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Matter (Culture #8)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 7,454 ratings · 440 reviews

In a world renowned even within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one - maybe two - people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder. And for their sister, even without knowing the full truth, it means returning to a place she'...more

Hardcover, 448 pages

Published February 10th 2009 by Orbit (first published 2008)

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Mar 24, 2013 Manny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Culture addicts

Shelves: science-fiction, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, celebrity-death-match, parody-homage

[Swirling patterns. Weird, vaguely familiar, futuristic music. Is it the Doctor Who theme tune? Slowly the camera pulls back to show the title

Celebrity Death Match Special: Blackadder versus The Culture

and we realize it's an unusual setting of the Blackadder song.

Dissolve to ROWAN ATKINSON and HUGH LAURIE, who looks rather unhappy]

ATKINSON: Is everything alright, sir?

LAURIE: Oh yes, rather, absolutely spiffing, top hole, couldn't be better. Except for one little thing.

ATKINSON: And that is?

LAUR...more

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Feb 19, 2010 Psychophant rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: far-future, reviewed

This is a book I really wanted to like, and failed. I like Iain M. Banks style, I like his willingness to run risks, to give you the whole punch. And in this book, he barely delivers.

The book are 500 pages of set-up, and forty pages of resolution, and not a very satisfying one.

Too many characters doing not very interesting things in utmost detail, and then the interesting parts are just glossed over. Add wooden (and not very new in his books) characters, when part of his magic is making great in...more

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Jan 30, 2008 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: lovers of intelligent entertainment

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Got it, read it, loved it. To be true Iain M Banks' Culture novels had always already distinguished themselves by being remarkable for having a plot, a good plot, an intelligent good plot, that is not utterly unbelievable or alien (ahem, apart from being set in the far future and in outer space etc). On that score you will not be dissappointed here either. Two, three and more plot-lines seemelessly intertwine, split, multiply and ultimately coalesce once more into a grand finale. Equally the lan...more Got it, read it, loved it. To be true Iain M Banks' Culture novels had always already distinguished themselves by being remarkable for having a plot, a good plot, an intelligent good plot, that is not utterly unbelievable or alien (ahem, apart from being set in the far future and in outer space etc). On that score you will not be dissappointed here either. Two, three and more plot-lines seemelessly intertwine, split, multiply and ultimately coalesce once more into a grand finale. Equally the language and vocabulary will not leave you wanting: it's a well rounded and beautiful English. Those bits and pieces that are not, and are, for lack of a better term, Culture-space-speak, are explained in a glossary in the back of the book for those who are new to Culture novels and/or fail to catch on to ample intrinsic clues scatterd throught the text. Never fear, this is intelligent SF which can easily pass muster as a piece of literature. So if Sci-Fi normally is not your thing because you dread cheap excuses for questionable air-brush cover-art, don't be shy this book would be an excellent starting point for expanding your horizons.
That having been said what can you expect from the story? A human low-tech civilization in the midst of war, treachery and intrigue finds itself embroiled in a past, present and future that far explode its scope. Those familiar with Culture novels may ask what is new at this point. The Culture - current apogee of human development in a highly competitive universe filled with a dazzling array of aliens at various levels of civilization and technological development - has always pursued the goal to interfere in the course of the development of lesser civilizations for what the Culture believes to be 'the good'. A well known fact from other Culture novels. What is new, however, is the ways in which the various charcaters of those intertwining plot-lines mentioned in the forgoing deal with their horizons being exploded (in some cases - to no surprise - literally). And yes, if you wish to play the philosophical perspective card, the relationship between mind and matter is at stake and while being entranced by a ripping good yarn you may suddenly find yourself contemplating the nature of freedom. Although the plot-twists may leave you ambiguous whether it is in our nature to be susceptible to nurture, and to which extent we are bound to the matter we are, the novel leaves you in no doubt as to I.M. Banks' position concerning the relationship of mind and matter. Trust a man of his background to sum things up with an expletive. Which one, and how and why you have to find out yourself. (less)

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Apr 20, 2009 Stefan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I'd go as far as saying that this is the 3rd best novel in the series so far, after "The Player of Games" and "Use of Weapons" in that order. I was blown away by the quality of the story, the interesting and well-developed characters, and the sheer scale of the novel. Four stars, highly recommended. but if you haven't read Culture novels before, I recommend just starting at the beginning. "Consider Phlebas" is still the weakest novel in the series, but it is the first one and sort of a rite of p...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: published-2008, spring-2013, sci-fi

Rosado mp3. Round the lake.

Thinking of Mr Banks and his sad news.

