The first ever collection of Iain Banks' short fiction, this volume includes the acclaimed novella, The State of the Art. This is a striking additi...
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Jun 26, 2011
Gemma
rated it: 
A thoroughly interesting read. "The State of the Art" isn't all sci-fi, and only a couple of the stories included here make mention of the Culture and its related technologies. There is also a rather chilling story to be discovered in "Piece", which I shall not spoil here.
I found that I enjoyed the short stories - of a misunderstood vegetable life-form, a traveller writing, a journey across a war zone, a Culture exile and clumsy interstellar bin-men - more than the More...
I found that I enjoyed the short stories - of a misunderstood vegetable life-form, a traveller writing, a journey across a war zone, a Culture exile and clumsy interstellar bin-men - more than the More...
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Jan 13, 2010
Entropic
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The titular novella in this collection of Banks' short fiction, in which Culture agent Diziet Sma (first seen in Use of Weapons) visits Earth circa 1977, seems to me a very self-aware story. You can sort of understand the appeal of Earth to the character who "goes native", leaving the utopian Culture behind in that The Culture, taken by itself is boring, at least in a narrative sense. The reason most of Banks' stories about The Culture are set on the fringes of it, and are about its in
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Jun 23, 2009
Kevin
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A slim collection of short stories (well under 200 pages), most of which show off the author's macabre wit. The worst of the lot is "Scratch", a late cold-war-era story that depicts the escalation of human misery as the world's superpowers square off for world destruction, a premise which it tackles originally by giving us only mass-media noise, scraps of television commericals, fragments of radio announcements, etc.: the story is at least a fascinating failure. Three stories take plac
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Mar 29, 2009
Manny
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The first two stories are OK, but nothing special.
The third one is quite funny. I can't count the number of times I've seen a hapless spaceman get rent limb from limb by a bug-eyed monster. But what's the monster's motivation? Banks comes up with a lovely answer.
#4 is also a nice perspective flip in a classic SF scenario. The guy in the space-suit needs to walk a long way across the surface of a hostile planet to reach safety. We always see it from the guy's point of view More...
The third one is quite funny. I can't count the number of times I've seen a hapless spaceman get rent limb from limb by a bug-eyed monster. But what's the monster's motivation? Banks comes up with a lovely answer.
#4 is also a nice perspective flip in a classic SF scenario. The guy in the space-suit needs to walk a long way across the surface of a hostile planet to reach safety. We always see it from the guy's point of view More...
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Mar 09, 2009
Bettie
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BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play - The State of the Art
Paul Cornell's dramatisation of the science-fiction novel by Iain M Banks. A spaceship from The Culture arrives on Earth in 1977 and finds a planet obsessed with alien concepts like 'property' and 'money' and on the edge of self destruction. When Agent Dervley Linter decides to go native can Diziet Sma change his mind?
The Ship ...... Sir Antony Sher
Diziet Sma ...... Nina Sosanya
Dervley Linter ...... Paters More...
Jul 27, 2011
Dave
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I'm a sucker for a good short story and this collection was just great. From the spooky Road of Skulls to the masterful State of the Art which gives us some back-story to one of the key characters in the previous Culture Book 'Use of Weapons' (and her helpful Drone of course), to the almost Moorcockian final story (if you could even call it a story). These tales echo in your mind. State of the Art in particular is a delight to read although the letter written by a man to his friend is worthy
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Dec 24, 2011
Simeon
rated it:
Here's a link to an utterly awesome BBC adaptation of Iain M. Banks' Culture novella, The State of the Art. The book also contains other awesome Culture-type short stories.
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Sep 10, 2011
Silvio
rated it:
A short story collection. Mostly but not all science fiction. All cynical, some more on the farcical side and some more on the gruesome side. The only real valuable part for me was the section "Some Notes on the Culture" (dated later than the first edition of this book) where Banks gives his philosophy on how the Culture could have come to exist and what qualifies them as a utopia. It also clears up a few details like what Orbitals are, how the Culture's naming system works, and the in
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Oct 21, 2011
Jon
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Although this book was indeed about Culture, it wasn't quite what i wanted. Sure, it was a good, entertaining read. It just wasn't what I was hoping for, and it was too short, more a novella. I'm still holding out for a epic about the Culture.
