Crys posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 10:29am

You're just having fun with these ship names, aren't you?

Interesting that the avatar keeps going back and forth between precise answers (22.6 seconds) to approximations (give or take). Not a problem so much as "why go back and forth?"

There are some implications in that AI chat (the cloning and "soul transfer" specifically) that raises some serious ethical questions that are being bypassed completely. As they're AI's, that makes some sense (plus their later conversation on breeding Harry), but in all other ways the 'puters seem so solicitous of the organics, I have a hard time believing this issue hasn't come up. Either that or the idea of cloning isn't at all objectionable to the Culture inhabitants.

Ah, okay, this is a crossover (should have realized it earlier, and you DO mention it in your A/N on first chapter). You're doing a pretty good job of explaining what we need to know, though. Only lost so much as expected in a new "environment". Otherwise it's a fascinating read thus far.

What Harry makes of Hermione (and she of him) will be fun.

Adrian R Brown posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 9:38am

I love the original mix. I'm not familiar with the Culture books, but they sound very intriging. I also love the names of the ships. Are the ships in the books typically named in such tongue-in-cheek ways? Or was this all you?

Can't wait to read more. Keep it up!

KenF posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 8:54am

This looks like fun, but I may be missing things since I've never read any of the Culture books.

I like the names of the ships (or whatever they are).

Matt T posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 6:55am

While I am unfamiliar with the cross, this is an excellent read so far. To go with the theme of GCU names... perhaps the "I Didn't Do It" or the ever-popular "It Wasn't Me"? Can't wait to read more. Keep up the good work!

kutekess posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 5:59am

is it a crossover, or do i just not understand it?

Ben Russell-Gough posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 5:29am

I think that the Minds determination to spread magic to the Culture will make Harry's life... interesting for the next few months. I do hope that they are polite enough to explain why he suddenly is having all these genetically-optimised lovelies thrust at him.

I also am more and more of the opinion that, human body aside, he is a Little Green Man from Mars in his thought patterns and behaviour. I stronly suspect that he will hit Hogwarts like a pretty large nuclear bomb. It will be interesting, as I have already said, to see how Harry interacts with the canon characters closest to him in the Canon Timeline (he will probably treat them the way you or I would treat an armed and potentially dangerous caveman, but that is just an opinion). I am really looking forward to your explanation of how (in Culture terms) magic works; I had always assumed it was a genetic affinity like sensitivity to the Force in the Star Wars universe.

That aside, I will be looking forward to seeing the response of the Mind of the It's Not My Fault to actual practical magic in action. I also wonder exactly how much will be recognisably left of Quirrel once the Culture realises that he is host to an extremely dangerous non-corporeal psychic parasite.

BenRG's Rating: 8/10

busted posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 4:59am

"Also, the level of detail chronicling Harry’s time at Hogwarts might vary depending on circumstances — perhaps with some rather lengthy gaps and breaks."

When people redo hogwarts years theres nothing worse then when they make you go through every single thing again. Your idea is the one that works better from what ive seen in other stories. Everyone that reads fanfiction has read the books so they will know pretty much what happens when you gloss over some events.

Also its good that you want to diverge from the later yeas substantially because things really would happen alot different and its no fun when everything works out the same anyway.

I look forward to your future updates ;)

Katsuhito posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 4:21am

An interesting story, considering I haven't read any of the Culture books. I look forward to the next chapter.

liquidfyre posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 4:06am

before i start reading this one am i going to have to worry about it going the way of the rest of your stories? in otherwords are we going to stop getting chapters for 2 years soon until a new story is started?

UdderPD posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 3:54am

Different.

I assume that we are going to find out what happened when Dumbledore transmitted Harry's letter.

TTFN UdderPD

T.Zukumori posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 1:23am

Thanks again for another installment - I'm am intrigued as to what kind of changes Harry will undergo in three months of space-travel before he returns to Earth.

I've never read any Banks myself, but I find myself very interested in what happens next.

Please keep up the good work,
-T.Z.

James Kennedy posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 1:10am

Nice chapter. It's been awhile since I've read anything by Banks.