Love the ship named 'Do Not Try This At Home'

#83 TBR Busting 2013

TR Consider Phlebas
TR The Player
3* The State of Art
4* Look to Winward
3' Matter
4* The Algebraist

As Iain No Em Banks

3* The Wasp Factory
1* The Steep Approach to Garbadale aka The Steep Descent to Garbage
2* Stonemouth

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Nov 22, 2011 Oscar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ciencia-ficción, far-future, space-opera, míos, steampunk, fantasía

Tras ocho años desde la publicación de ‘A barlovento’, Banks retornó con ‘Materia’ al particular universo de La Cultura (cuyas novelas son de lectura independiente y conclusiva), una de las space opera más exitosas de todos los tiempos. No cabe duda de que el subgénero que más y mejor ha perdurado dentro de la ciencia ficción es el de la Space Opera, es decir, y muy sucintamente, esa literatura de temática aventurera ambientada en lejanas galaxias.

Desde un principio, Banks deja claro su saber ha...more Tras ocho años desde la publicación de ‘A barlovento’, Banks retornó con ‘Materia’ al particular universo de La Cultura (cuyas novelas son de lectura independiente y conclusiva), una de las space opera más exitosas de todos los tiempos. No cabe duda de que el subgénero que más y mejor ha perdurado dentro de la ciencia ficción es el de la Space Opera, es decir, y muy sucintamente, esa literatura de temática aventurera ambientada en lejanas galaxias.

Desde un principio, Banks deja claro su saber hacer a la hora de crear mundos y razas alienígenas, dejándote maravillado con su potente imaginación. No nos equivoquemos, Banks es uno de los mejores escritores británicos del momento. Pero como escribe ciencia ficción, se le mira como si fuese un escritorzuelo de meras aventurillas espaciales. Sinceramente, habría que leerle para poder hablar con fundamento. Quien le haya leído, no solo en su vertiente de ciencia ficción, sino también en la de mainstream, se dará cuenta de que Banks es muy cuidadoso con el lenguaje, y que cada frase está puesta perfectamente.

‘Materia’ nos presenta Sursamen, un mundo concha, un planeta artificial consistente en varios niveles sostenidos por inmensas torres, cada uno de ellos un mundo en sí mismo. La historia se centra en el nivel de los sarlos, un mundo casi medieval, con algún elemento steampunk, muy similar al que Banks nos presentó en ‘Inversiones’, pero con la diferencia de que los sarlos sí saben de la existencia de La Cultura. Al principio de la historia asistimos a una traición con un testigo involuntario, Ferbin Hausk, que tendrá que viajar a la superficie de Sursamen en busca de ayuda, más concretamente de su hermana Djan Anaplian, agente de la controvertida Circunstancias Especiales de La Cultura. De este modo, tenemos tres hilos narrativos: el de Ferbin y su fiel sirviente Choubris Holse, que recuerdan mucho a Don Quijote y Sancho Panza; el de Oramen, hermano pequeño de Ferbin, que tendrá que lidiar con las responsabilidades de la corte, la traición y la guerra; y el de Djan, que decide viajar a su mundo natal sin saber lo que le espera.

Todos estos argumentos podrían quedar liquidados en una tercera parte de las casi 500 páginas de letra minúscula que tiene la novela, pero no olvidemos que se trata de Banks, todo un estilista del género, al que gusta describir los mundos que crea para dotarles de una cierta verosimilitud. Y es que ‘Materia’ no se trata de una space opera al uso, dinámica y que te arrastra en una vorágine de acción a raudales. ‘Materia’ no es un libro fácil, o no tan fácil como pueda parecer. Banks vuelve a tratar los temas que le interesan, como son la conveniencia o no de una intervención en una cultura menos desarrollada tecnológicamente, y las consecuencia éticas que conlleva, o la pasión por la guerra, como si de un juego se tratase.

Aventuras, sentido de la maravilla, buenos personajes, mundos y razas extraordinarios. Banks no decepciona.(less)

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Sep 15, 2008 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-disguised-as-literature, steampunkery

Matter starts out with some baroque steampunk fantasia with grim political dealings that reminds me of Jack Vance, George R.R. Martin, and Mervyn Peake. Than it switches to a wide screen galactic romp and winds ups as a apocalyptic high-tech thriller with more than couple elements from Alastair Reynold’s Revelation Space. There is three pronged story moving through these stages involving three siblings. The relation between Ferbin and his servant Holse is filled with odd couple comedy like Cerva...more

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Jun 30, 2008 Stuart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Is it really the first Culture novel for seven years? Where does the time go? While 2004's The Algebraist was full of the verve and invention that we nowadays simply expect by right from Banks' science fiction, somehow the absence of the Culture also left it lacking the ideological thrill – the politics of utopia, as it were – that gives a Banks' novel its heart. Hence the cover of my preview copy simply says, 'The Culture is back. Nothing else matters.' A statement I didn't entirely disagree wi...more Is it really the first Culture novel for seven years? Where does the time go? While 2004's The Algebraist was full of the verve and invention that we nowadays simply expect by right from Banks' science fiction, somehow the absence of the Culture also left it lacking the ideological thrill – the politics of utopia, as it were – that gives a Banks' novel its heart. Hence the cover of my preview copy simply says, 'The Culture is back. Nothing else matters.' A statement I didn't entirely disagree with (to the disgust of my wife). But to what, I wondered, does the cryptic title refer? What definition of 'matter'?
Only one thing is certain: this is a Banks' book so it could be any or all of them.