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Ah, i see it was actually a novella. I still wish it had been longer.
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Also, for whatever reason, I couldn't get Scalzi's "The Sagan Diary" out of my head. It's not that they're really ver More...
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Ah, i see it was actually a novella. I still wish it had been longer.
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Also, for whatever reason, I couldn't get Scalzi's "The Sagan Diary" out of my head. It's not that they're really ver More...
Jul 23, 2009
Felonious
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I really don't know what to say, the culture books have all been beyond my expectations. The State Of The Art is no exception, it contains 8 stories and then it has some notes on the culture. I enjoyed all of the stories but those that stood out most were "Odd Attachment", "Descendant", "Piece" and "The State of the Art". The story "Scratch" is weird to read but stick with it and you'll get it (at least I did). The writing technique of "Scra
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Oct 12, 2007
Loren
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 20, 2009
Jason
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Two of these eight short stories were REALLY good (don't miss ODD ATTACHMENT and DESCENDANT). Others (A GIFT FROM THE CULTURE, CLEANING UP, and SCRATCH) were generally a little boring without much present in the story to entertain. The remaining (THE STATE OF THE ART, ROAD OF SKULLS, and PIECE) fall somewhere in between; not great, but not too bad either. It's a shame that the title story falls into this category and wasn't one of the best pieces.
If you're a fan of Banks, you'll wa More...
If you're a fan of Banks, you'll wa More...
May 30, 2010
Whitby
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The main story in this collection - The State of the Art - is brilliant. The idea is that a spaceship from an alien society (the Culture, Banks has written a bunch of books about them) arrives at Earth in 1977. They stay hidden, and observe Earth, physiologically altering themselves to mingle with humans. Very well told. Great stuff, and would get a few points in the 'Food for Thought' category of my QMBC scale.
Some of the short n' snappy stories are good too. Especially 'Piece'.
Some of the short n' snappy stories are good too. Especially 'Piece'.
Sep 19, 2011
Jennifer
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This series of short stories and a novella reveals that Banks's strengths are especially in novels where he can sprawl out and build worlds. Short-length fiction brings out his didactic side a bit, and while they're cleverly told, they didn't catch my attention like his novels. Some are thought-pieces, and one feels like the first chapter of a novel he never got around to finishing. The novella is interesting specifically for being a Culture novel set on Earth, as a character from a different
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Mar 17, 2011
Aedan
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A mixed bag of short stories, some strong, some weak, one incomprehensible (you know who you are). The novella "The State of the Art" is, however, excellent, pitting the super-advanced nerds of a Contact ship against Earth in 1977, trying to decide whether to make contact or leave it be (other alternatives also briefly entertained). Of the other stories, "Odd Attachment" and "Descendant" are the ones that stick most in my mind.
Mar 16, 2009
Simon
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One story I quite liked. The rest were mediocre. The novella (of which the book is named after) was generally quite dull and predictable in it's mysanthropic analysis. What should have been an interesting premise (the Culture finally discovers Earth) leaves the reader quite unsatisfied. This (and the short story that follows) are really vehicles for Bank's anti-capitalist sniping.
Jul 31, 2011
Chris
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I'm not sure what it is about Iain M. Banks. In some ways, the substance of his work is fairly standard classic science fiction - a galaxy full of diverse races flitting casually between planets in powerful ships as a background for colorful individuals wheeling and dealing, getting into scrapes and slinking about unsuspecting low-tech back worlds. But he does it so very well...
Nov 24, 2010
Amy
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This will probably never be my favorite of the Culture series, but several of the short stories were really worthwhile. I think some people really liked the Culture story set on Earth, but for me it was a bit of a letdown -- ha ha, Earth will be the control in the experiment, that's why we don't get the good stuff.
Not bad. It was fun. But I'll stick with his long fiction, I think.