As far as ship suggestions are concerned, I'm going to borrow from Pink Floyd's
Another Brick in the Wall and suggest the following titles: We Don't Need No Education; We Don't Need No Thought Control; No Dark Sarcasm in the Classroom; and Teacher Leave the Kids Alone?

CaffeineAddict posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 12:45am

I must say that this is an intriguing idea, and surprisingly easy to follow considering I haven't read the other half of the cross-over universe, keep it coming.

and it's good to see you back, hope you found what you were looking for.

Jiapa posted a comment on Monday 7th January 2008 12:39am

I'm not familiar with Ian Banks' Culture novels, but I am thoroughly enjoying this story. I look forward to the perspective of a really different Culture on the magical world, and vice versa.

Thank you for writing and sharing!

Wolfric posted a comment on Sunday 6th January 2008 11:35pm

It continues to intrigue me. Thanks for writing. W.

Novice posted a comment on Sunday 6th January 2008 10:53pm

Oh, yes, I forgot to add my thoughts about possible names for the other two GCUs. How about Re-Interpreting the Facts and They Say Size Isn't That Important?

As for Dumbledore, and the other twelve witches and wizards who helped him send Harry's letter, I wonder if they're still recovering when September first rolls around?

Novice

a_wanderer posted a comment on Sunday 6th January 2008 9:47pm

Facinating. I've only read one of the Culture books so have no real basis for comparison. One nit to pick: It's bear a child not bare a child.

NTP

fienx posted a comment on Sunday 6th January 2008 8:41pm

I was worried when I first read the description of the story - "oh no, not another starwars type cross-over" but this is very good! Hope you keep up all the way to the end, although I have not read the Culture (?) series, this makes me at least tempted to go start (yet another) series. Good work!

J User posted a comment on Sunday 6th January 2008 6:47pm

Well, if we aren't going to see any more Backwards Compatible any time soon (dammit), I guess this will make a decent substitute. It has the potential for similar hijinks, although since it's starting in first year, I guess we won't be seeing Luna yet; a pity, since when written decently she's a great deal of fun.

"To an external observer, you’d appear no different than anyone else on the planet." Sure, except for being unusually mature (both physically and psychologically), and in absolute peak physical condition. It's possible that - especially in a peer-group context like Hogwarts - that might make him stand out just a bit...

Of course, that's also discounting the effects of the "accelerated socialisation" program he'll be going through on the way there. That's one way to sidestep the usual conflict between an author's desire to have romantic relationships develop, and the fact that they're writing about eleven- and twelve-year old kids. Mind you, that'll only affect Harry, at least in the short term.

It will be interesting to see whether Hogwarts' ambient magic levels have any effect on Culture technology. I'd guess not; a lot of Culture gear seems to be biotech anyway, and even Very Serious magnetic fields only hold a knife missile in place for a while. (Besides, with Harry's likely time of arrival, he's probably going to need something on hand to kill a troll with.)

Nitpicking notes: you use "bare" and "bares" a couple of times when you mean "bear" and "bears", and there's a quite/quiet typo in there as well. Also, "irregardless" is not an English word - and if it was, it would mean the opposite of what you think it does. (It'd be a double negative.) The word you want is just "regardless", with no prefix.

Novice posted a comment on Sunday 6th January 2008 6:06pm

The conversations between Harry and the Mind, and the Minds "conference", were both quite interesting. Especiallly since both made quite clear that the Minds have been trying to duplicate Harry's abilities - even using cloning - and Harry already knows it.

The Minds decision to try to get Harry to sexually mature at an accelerated rate, in order to see if any of his decendants will have those abilities, helps to show just how different the Culture is from views of the West's "mainstream" here on Earth. Likewise with the scene where Harry wakes Sma up.

From what I understand, being a Referrer (or even a Potential Referer) is a *big* deal - to the Minds at least - in the Culture. They're the ones who work with - instead of *for* or *under* - the Minds one things like long-term strategies, if I recall correctly.

So Harry's probably going to reach Earth on approx. Oct. 15th? I wonder how much problems bureaucrats will cause him when he tries to get into Hogwarts after the school year's already started?

In any event, thank you for the chapter. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next one!

Novice