Matter begins on Sursamen, a Shellworld, a gigantic Russian Doll of a world, built eons ago by an inscrutable and extinct race for an unknown purpose. There are thousands scattered across the galaxy (although there used to be many more), most of which are inhabited by a glorious multitude of different races. Levels eight and nine respectively of Sursamen happen to be the home of the Sarl and the Deldeyn, human-like species both undergoing their equivalent of the industrial revolution, and both at war with each other. At the moment of his greatest triumph, Hausk, king of Sarl, is murdered by his closest advisor and we thenceforth follow his surviving offspring: foppish heir to the throne Ferbin, on the run having borne secret witness to his father's ultimate betrayal; bookish Oramen, heir apparent to the now-vacant throne of Sarl; and finally, absent Djan. Given by her father to the Culture some years ago, she has not merely been given citizenship of the Culture, but has become a member of Special Circumstances (or SC), its shadowy secret service.

Meanwhile, Ferbin sets out on a mighty journey to enlist his sister's help in avenging their father, although Djan is already returning to Sursamen for reasons of her own, and both hope to save their naïve younger brother, who is in terrible danger from his father's killers.

The Culture can't intervene directly on Sursamen for various diplomatic reasons, so their possessing an SC agent is perhaps fortuitous – as much as anything is ever fortuitous in the Culture (I'm thinking of the Sleeper Service and its deep deep cover mission in Excession, which is pointedly recalled here). Most of Matter follows characters to whom the Culture and other such advanced civilisations are distant legends, so we're very much down and dirty with the locals - readers hoping to be thrust once more into the Aladdin’s cave of the Culture per se may be disappointed; this isn't another Inversions, but rather somewhere in-between. While there are wonders by the score, interesting characters aplenty and even a few amusing ship names thrown in for old times' sake, Matter feels like something of a marginal Culture novel, serving mainly to give us a better idea of the Culture’s place and standing in the galactic hierarchy.
The story (and especially the ending) feels a bit tenuous. All the various threads work well enough on their own, and the set-pieces, as always, are awe-inspiring, but the story doesn't pull together into a satisfying whole: simply having everyone blunder entertainingly about, incidentally visiting some marvellous places, does not a great novel make, I’m afraid.

In fact, I think there are two novels wrestling each other here – with the one featuring the Culture coming off least well. You have to ask, if the Culture wasn’t here would it make a very great difference to matters, and the answer is ‘only to its fans’ (of which I’m definitely one). There’s also some frankly lazy infodumping – fascinating info, I grant you, about which I hesitate to complain because Banks' infodumps have in the past changed the way I think about science fiction as a genre - but info is being dumped upon you, and no mistake.

So, a slight disappointment then; but a slightly disappointing Culture novel is still a standard that many other writers should aspire to. Matter is a cracking read on its own, just not a great addition to the Culture canon, adding little to our understanding of everyone's favourite post-scarcity wish-fulfillment civilisation.

And what 'matter' do I finally think Mr Banks is referring to? I rather suspect it to be a little joke: that even the stupendous Minds of the Culture still depend upon matter as a stratum for their thought processes, so that, ahem, matter matters.(less)

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Apr 15, 2008 Keith Frampton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Any science fiction fan

Like many others I am a very big fan of the 'Culture' books by Iain M Banks and eagerly anticipated. While I was not disappointed I felt that it could have been better. The overall plot was strong and the final third moved at a very fast pace with many technological implications and consequences well described but not over explained. The moral dilemma at the heart of the 'Culture' - how much to interfere - was explored and added to the depth of the book. Much of the start set in the non-Culture...more

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Apr 04, 2008 David Hughes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Banks fans, science-fiction buffs

Shelves: scifi, fiction

Iain M. Banks is the lion of contemporary British science-fiction, and this book fully displays his craft, his style and his unbridled imagination. Like most of Banks's science fiction, it involves his utopian Culture of benevolent hyper-intelligent machines, but the story itself is that of a low-technology society being manipulated to its own destruction by advanced civilisations whose aims it finds incomprehensible -- but which may themselves be only the pawns of some ancient and malign intell...more

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Sep 06, 2009 William rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another entertaining book in the Culture series that probably falls somewhere in the middle of the Culture novels in terms of quality. The novel is a bit slow to start with, and possibly doesn't fully justify its length of 550+ pages. The latter stages of the novel are entertaining leading up to a fast-moving and effective ending (although the decision to have the epilogue after the appendix in the book is a bit odd, especially when the epilogue answers some crucial questions about the ending)....more

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Mar 11, 2011 Tomw added it · review of another edition

This is part of Iain "M" Banks' (the "M" means he's writing as a SciFi/Fantasy author)"Culture" novels. The nice aspect of this writing is you don't have read the books in sequence. Each one is a view of a galaxy with no money, where material things are willed into matter, where machines control most of the universe. But, of course, human nature is still predictable, and evil is present. This particular novel starts with a plot to take-over a kingdom. His writing, to me, is absolutely electric!...more

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Mar 27, 2009 Mark Cheverton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

It's great to have another Culture novel from Banks after so long, however I didn't really feel this was up to his usual form. The book is quite weighty and certainly took a while to get going before hitting it's stride in the last fifth culminating in a rather abrupt, and what felt like curtailed, ending.

