Synopses & Reviews
There is 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 organization with a malevolent presiding genius, pervasive influence and numberless invisible operatives in possession of extraordinary powers?
Among those operatives are Temudjin Oh, of mysterious Mongolian origins, an un-killable assassin who journeys between the peaks of Nepal, a version of Victorian London and the dark palaces of Venice under snow; Adrian Cubbish, a restlessly greedy City trader; and a nameless, faceless state-sponsored torturer known only as the Philosopher, who moves between time zones with sinister ease. Then there are those who question the Concern: the bandit queen Mrs. Mulverhill, roaming the worlds recruiting rebels to her side; and Patient 8262, under sedation and feigning madness in a forgotten hospital ward, in hiding from a dirty past.
There is a world that needs help; but whether it needs the Concern is a different matter.
Review
"Suffice it to say that surprises are in store, as well as much slightly kinky lovemaking, a deliberate disordering of the senses...and, finally, a classic white-knuckle climax." Washington Post
Synopsis
A torturer, a hedge fund manager, and a reluctant assassin are among the strange characters found in Transition, a work described by the London Times as unexpectedly savage, emotionally powerful, and impossible to forget.
Synopsis
A world that hangs suspended between triumph and catastrophe requires a firm hand and a guiding light. But does it need the Concern — an all-powerful organization with a malevolent presiding genius in possession of extraordinary powers?
About the Author
Iain M. Banks, one of the United Kingdom's bestselling authors of science fiction, has written such highly regarded novels as Excession,/i>, Feersum Endjinn, Use of Weapons, The State of the Art, and Against a Dark Background. As "Iain Banks" he also writes mainstream novels, including The Wasp Factory and A Song of Stone. He lives in Scotland.