Iain M Banks Trivia

1. The recital that took place on the barge Solitan was performed on what musical instrument?

From Quiz Looking to Windward with Iain Banks

Answer: Chelgarian Mosaikey

The relevant musical instrument in this case is the Chelgarian Mosaikey, an antique one. No description of this instrument appears in the text. The Antagonistic Undecagonstring is a mainstay of the Ian M Banks novel "The Hydrogen Sonata". Of the others the Baliset is a stringed instrument in the Dune universe and a Ressokan Flute comes from Star Trek.

From Quiz Can you play "The Hydrogen Sonata"?

Answer: Gzilt

The subliming of a civilisation consists of the vast majority of its biological inhabitants entering a state above and beyond the mundane dimensions. Or possibly a place, "parcelled, rolled, compressed and enfolded into the dimensions beyond the dimensions beyond the ones you could see and understand". The Gzilt are a pan human species, who have finally decided to sublime. The Liseiden and the Ronte are two of the species which intend to scavenge the physical things left behind, from technology to planets. The concept of "subliming" is present in many of the author's novels about "The Culture".

From Quiz The Culture

Answer: Idirans

The Culture saw its reason for existence as the interference in and development of less-advanced societies for peaceful means. The Idirans saw their purpose as the conquering of less-advanced races for the glory of God. Each saw the other as a threat and despite its professed pacifism the Culture saw no choice but to go to war. The war cost the lives of over 800 billion people and machines. The Chelgrians appear in 'Look to Windward', the Azad in 'The Player of Games' and the Affront in 'Excession'.

From Quiz Looking to Windward with Iain Banks

Answer: Piety

The concept of storing one's mind state appears frequently in the Culture novels of Iain M Banks. In brief it means that death is not necessarily permanent since the mind can be saved and then loaded into a different body or at least into something. A bit like software. This is ok until the storage becomes lost or destroyed or corrupted. In this case the original storage was at a Chelgarian Military Technology Institute then transferred to the temple ship Piety. This ship is described as being in orbit around a moon along with the wreck of a ship called Winter Storm. Major Quilan, or to give him his full name, "Called-to-Arms-from-Given Major Tiblio Quilan IV Autumn 47th of Itirewein, griefling, Scheracht Order" is searching not only for Huyler, but forlornly for a stored version of his wife Worosei on the ship Winter Storm. Worosei and Quilan joined the Chelgarian army at the same time and served together. Her death and his survival in combat is presumably how Quilan became a griefling. This grief provides Quilan's motivation throughout the plot.

From Quiz Can you play "The Hydrogen Sonata"?

Answer: One not yet invented

The piece was written by T'ikrin Vilabier and is the "26th String-Specific Sonata for an Instrument Yet to be Invented", catalogue number MW 1211. There are mountains elsewhere in this novel which generate sound and "A Feersum Endjinn" is the name of another novel by Iain M Banks.

From Quiz The Culture

Answer: Special Circumstances & Special Circumstance

Many of the protagonists of the Culture novels are Special Circumstances agents. Despite being a pacifist society, membership of Special Circumstances is highly sought after.

From Quiz Looking to Windward with Iain Banks

Answer: Dirigible behemothaur

Dirigible behemothaurs are massive creatures, described as the size of mountains. They contain complete ecosystems of other creatures. Some of them are visiting guests, others are described as "slaved organisms, symbiotes and parasites". This behemothaur appears as host of a visiting scholar from the Culture by the name of Uagen Zlepe. Somewhere within his travel aboard Yoleus he comes to hear of a plot to attack the Culture and tries to send warning. The other options are all species mentioned in one or other of the Culture novels of Ian M Banks.

From Quiz Can you play "The Hydrogen Sonata"?

Answer: Undecagonstring

The instrument in question is an Antagonistic Undecagonstring, also known as an elevenstring. The instrument was developed specifically to play this particular piece of music. To play it properly required four hands, something few people have, even in this setting. Although the instrument is called an 11 string, there are an additional 13 internal resonating strings for a total of 24. Vyr Cossont was described as the fifth best Volupt player of the Gzilt, but no other information on the instrument is given. Of the others, the Baliset is a stringed instrument in the Dune universe and a Ressikan Flute comes from Star Trek, although as a flute is a wind instrument, a multi-string version is unlikely.

From Quiz For CULTURE Vultures

Answer: Emperor

Jernau is bored and therefore accepts the challenge and the possibility of his own death.

From Quiz Looking to Windward with Iain Banks

Answer: Twin Novea Battle

In the Culture-Iridian war, several centuries previously, two stars were destroyed in the Twin Novea Battle. The light of this explosion, some 800 light years away, is due to reach from the Masaq' orbital very soon. Ziller's symphony is to be played so as to reach its climax at the moment this happens. The timeline of the symphony being composed and its premiere also form the timeline of the plot, the climax of the story coinciding with the climax of the concert.

From Quiz Can you play "The Hydrogen Sonata"?

Answer: 14th Socialist-Republican People's Liberation Regiment

Although Vyr has a military rank, she has no real military ability. Her role was purely as a musician. Despite this, she is recalled by her regiment to serve in a role. The regiment didn't have many options, firstly because like most of the Gzilt the majority of its members have stored themselves awaiting the subliming. The second reason is that the regiment urgently requires the recovery of an artefact, one that Vyr previously possessed.

From Quiz Looking to Windward with Iain Banks

Answer: Homodian

Homodans are pyramidal tripeds with three legs, three arms and three ears, about half as tall again as humans. The Culture refers to guests of other civilisations as ambassadors. Not in the sense of representing the ambassador's original civilisation to the Culture, but as representing the Culture back to their original civilisation.

From Quiz Can you play "The Hydrogen Sonata"?