My trudge through the first half was probably effected by me dipping in and out over a few weeks before getting some dedicated time for the second half - never a good way to read a Banks, which...more

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Mar 02, 2009 David rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, don-t-own

I love Bank's ideas - his pantropic/transhumanist far-future socialist utopian society called the Culture; the AI Minds in ships with crazy names; the baroque alien civillizations and ancient artifacts of fearsome power; the big ideas about contact between cultures of vastly different technology levels.

This book seemed to be a lot more setup than necessary - a lot was familiar to anyone who'd read a Culture novel before, so I suppose useful to anyone who hadn't, but certain flights of over-descr...more

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Feb 01, 2009 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Douglas Adams, writer of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, once wrote ‘Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.’

I was reminded of this on receiving the mighty tome that is Iain (M) Banks return for the first time in eight years to the Culture, the universe that made Iain his SF name.

For Matter (the book) is big. Really big. 20 000 + words of bign...more

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Jan 22, 2009 Howard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of the Culture novels

I enjoyed it and consider it worth reading. In general, I love Bank's sci-fi imagination and the Culture universe. He crafts ancient civilizations and mind-boggling artifacts better than anyone else I've read. In that sense, it did not disappoint. That said, the main characters of the book are not as interesting as some others he's created. Most of the book follows a low-tech, feudal society at war, whose royal machinations and power grabbing schemes were not that interesting to me. The major pr...more

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Jan 16, 2009 Michael David Cobb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just completed Iain Banks' latest Culture novel 'Matter'. He is something less of a yarn spinner in this one and I was stalled at page 20 for a while, but by the time I got to page 120, I could tell it was going to be a great story.

Unlike 'Phlebas' which was the second Banks book I read (after the Algebraist), Matter was a bit more predictable. The intrigue from this book comes from knowing in some detail what Culture SC operatives and their technology are capable of. So the drama builds in th...more

I just completed Iain Banks' latest Culture novel 'Matter'. He is something less of a yarn spinner in this one and I was stalled at page 20 for a while, but by the time I got to page 120, I could tell it was going to be a great story.

Unlike 'Phlebas' which was the second Banks book I read (after the Algebraist), Matter was a bit more predictable. The intrigue from this book comes from knowing in some detail what Culture SC operatives and their technology are capable of. So the drama builds in this story by knowing that several species at various levels of sophistication are going to be met with the wrath of god, god being a relative term - achievable by humans in already achieved by one woman exiled from a doomed world.

The other interest in this story comes from the seemingly infinite hierarchies of species which are so incredibly alien to human emotions and storytelling. A fascinating device to be sure. Here you have the story of essentially almost modern humans in something of a Napoleonic age who live in a world dominated by the Oct, a species that most resemble nothing more or less than crabs. Not giant man-eating crab-people, but dinner plate sized creatures who smell funny, think and talk sideways. The Oct were described as possessors of the most untranslatable language in the galaxy. Every year they win the prize and nobody can understand their acceptance speech. The Oct are enmeshed in a constant struggle for power with the Aultridians, an even more smelly race of creatures that resemble doormats. Above the Oct are an insectile race, and above them a race of waterborne creatures which I can best say resemble a cross between porcupine fish and sea urchins.

If you can imagine how difficult it might be to live in America if your candidate doesn't win in November, imagine what it must be like to be ruled by crabs inferior to ants inferior to fish and that the fish basically own a volume of space containing two million stars. This is the predicament of Ferbin, the playboy prince whose father, the King is assassinated. He must plead his case up this motley chain of command while running for his life. Unbeknownst to him, his exiled sister a secret agent for the Culture, the masters of the galaxy, is working her way down back to her home planet and finding it not difficult to care even in her post-ghetto life. Family still matters. But her lust for revenge is tempered by her new sophistication and the rules of engagement, or is it?

Banks shines in his description of the Shellworld, a new invention into his great galaxy. And the appendix adds to the wiki-able knowledge base that attaches to his interstellar inventions. There is great multi-species drama and intrigue in this novel, and yet another reason to read all of Banks.

By the way, the title, like 42 is an answer to one of the great philosophical questions of our age.(less)

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Apr 14, 2013 Jpugh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I never rate anything 5 stars, but this book deserves it. Make sure you have read several of the other Culture novels first to understand the milieu because this novel is *dense*. I am so used to skimming sections of other authors' books because in general they can't write decent description. But Iain Banks is different. I found myself re-reading and reveling in his language on simple passages about the landscape.

