Appearance in Novels
- Two books describe attempts to destroy Orbitals:
- Vavatch Orbital (an Orbital being strategically abandoned by the Culture due to the Idiran war) is the setting for a large part of Consider Phlebas. Vavatch's circumference of fourteen million kilometres and width of thirty-five thousand kilometres - significantly larger than most Orbitals built by the Culture - also produce greater simulated gravity. Vavatch also does not provide the Culture's typical omnipresent hub mind assistance.
- Masaq' Orbital is the main setting for Look to Windward. The hub mind of Masaq' was previously the ship Lasting Damage, and is both tormented by its actions during the Idiran-Culture War as well as the main target of another faction seeking revenge on the Culture.
- Jernau Morat Gurgeh sets off from Chiark Orbital in The Player of Games on his quest to play Azad.
- Prebeign-Frultesa Yime Leutze Nsokyi dam Volsh sets off from Dinyol-hei Orbital in Surface Detail on her mission for the Quietudinal Service.
Read more about this topic: Orbital (The Culture)
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“The whole appearance is a toy. For this,
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“But then in novels the most indifferent hero comes out right at last. Some god comes out of a theatrical cloud and leaves the poor devil ten thousand-a-year and a title.”
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