Answer: Lords of Excrement

The band is described as being a "dung-chomp/smutter band". Vyr played electric volupt in it. The jacket is customised in the sense of having four arms, which is necessary for Vyr. The other three options are the names of Culture ships that appear in this book.

From Quiz Can you play "The Hydrogen Sonata"?

Answer: Sand

Sand, reduced and polished into spherical grains. Why Hassipura has created this is not disclosed but as droids (and the ship minds) are individuals as much as any human it is not dissimilar to anyone else having a hobby, such as quiz writing. Hassipura is described as being about the size and shape of a suitcase. The relevance to the plot is that the droid is an old friend of one Ngaroe QiRia whose current whereabouts are unknown. It is hoped that Hassipura knows where his friend has gone.

From Quiz The Culture

Answer: Marain

Marain is a synthetic language designed to be easily spoken but aesthetically pleasing at the same time. Galach is the language spoken in Frank Herbert's 'Dune'.

From Quiz For CULTURE Vultures

Answer: Special Circumstances

The Sleeper Service is another part of the Culture's operations (where people live out their death). Sharrow was a Warrior Spy in the non-culture "Against a Dark Background". The Encroachment is the impending doom (a dust cloud) approaching Serehfa Fastness in non-culture "Feersum Endjinn".

From Quiz Looking to Windward with Iain Banks

Answer: Reporter

The discussion between Quilan and Huyler goes, "What the hell is that?" "No idea. Assume the worst. File under reporter". Thus, it shows that the two representatives of the Chelgarian's military don't have a high regard for journalists.

From Quiz Can you play "The Hydrogen Sonata"?

Answer: Mountains of the Sound

The Mountains of the Sound are on the planet Cethyd. The Querechui Mountains on this planet had been tunnelled through by a previous alien culture. The size of the tunnels combined with the prevailing winds creates a giant wind organ. When the local jet stream is in the right place the sound can deafen people for many miles around and demolish buildings in the vicinity. The other three options are all found in the Terry Pratchett book "The Dark Side of the Moon".

From Quiz The Culture

Answer: Jernau Morat Gurgeh

Gurgeh was the best gamer in the Culture and accepted an assignment from Contact to travel to the Empire of Azad to take part in a game which was used to determine the hierarchy of Azad. Cheradenine Zakalwe appeared in 'Use of Weapons', Uagen Zlepe in 'Look to Windward' and Byr Genar-Hofoen in 'Excession'.

From Quiz Looking to Windward with Iain Banks

Answer: Lasting Damage

In the Cultural - Idiran war, the GSV (General Service Vehicle) Lasting Damage served and was believed destroyed. As such the backup of its mind state was activated, however the Mind had survived so at this point both versions of the Mind existed. In later combat one of these was destroyed but which one was not revealed at the time. The surviving twin ended up as the hub mind of the Masaq' orbital. During the course of this novel the hub does reveal the details of which of them survived.

From Quiz Can you play "The Hydrogen Sonata"?

Answer: Eyes

Although being ensconced at the Mountains of the Sound, where deafness would be an advantage, it is his eyes QiRia has had removed. Ten thousand years of memories is a lot of information and takes a lot of storage. QiRia has carefully encoded his memories around his body. Why he has had his eyes removed and where they are now provides the motive for the final encounters of the story.

From Quiz The Culture

Answer: Perosteck Balveda

Balveda was eventually forced to work with Horza. Fal 'Ngeestra also appeared in 'Consider Phlebas'. Diziet Sma appeared in both 'Use of Weapons' and the short story, 'The State of the Art'. Wrobich Schennil (aka Wrobik Sennkil) appeared in the short story 'A Gift from the Culture'.

From Quiz For CULTURE Vultures

Answer: A Drone

Drones are intelligent machines. Skaffen-Amtskaw had once saved Diziet Sma's life and believes Zakalwe to be burnt out. Vossil's dagger in "Inversions" is an example of a knife missile.

From Quiz Looking to Windward with Iain Banks

Answer: Wormhole

The plot to destroy the Orbital Hub is using Major Quilan to displace the end of a wormhole into the hub. The plan is that certain unidentified but "Involved" parties will then transmit something unspecified through the wormholes. The Culture ad hoc security organisation Special Circumstances know about this plot, although this is not revealed until the end. The plot is permitted to proceed in the hope of identifying those at the other end of the wormholes.

From Quiz Can you play "The Hydrogen Sonata"?

Answer: Septame

Most of the Gzilt political leaders, like the rest of the population, have gone into storage awaiting the subliming. Of those remaining, the highest ranking is President Sefoy Geljemyn, then the remaining trimes. Only then do the septames come in to the ranks, although still more senior than the degans. But nominal power and actual power are different. Septame Banstegeyn, an ardent supporter of the subliming, holds the remaining effective political power within the Gzilt civilisation.

From Quiz The Culture

Answer: Minds

Minds are extremely intelligent and are considered full citizens of the Culture.

From Quiz Looking to Windward with Iain Banks

Answer: The Wasteland

This comes from the short section four of the poem by T S Eliot. It also contains the title of the first novel released featuring "The Culture", "Consider Phlebas". This is apt and probably not a coincidence as that novel covers the back story of the hub mind from this novel during the Culture - Idiran war. The other poems referred to are by Percy Byshe Shelley ("Ozymandias"), Samuel Taylor Coleridge ("Kubla Khan") and Edmund Spencer ("The Faerie Queene").

From Quiz The Culture

Answer: Authoritarian

The Culture does not have a free-market, has no real government and is a society which prizes the happiness of all its citizens - they are free to leave and rejoin the Culture at any time.

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Last Updated Dec 21 2024 5:48 AM

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