"Matter" spends more time on the developing society that is Sarl and less time on...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Nick Wellings rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Where sprawling becomes a bad kind of sprawling, like, sprawling in the street after passing out from a night on the razz, only with less sodium lights and more dragon-type creatures floating around your mind, no wait, floating around your mind in a concentric kind of world within a world complete with medieval peasant types, futuristic warrior types and fey castle kingdoms, and flying dragon type things and WAR (always WAR! Yaargh!!) - but sprawling in that needy grasping way that only that som...more Where sprawling becomes a bad kind of sprawling, like, sprawling in the street after passing out from a night on the razz, only with less sodium lights and more dragon-type creatures floating around your mind, no wait, floating around your mind in a concentric kind of world within a world complete with medieval peasant types, futuristic warrior types and fey castle kingdoms, and flying dragon type things and WAR (always WAR! Yaargh!!) - but sprawling in that needy grasping way that only that some sprawlers supine and almost contrite with their imposition upon you can sprawl, like, suffocating...a hand grabbing your trouser cuff, an old friend you try and shake off because he's not who you knew, the whole affair leaving a bit of a Bad Taste, reluctance to treat with the chap any more, but...damnit he's a mate - can't give up on him because of one little public indiscretion.

So: Matter. SPOILERS!

So: Matter. Requisite Final Fantasy 7 "ultimate boss!" fight at the end, requisite "everyone dies" at the end complete with heroic WW2-esque "I'm going in!" self-sacrifice elements complete with King Lear-ish fratricidal brothers but minus the dramatic dignity of good old Shakes, plus flying dragon things and chase elements from flying dragon type things. I think as well as dragon things, this also had aliens made from gas, insectoid aliens - maybe next Banks we'll get aliens made from aliens, aliens made from toilet paper (if it still exists in the what-the-f**-year-is-it-anyway? century The Culture is set in - the usual intelligent ships, aliens that hate each other, a smidge of espionage and "bad girl made good" too. Fun for all the family, right? No, not quite right.

See, I like old Banks. I know we can't have Consider Phlebas again, but lately Banks' has fallen prey to inflation. Not of ego, or wallet or um... spacetime (all of the above may be true) but of plot and idea. Knowing he needs to write for the fans, he chucks everything and the kitchen sink in. It's gone all Stargate SG1, where they started to have, like SG team 18 and SG Atlantis and pyramids flying round space and by the 5th series it was just nuts, and I hated it, so much so that I can't recall anything much about the later series than the big pyramid things in space, and Amanda Tapping being kind of a babe. They made 214 episodes, says Wikipedia. 214! This book reads like an episode about 198, where its like nothing the first series ever was because its so bloated and full of wanky shit, shineys to make you think "woooo! not seen that before!".

Gone are the simple geodesics, the shortest distance between drama and event. Gone are the slick and screamingly awesome passages that helped Phlebas blow apart British sci-fi in the 80s. Gone is the majestic urgent voice of a writer who deliberately tries to dazzle. Now instead of the slick legerdemain of early Banks we have an older paunchier prose, the patter of it not quite fitting the trick it tries to pull. We have little castle kingdoms, forced dramatic irony of aliens looking down on said castle kingdom world, aliens made from gas and all that, witty spaceships, The Culture looking down on the gas aliens looking down on the world looking down on the peasants and c. (Maybe the gas aliens were big water-beings. I forget. I just recall they needed environment suits or portable ecosystems.)

Here Banks grasps, convolutes, invoulutes himself into chains of story that are coiled not so much double helix, (compact, elegant, efficient, composed of elegant building blocks encoding information, building a neat, stable whole) but laid before us well, in a more spaghetti like melange: if you tug hard enough, a strand leads to a strand, but some just terminate, all loose ended, like. Matter is all detail and no substance, it tries the dazzle, tries to pass of substance by showing of simple abundance (of material.) but the misdirection misfires,the patter runs out of steam, we're left knowing the trick and the trickster too well to be taken in.

IN FOURTEEN WORDS:
Maximalist Banks, good for a few days amusement, but by far not his best. (less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Dave marked it as to-read

Shelves: calibre, fiction

EDITORIAL REVIEW: In a world renowned even within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one - maybe two - people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder. And for their sister, even without knowing the full truth, it means returning to a place she'd thought abandoned forever. Only the sister is not what she once was; Djan Seriy Anaplian has changed almo...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Stephen Schmidt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The crosstalk between the medieval/steam culture and the advanced cultures was interesting and fun. Perhaps the most meaningful part for me was just how small local politics and concerns are when compared to the Big Picture. And yet, it was just those seemingly insignificant (from the Universal View) individuals who contribute the most to the finale. The immense time scale and sense of massiveness for the ShellWorld was very tangible. I have always enjoyed that sense of immersion in overwhelming...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Dan Everitt rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first Ian Banks book I've read and by god was it a struggle. I bought it when it came out in 2008 and I've only just finished it. Albiet, I have re-started it three times and had long periods in between said attempts. However, this doesn't detract from the fact that this book is quite meaty and you should only bite in to it if you think you can finish the whole thing off. I'll start off with negatives.

