Should I be excited or overcome with dread? Banks is on a very short list of peak science fiction writers - the source material is as good as it gets. This is a post-scarcity society that makes...
Should I be excited or overcome with dread?
Banks is on a very short list of peak science fiction writers - the source material is as good as it gets. This is a post-scarcity society that makes Star Trek look quaint and Star Wars look unimaginative. It's ten million dollars per episode do it any kind of justice at all. I'd say it's about as close to a realistic, optimistic vision of a future with super-intelligent AI as anyone has ever written. Summed up simply, it's space hippies with guns and if done well it will sell as much popcorn as a theater can stock. The source material is of unimpeachable quality.
Looking at Charles Yu he does have writing and story credits for most of the first season of Westworld, which was excellent. Not much experience, but at least one solid gold star to his name there. Pity they didn't keep him around for the following seasons. Chloe Zhao has a lot more experience, however she produced nothing even close to that level of quality. The Eternals was a tepid waste of film if I'm being generous.
So, what's the over/under on this show going 180' off from the plot of the book within two episodes? That would be where I stop watching. If they can manage to nail it down, great, I'm here for all ten seasons.
I wouldn't say she has never produced anything of that level of quality. She wrote, produced, edited and directed Nomadland... which won a boatload of accolades, and deservedly so. Admittedly,...
Chloe Zhao has a lot more experience, however she produced nothing even close to that level of quality.
I wouldn't say she has never produced anything of that level of quality. She wrote, produced, edited and directed Nomadland... which won a boatload of accolades, and deservedly so. Admittedly, Eternals was not the best showing immediately afterwards, but I suspect a lot of cooks were in the Marvel kitchen for the making of that one, so how much can actually be blamed on Zhao is probably up for debate.
Agreed, Eternals was shot very cinematically and the big issue for me was that it was an entire season of television stuffed into a movie. With a show of this scope, I'd be optimistic.
Agreed, Eternals was shot very cinematically and the big issue for me was that it was an entire season of television stuffed into a movie. With a show of this scope, I'd be optimistic.
The culture novels seem very, very hard to film, although Consider Phlebas would probably the easiest, considering that it's the book set in a time where the culture is at their least culturey...
The culture novels seem very, very hard to film, although Consider Phlebas would probably the easiest, considering that it's the book set in a time where the culture is at their least culturey versus the other books, and when they had to worry about pesky silly little things like all out galactic total war.
It would be hard to convey the culture true to the novels while also selling tickets. The only times I can think that a society with a similar outlook on violence, economics, and compassion has portrayed has been Star Trek, and the only successful Star Trek movies that general audiences have actually enjoyed were the ones where the writers just go "screw all that boring shit. Put more explosions, violence, and seeeeeex in!".
I'm hoping that that's not what's done here and the culture books actually gets the widespread renown and interest it deserves and this movie (if it ever releases) stays true to the important parts of its source material.
The time may be right, culturally (huehue), with more people being familiar with AI and conversations about consciousness and life being regular water-cooler discussions as we start seriously thinking that what we think of as life, or intelligence may not only be the sole domain of natural biological processes.
I'm surprised they're doing this one, because it's very different from the series' status quo. It's a tragic, depressing read that depends on gore and stupid decisions by uncharacterised...
I'm surprised they're doing this one, because it's very different from the series' status quo. It's a tragic, depressing read that depends on gore and stupid decisions by uncharacterised characters, and the Culture itself is only in the background.
Interesting, I'll admit I recently tried reading 'Consider Phlebas' but bounced off it about halfway through (just after the Damage game chapter) as I found the narrative to be too scattershot to...
Interesting, I'll admit I recently tried reading 'Consider Phlebas' but bounced off it about halfway through (just after the Damage game chapter) as I found the narrative to be too scattershot to lock in with, that's despite a few cool scenes and ideas here and there. Would you say the rest of the series improves? Is there a strict continuity, as in, could I hop back in with a later novel?
I'm another who would agree it's different to the rest of the books. I have read it but never really got into the story, I'd consider it something to read after getting interested in the series...
I'm another who would agree it's different to the rest of the books. I have read it but never really got into the story, I'd consider it something to read after getting interested in the series rather than the book to start with.
