Islam actually decided to close up for quranic interpretation some time before 1095, thus causing their Golden Age to (eventually) end
Is there any form of continuity to the books, apart from the setting and the occasional reference?
Direct all enquiries to Jamie B Good Hide / Show Replies
Not really. The novella State of the Art and novel Use of Weapons are the only stories that share a central cast (though you may wish to read Use of Weapons before Surface Detail), and the fact that many of the books are centuries apart kind of gets in the way of close continuity. Start with The Player of Games, and if you like that, try dipping into the others.
Having read [1]'s article about Eliezer Yudkowsky I still can't seem to find a reason why I should care what he thinks about the novels. Consequently I believe it would be nice if someone could find a better page quote, maybe something from the books, just a suggestion.
Edited by ohthehumidity Hide / Show Replies
Similarly. I actually think it's even a bit inappropriate to have his quote there and would rather see no quote at all.
Unfortunately trying to remove Yudkowsky references from TV Tropes is like bailing with a sieve... good luck with it.
Well, I'll pull the quote and we'll see what happens.
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
I agree with the OP. My favorite quote about the Culture is that one from Use of Weapons that perfectly encapsulates how their Hat is Beware the Nice Ones.
Hodor
There's a similar quote in Look to Windward, but I can't find it ATM.
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
The idea was more that it's a pithy way of saying that The Culture is pretty utopian than a plug for Yudkowsky, but I can see why it'd get annoying. (I, for one, don't get what's so fabulous about Haruhi Suzumiya.) I'll add the bit from Use of Weapons about the sea.
Edited by grendelkhan
So, uh, why is the title of Inversions spoilered out? I thought we had a policy against spoilering titles.
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Well, because the idea that it involves The Culture is supposed to be kind of a twist- although, since its identified as being in the series on The Other Wiki, I'm not sure of the point in spoilering it.
Hodor
One might also argue, that the suggestion the two main characters of the novel might hail from the Culture hardly influences the story or the novel's potential enjoyment, the "fact" not being very central to the plot at all.
Indeed, one might say the exact opposite, that the novel assumes a certain amount of familiarity with the Culture. In particular, interpreting who the Doctor really is and whats she's doing could rely on a familiarity with Special Circumstances and how they operate.
They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams for an instant, then it's night once more
I'm not sure. I didn't understand that Vossil is probably SC and DeWar is more likely than not Contact till the end of the novel, and I really enjoyed it nonetheless. I agree with ohthehumidity.
Edited by desdendelle The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground
Yime Nsokyi and her real mission in Surface Detail might count as a xanatos gambit. Especially considering that the Bulbitian might have gotten the idea that it might be in danger from GFCF putting Veppers in touch with it about possibly moving the Hells there. Thoughts?
The Crusades caused Islamic fundamentalism? REALLY?
Crusades: 1095-1272 Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism: post-WWII
There's a bit of a gap, wouldn't you say?
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