The arduous descriptions of planets, species and equipment used is...over whelming...more This was the first Ian Banks book I've read and by god was it a struggle. I bought it when it came out in 2008 and I've only just finished it. Albiet, I have re-started it three times and had long periods in between said attempts. However, this doesn't detract from the fact that this book is quite meaty and you should only bite in to it if you think you can finish the whole thing off. I'll start off with negatives.

The arduous descriptions of planets, species and equipment used is...over whelming for the first time reader to say the least. I had a hard-time remembering multiple characters and referred to the glossary in the back of the book more often than I would of liked. This is assuming I could initially pronounce the word as Banks intended. It definitely made me aware I was reading a book when you're not entirely sure if you're pronouncing the word correctly and you keep reading it over to make sure. If foreign and made-up words that don't adhere to English grammatical rules are your kind of thing then i can imagine it is wonderful for the immersion, but on the flip side, having to refer to the glossary more than 3 times a chapter, actually detracts from it as you're constantly being taken out of the universe that has been so painstakingly put together, to find the meaning of a single word.

Secondly, this is a very, very long book to read. Given that I had no prior experience of Bank's work it made it difficult to get involved and felt more like a endurance than a pleasure. Especially since it felt like most of the book consisted of the multiple protagonists each travelling to their respective destinations and the constant stream of new experiences a long the way, all written in a very detailed manner. It felt like no real substance was being contributed to the plot line save a few scenarios. While I liked the idea of the multiple viewpoints , it meant that it felt like progression of the actual story was slow, as for each event that occurred, each characters reaction and action had to be versed. Again, in a lot of detail.

Finally, I am a bit miffed at the way the plot line seemed to just be packed up and done with especially after it seemed to meander for large portions. I enjoyed the last quarter or so, actually more than the book as a whole, but it did seem to be cut short which was disappointing given the immensely long build up. There was very little resolution with many of the characters, bar Holse in the epilogue, but even that seemed tagged on the end. Almost as though someone pointed this out to Banks and he just put it there to appease the Publisher.

The positives? If you like large amounts of detail, then this is for you. The characters I feel were pronounced and each had their own distinguishable traits and of course you have to give credit to Banks for realizing such a enormous and vast universe. There was also a bit of humour to lighten things up although I wouldn't say you'll be laughing from start to finish. When it does crop up it's nice to have some relief from the otherwise serious nature of the plot.

Having read the other reviews saying that this probably isn't the best Banks book to start on, I would have to agree. It really is quite taxing in places and downright boring in others with some interesting ideas thrown in there to help keep you interested, for example the history behind the shellwords and their capabilities was a highlight in particular. Despite this, I probably won't be reading this book again, but its done enough to get me mildly curious about Bank's other publications, I just wouldn't recommend it to the first timer.(less)

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Apr 17, 2012 Tom rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I have been a fan of Iain M. Banks' "Culture" series for a while. A hyper-advanced interstellar society run by a bunch of playful AIs that spend their free time interfering in the fates of less developed races? Yes please! Banks normally brings a big dose of imagination with a literary bent to science fiction. And his Culture series is Space Opera at it's finest.

I wish I could tell you that "Matter" is a book that epitomizes everything Banks does best, but in fact it's the opposite: slow-moving,...more I have been a fan of Iain M. Banks' "Culture" series for a while. A hyper-advanced interstellar society run by a bunch of playful AIs that spend their free time interfering in the fates of less developed races? Yes please! Banks normally brings a big dose of imagination with a literary bent to science fiction. And his Culture series is Space Opera at it's finest.

I wish I could tell you that "Matter" is a book that epitomizes everything Banks does best, but in fact it's the opposite: slow-moving, un-focused and just plain sloppy. It really feels like Banks phoned this one in.

The plot revolves around a 'shell-world', an artificially constructed world that is in onion-like layers, each 'level' inhabited by a different race. Way down on the 8th and 9th levels are the Sarl, a pre-industrial, war-like civilization. The book primarily follows the adventures of two princes and one princess of the Sarl. The girl has grown up in the Culture and become an agent of Special Circumstances. She is returning home after hearing their father has died. Meanwhile one of her brothers is on the run after being the sole witness to his father's assassination by his closest friend. The other brother is now the presumptive heir to the throne and must deal the requisite web of politics and intrigue.

First nitpick - if you're a fan of the Culture, you're going to be bored to tears by the Sarl, and they take up at least half the book. Banks has made every alien race that surrounds them fascinating and mysterious, but instead of hearing more about the aliens we get Sarl Sarl Sarl.

Second, the plotting is just sloppy. There is a major subplot about the growing tension between two leaders, one who is virtuous and one who is villainous. This is setup throughout the book as one of or perhaps even THE major conflict. Then, a few chapters before the end of the book, it is completely jettisoned and we learn the unsatisfying payoff after the fact from different characters.