I would suggest reading the next one (Player of Games) and see if that catches your interest more. You won't lose context from skipping Consider Phlebas - not only are the books in this series largely standalone but Consider Phlebas is set considerably before the other books so things have changed anyway.
Gods yes. I read Consider Phlebas quite a while ago and didn't bother with the rest of the series. It wasn't a bad novel, I just didn't enjoy it enough to want more. I only revisited the Culture...
Would you say the rest of the series improves?
Gods yes. I read Consider Phlebas quite a while ago and didn't bother with the rest of the series. It wasn't a bad novel, I just didn't enjoy it enough to want more.
I only revisited the Culture series because people kept talking about it consistently for years. I'm so glad I did. Each novel is entirely standalone and you never know what to expect.
I'm not sure I'd take one novel from the series and say this by itself is a revelation, but they're all good, and a lot more interesting and fun than Consider Phlebas.
The series is inventive and widely varied in such a way that you only start to understand what the author has accomplished once you're a half dozen or so books in.
I'd put the Culture novels in my top ten list of the best speculative fiction of all time without hesitation. I don't know if anyone has done post scarcity, mildly cynical, utopian fiction better. Though I'll take any suggestions for contenders.
I only read the next book, Player of Games, and I'd say give it a shot because it's only very loosely connected to Consider Phlebas and stands on it's own.
I only read the next book, Player of Games, and I'd say give it a shot because it's only very loosely connected to Consider Phlebas and stands on it's own.
I'm kind of surprised as well. I really liked it in a weird perverse way though and I think it will fit with what amazon has done with other shows. Edit: to elaborate... amazon has done a handful...
I'm kind of surprised as well. I really liked it in a weird perverse way though and I think it will fit with what amazon has done with other shows.
Edit: to elaborate... amazon has done a handful of limited series', don't seem hellbent on MILKING THE EVERYLOVING SHIT OUT OF ANYTHING SUCCESSFUL, and they didn't shy away from gore/violence/dark humor (looking at Fallout).
The Culture series is still on my (too long) to read list. Currently reading my way through the Stormlight Archive so it'll be a while before I'll have time for The Culture series. To be honest I...
The Culture series is still on my (too long) to read list.
Currently reading my way through the Stormlight Archive so it'll be a while before I'll have time for The Culture series.
To be honest I don't know how I feel about watching sci fi series/movies after reading the book.
For example, I loved the Three Body Problem books but the series was meh for me.
I build this entire world and characters in my head and the show/movie never lives up to the hype.
Same for The Expanse although the books in itself really reads like a script.
I don't know that I'd consider Consider Phlebas a particularly optimistic story in isolation, unlike many of the other Culture novels. Although it's been a long while since I've read it so I may...
I don't know that I'd consider Consider Phlebas a particularly optimistic story in isolation, unlike many of the other Culture novels. Although it's been a long while since I've read it so I may be off base on the vibe.
Should I be excited or overcome with dread?
Banks is on a very short list of peak science fiction writers - the source material is as good as it gets. This is a post-scarcity society that makes Star Trek look quaint and Star Wars look unimaginative. It's ten million dollars per episode do it any kind of justice at all. I'd say it's about as close to a realistic, optimistic vision of a future with super-intelligent AI as anyone has ever written. Summed up simply, it's space hippies with guns and if done well it will sell as much popcorn as a theater can stock. The source material is of unimpeachable quality.
Looking at Charles Yu he does have writing and story credits for most of the first season of Westworld, which was excellent. Not much experience, but at least one solid gold star to his name there. Pity they didn't keep him around for the following seasons. Chloe Zhao has a lot more experience, however she produced nothing even close to that level of quality. The Eternals was a tepid waste of film if I'm being generous.
So, what's the over/under on this show going 180' off from the plot of the book within two episodes? That would be where I stop watching. If they can manage to nail it down, great, I'm here for all ten seasons.
I wouldn't say she has never produced anything of that level of quality. She wrote, produced, edited and directed Nomadland... which won a boatload of accolades, and deservedly so. Admittedly, Eternals was not the best showing immediately afterwards, but I suspect a lot of cooks were in the Marvel kitchen for the making of that one, so how much can actually be blamed on Zhao is probably up for debate.
