I did a little bit of reading this weekend. So I am struck by the universe of Ian M. Banks finally. I was bored to tears by Canal Dreams so many years ago, but The Algebraist is cooking my braincells.
There is but this simple idea. What does a race who lives millions of years do? They float around in gas giant planets, tired of conquering the universe, or bored with it perhaps, and hunt their young.
Ruling the universe is for people who dress up in scary costumes. What do they do? They establish massive hierarchies. It has occurred to me how massive are our hierarchies. I am stuck on Chris Rock's story. He thinks he loves his wife, but he has to risk everything he has to come to that realization. That's learning the hard way. So what if you don't matter? What if your ambition is a curse? What is the point of learning anything at all? Why not simply hunt your youth? I don't know how Banks is likely to answer those questions, but I am well-prepared for his history of the distant future which encompasses millions of light years and billions of years. The loss of a million lives is oil for the greatest events. In that way you might be useful. The best thing that might happen is that you see it coming.
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