone body enhancement to grow the two extra arms needed, ideally, to play it.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Good for readers who want: science fiction, spy fiction, and a long read.
- Science fiction
- Spy stories
- Space Opera
- Space warfare
- Subversive activities
- Culture conflict
2 About Iain Banks
Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
3 More by Iain Banks
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