Agreed, Eternals was shot very cinematically and the big issue for me was that it was an entire season of television stuffed into a movie. With a show of this scope, I'd be optimistic.
I hope you're right. A fun optimistic scifi romp would be a massive hit when most of their competition is some flavor of boring or dystopian.
The culture novels seem very, very hard to film, although Consider Phlebas would probably the easiest, considering that it's the book set in a time where the culture is at their least culturey versus the other books, and when they had to worry about pesky silly little things like all out galactic total war.
It would be hard to convey the culture true to the novels while also selling tickets. The only times I can think that a society with a similar outlook on violence, economics, and compassion has portrayed has been Star Trek, and the only successful Star Trek movies that general audiences have actually enjoyed were the ones where the writers just go "screw all that boring shit. Put more explosions, violence, and seeeeeex in!".
I'm hoping that that's not what's done here and the culture books actually gets the widespread renown and interest it deserves and this movie (if it ever releases) stays true to the important parts of its source material.
The time may be right, culturally (huehue), with more people being familiar with AI and conversations about consciousness and life being regular water-cooler discussions as we start seriously thinking that what we think of as life, or intelligence may not only be the sole domain of natural biological processes.
I'm surprised they're doing this one, because it's very different from the series' status quo. It's a tragic, depressing read that depends on gore and stupid decisions by uncharacterised characters, and the Culture itself is only in the background.
Interesting, I'll admit I recently tried reading 'Consider Phlebas' but bounced off it about halfway through (just after the Damage game chapter) as I found the narrative to be too scattershot to lock in with, that's despite a few cool scenes and ideas here and there. Would you say the rest of the series improves? Is there a strict continuity, as in, could I hop back in with a later novel?
I'm another who would agree it's different to the rest of the books. I have read it but never really got into the story, I'd consider it something to read after getting interested in the series rather than the book to start with.
I would suggest reading the next one (Player of Games) and see if that catches your interest more. You won't lose context from skipping Consider Phlebas - not only are the books in this series largely standalone but Consider Phlebas is set considerably before the other books so things have changed anyway.
Gods yes. I read Consider Phlebas quite a while ago and didn't bother with the rest of the series. It wasn't a bad novel, I just didn't enjoy it enough to want more.
I only revisited the Culture series because people kept talking about it consistently for years. I'm so glad I did. Each novel is entirely standalone and you never know what to expect.
I'm not sure I'd take one novel from the series and say this by itself is a revelation, but they're all good, and a lot more interesting and fun than Consider Phlebas.
The series is inventive and widely varied in such a way that you only start to understand what the author has accomplished once you're a half dozen or so books in.
I'd put the Culture novels in my top ten list of the best speculative fiction of all time without hesitation. I don't know if anyone has done post scarcity, mildly cynical, utopian fiction better. Though I'll take any suggestions for contenders.
I only read the next book, Player of Games, and I'd say give it a shot because it's only very loosely connected to Consider Phlebas and stands on it's own.
I'm kind of surprised as well. I really liked it in a weird perverse way though and I think it will fit with what amazon has done with other shows.
Edit: to elaborate... amazon has done a handful of limited series', don't seem hellbent on MILKING THE EVERYLOVING SHIT OUT OF ANYTHING SUCCESSFUL, and they didn't shy away from gore/violence/dark humor (looking at Fallout).
The Culture series is still on my (too long) to read list.
Currently reading my way through the Stormlight Archive so it'll be a while before I'll have time for The Culture series.
To be honest I don't know how I feel about watching sci fi series/movies after reading the book.
For example, I loved the Three Body Problem books but the series was meh for me.
I build this entire world and characters in my head and the show/movie never lives up to the hype.
Same for The Expanse although the books in itself really reads like a script.
They better not fuck this up.
They are absolutely going to fuck this up.
I'd love to see this done well. We're overdue for some optimistic sci-fi for a change. I'm sick of crapsack dystopias!
I don't know that I'd consider Consider Phlebas a particularly optimistic story in isolation, unlike many of the other Culture novels. Although it's been a long while since I've read it so I may be off base on the vibe.
Oh, I agree with you, compared to other Culture novels. But the setting itself isn't a dismal universe.