Not bad. It was fun. But I'll stick with his long fiction, I think.
Jul 02, 2009
Leslie
rated it:
Collection of short stories and a novella in the general Culture universe, not bad. One of the stories involves basically a Culture trash hauler accidentally showering the Earth with exotic yet ultimately malfunctioning alien artifacts. Another portrays a Contact vessel crew member "going native", as the Ship decides whether or not to intervene in 1970's Earth affairs.
Aug 06, 2011
Yet another disappointing Culture tale. Why does Banks persist in writing stories in which nothing actually happens? The other offerings in this collection are also uninspiring. Two of Banks' previous novels, "Feersum Endjinn" and "The Algebraist", are so good that I keep reading his work looking for more of the same, but I am always left feeling flat.
Mar 22, 2011
Joshua
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Didn't really like this as much as Banks' other Sci-Fi - I thought that a lot of the other short stories included in the edition I've got served as little more than vehicles for different things he wanted to try out, not all of which worked very well.
The novella itself is very solid though, with some interesting ideas and a relatively poignant finalé.
The novella itself is very solid though, with some interesting ideas and a relatively poignant finalé.
May 20, 2009
Doug
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I only read the two Culture stories; they were okay. I'm still on the fence about this whole "socialism on the outside, anarchy on the inside" philosophy behind these stories. At the same time, I can't imagine any other way a post-scarcity utopia would operate.
Anyway, for a guy who is fairly picky about sci-fi, the Culture stories are pretty good.
Anyway, for a guy who is fairly picky about sci-fi, the Culture stories are pretty good.
Feb 08, 2010
Todd
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Not having read any new sci-fi in some time I thought I'd check out Iain Banks who I've heard good things about. "State Of The Art" is a collection of short stories which covers several of the standard themes of the genre - aliens, space travel, etc. While several of the stories featured some very creative ideas (a semi-sentient space suit for example), on the whole the stories just didn't hold my interest.
Aug 28, 2011
Bill
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For the most part I quite enjoyed the various short stories in this collection. They were interesting, different and even humourous. I did find the last couple a bit more of a chore, but still found them very interesting. I found the essay a good overview of what the Culture is all about.. anything and everything. A very good introduction to Iain Banks' unique writing style.
May 07, 2011
Shinichi
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This is some very fantastic sci-fi, as literate and as engaging as Ursula K Le Guin! The titular short story touches on a familiar theme, the alien who goes native on Earth, but is definitely more moving than some other stories of this type with some very well placed moments of humor. It's a good introduction to Iain M Banks.
Dec 30, 2008
Morgan
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Tight, witty science fiction short stories that pack just enough punch to leave you thinking about them without overstaying their welcome. This is Ursula K. Le Guin style sci-fi: using advanced technology to explore dramatic situations, rather then glorying in the technology itself. This is among the best writing I've seen from Banks.
Jul 21, 2010
Fred
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This book contains a few short stories by Iain M Banks. The book is worth getting just for the title story, which is about half of the book. In that story we learn more about Diziet Sma from Use of Weapons. Very entertaining read, as are most of the other short stories.
Aug 17, 2009
Jamie
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the only story I really remember from this book (which is a collection of short stories) is the title story "The State of the Art" and it was absolutely fantastic. I think it is still my favourite Iain M Banks story, though i'm only up to "Excession".
Aug 10, 2011
Matt
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What we've got here is a set of short, sometimes witty but ultimately discardable SF short stories that buffer "The State of The Art," a novella that tells the story of a visit to Earth by The Culture in the late '70s. If you're a fan of Banks' Culture stories, you'll want to read this. Even if you aren't it's an interesting read, though it's more of a series of socio-philisophical arguments (the center of which is "What right does an advanced civilization have to interfere with t
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May 26, 2009
Varoon
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Banks is not very good in this format.
Some of the stories have creative premises, but they often feel forced and overdone (particularly "Scratch").
"Odd Attachment" was pretty clever, though.
Some of the stories have creative premises, but they often feel forced and overdone (particularly "Scratch").
"Odd Attachment" was pretty clever, though.
