Instead, their journeys are mediated by a host of lively, thoughtful characters, the most memorable of which is the Masaq’ Hub’s avatar––the physical manifestation of an ancient Mind that was once responsible for mass murder. Though Ziller and Quilan’s lives are intimately connected, they never actually meet face to face. It contains very little action, and generally alternates between descriptions of intergalactic natural phenomena and contemplative conversations between its main characters. Ziller is a brilliant composer and political dissident who renounces his Chelgrian heritage and defects to become a citizen of the Culture, and Quilan is a heartbroken war veteran bent on revenge after the Chelgrians learn that their civil war was partially the result of Culture intervention. In the wake of a brief but vicious civil war, Chelgrian societal tensions become personified by Ziller and Quilan, two idealists with radically different worldviews. They are considered backward by Culture standards due to their adherence to an anachronistic caste system and bellicose proclivities. Chelgrians are a space-faring species with considerably less advanced technology than the Culture. Look to Windward’s central conflict involves a race of five-legged cat-like aliens with similar-to-human intelligence called Chelgrians. Look to Windward is easily my favorite of the series so far, though fortunately I still have a good number left on the shelf. After this refreshing and haunting experience, however, I can confidently say that is no longer the case.
I have been impressed with every Culture novel I’ve read, but often complete them wondering what Banks could have done to warm my heart the same way he enchants my brain. The Culture universe is an undeniably brilliant creation, containing more than one writer’s fair share of imaginative inventions and astonishing moments.
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