Third, this book needed to be shorter. A LOT shorter. Who is this guys' editor? I love Banks' universe as much as the next reader, but the fact is that the Morthanveld and Nariscene have very little relevance to the plot and we don't need to spend pages and pages learning about their ships and their home-worlds. Come to think of it, most of this book feels like a digression, although from what the reader is never sure since it's not clear where the book is going. Banks moves his characters around a series of elaborate set-pieces, and endless parade of establishing shots without any close-ups.

The ending is perfunctory and unsatisfying, leaving most of those plot threads completely untouched. We don't ultimately learn anything about any of the ancient galactic mysteries Banks has been building up (Why are the Oct ships making secret, holographic copies of themselves? Who built the ancient city and put the mysterious cubes in it in the first place? Does the Xinthian WorldGod ever actually DO anything?).

It's obvious that Banks is making a larger philosophical point with the abrupt ending, but it's not one that the reader is likely to grant him after several hundred pages of rambling nonsense.

Now, don't get me wrong. Banks on a bad day is still better than most sci-fi authors at their best. Nonetheless, enjoyment of this particular book may rest entirely on how big of a sci-fi geek you are. If breathtaking descriptions of alien species and exotic home-worlds are what get you up in the morning, there may be something for you here. But I shudder to think what the SF newcomer will make of the endless parade of insectile aliens, exotic spaceships and people jetting around on rocket packs.

For those looking for some GOOD Banks, I would recommend either The Player of Games or Look to Windward, among others.(less)

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Apr 05, 2012 Kathy Turner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cleopatra says of Anthony 'His legs bestride the ocean'. Iain M. Banks surely has legs that bestride the universe. His novel, 'Matter' takes us on an adventure through time and space to worlds of glorious inventiveness (the Morthanveld Nestworld with its spiralling tubes is my favourite), and deep horror (the Iln with its ancient destructive power; and philosophy (What a trip here: the question of good and evil, the nature of 'gods', the nature of reality, the morality of intervention in other c...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Keith Stevenson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you haven’t read a Culture Novel, where the hell have you been for the last twenty years? I have to admit I’m a fan. Banks writes galaxy-sized space opera effortlessly, has a wicked sense of humour and a nasty streak. The Culture is the ultimate human society: space-faring, endlessly modified, and wise enough to know not to interfere with other species. Unless it’s a job for the euphemistically named Special Circumstances division who are not above political murder-squads, coups, and the usua...more If you haven’t read a Culture Novel, where the hell have you been for the last twenty years? I have to admit I’m a fan. Banks writes galaxy-sized space opera effortlessly, has a wicked sense of humour and a nasty streak. The Culture is the ultimate human society: space-faring, endlessly modified, and wise enough to know not to interfere with other species. Unless it’s a job for the euphemistically named Special Circumstances division who are not above political murder-squads, coups, and the usual and not so usual panoply of dirty tricks, all in the name of maintaining an ‘on-balance’ benign universe.

Matter, the latest Culture Novel, centres on events on the 8th and 9th levels of the vast shellworld Sursamen – a giant onion of a planet with successive levels of differing biospheres supporting widely variant lifeforms. The Sarl, approximating a seventeenth century level of technology and society are at war with their ‘neighbours’ on the level below. During a decisive battle, the wounded Sarl King Hausk is brutally murdered by tyl Loesp, Hausk’s ‘faithful’ lieutenant, apparently in secret. But the king’s second son, Ferbin who is a bit of a wastrel, witnesses the murder and after reuniting with his servant, Holse, travels through the levels of the shellworld and into space seeking some race or individual who will help him see justice done and the throne restored. Meanwhile Djan Seriy Anaplian, Ferbin’s sister, who was ‘gifted’ to the Culture by a disappointed father years before — and who is now a trainee Special Circumstances operative — hears both Ferbin and Hausk are dead and begins the long journey home to comfort her remaining brother.

One review of Matter I read in a major Australian newspaper bemoaned the fact that the setting for much of the early story (the Kingdom of Sarl) owed more to the fantasy genre and didn’t have enough cool Culture gizmos. But the theme of different technological levels rubbing up against one another — the seemingly elastic rules of non-interference — is a familiar one in Banks’s Culture books (see Inversions and Use of Weapons for classic examples). It’s also a staple of SF. And in Matter, Banks is doing something you don’t see very often: portraying a technologically backward race that has full knowledge that there are far more advanced races in their backyard. Further, we see Ferbin interact with these races, trying to elicit help from them which throws up moral ambiguities about the ‘right thing to do’. The other element the story illustrates poignantly is how ultimately helpless a less advanced society is when they have something the ‘big boys’ want, the meaninglessness of their own tiny stories in the grand scheme of things, and how little they count in actions to ‘protect the greater good’. Banks is also playing with us in Matter, setting up a fairy tale story of evil regents, regicide and ‘enchanted’ princesses, a quest for justice, a coming of age tale, all of which seem to be following the familiar arc until he gleefully derails the whole thing, shifting the focus to underlying powerplays and conflicts most of our protagonists are far from able to understand much less defend against. The dizzying technology is there too – the shellworld itself, the highly advanced Involved races, the idiosyncratic Ship Minds. There’s action and philosophy, laughter and malignancy and, being a political animal at heart, a bitter mirror held up to our own current military and political lunacies. Matter is slick, engaging and beautifully crafted.(less)

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Aug 17, 2011 Sean Francisco Yau-Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Iain M. Banks is that rare triple threat of a sci-fi writer: interesting new ideas, great worlds story and good prose. His previous Culture novels have been the best of genre, and reignited my love of science fiction. Previous books touched in the Culture series such as Use of Weapons and Excession rivaled Graham Greene and John Le Carre more than anything specific in sci-fi. Look to Windward was actually the best post-9/11 fiction in any genre that took on the topic of grief.

So it should be not...more Iain M. Banks is that rare triple threat of a sci-fi writer: interesting new ideas, great worlds story and good prose. His previous Culture novels have been the best of genre, and reignited my love of science fiction. Previous books touched in the Culture series such as Use of Weapons and Excession rivaled Graham Greene and John Le Carre more than anything specific in sci-fi. Look to Windward was actually the best post-9/11 fiction in any genre that took on the topic of grief.

So it should be noted I hold him to high standard, and Matter, while the best of most other authors, wasn't the best in the series. A couple of items sent warning signs. The first was an intro story, with a semi-feudal primitive culture that felt like something from George R.R. Martins's Song of Ice and Fire. This was accompanied by Iain M. Banks own creation- the Culture, and it's fellow Involved, being described in a "patron/client" relationship to lower tech cultures- which felt a lot closer to David Brin's Uplift series.

The two trends combined into the science fiction writer's trap of over-exposition. This is a rarity for Mr. Banks, who has usually managed the balanced of explaining his world and it's rules, while keeping it's action moving and character's fascinating. Here it faltered towards exposition- and similar to Mr. Brin's Uplift Trilogy, the weight of exposition starts to sink the rest of the book. Luckily - Banks is still kung-fu master of speed and grace, and pulls out of this trap- but his character's and pacing are not up to the standards of previous works. The same with his protagonist, who feels like a lot of science fiction action girls. Some of the plot twists you do see coming.

But Bank's game is still better than most- the big novel won't bore you- the pages will be turned. You won't walk away thinking about it as in Excession or particularly Look To Windward- but you will get your money's worth.

For Banks & Culture fas a must read, and for most sci-fi fans it's good. But it's not the best of the Culture novels and I would recommend almost any other of the series first to get introduced- with special recommendations for Excession, Use of Weapons and Look to Windward(less)

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Aug 13, 2011 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Matter is about the journey, not the end. The storyline follows three royal characters as they each react to the death (murder) of their father. The direction of their physical journeys can each be said to reflect the direction of their character development -- Ferbin outward, Djan Seriy inward, and Oramen strengthening. Probably not the answer for those who get disappointed by the ending, but the ending was indeed foreshadowed by Djan Seriy when she comments: ""It's like all war; months of utt...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Matthew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For the first time in a long, long time I went and Bought Books. Diving into an old, charity supporting book store first set up in the 70s, I pretty much cleared out a shelf of theirs or two. Matter was amongst the spoils of this haul, and carried a recommendation from Gibson amongst the praise on the jacket.

A work set in a universe previously described in a quite large, but not continuous series, it did take a 100+ pages to settle into its pace, but once established, the other 80% flew by. I ca...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Margaret Taylor added it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 18, 2011 Mike Hankins rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first experience with Ian Banks' famed "Culture" setting, whose books don't function the way a normal book series does, but rather, as simply a shared setting that many of his books take place in. Order is not important, as I understand it, as the universe he creates is so vast that a huge myriad of diverse stories can be told within it, without a need for the linear development of a series. Indeed, Banks' world-building skill is definitely the draw for this novel.

Within the first thi...more This is my first experience with Ian Banks' famed "Culture" setting, whose books don't function the way a normal book series does, but rather, as simply a shared setting that many of his books take place in. Order is not important, as I understand it, as the universe he creates is so vast that a huge myriad of diverse stories can be told within it, without a need for the linear development of a series. Indeed, Banks' world-building skill is definitely the draw for this novel.

Within the first thirty pages or so, you're introduced to a few dozen races, plunged headlong into a fascinating galactic civilization that spans millions of years, and thrown face-first into some incredible ideas like that of "The Culture." The basic set up is incredibly intriguing: Certain races are so old that are not seen anymore, but their handiwork remains, to be used by those who find it. Other races are the "higher" races, that basically control the bulk of the galaxy. They are aware of the history of everything, and interact on a high level. Then there are other, lower races, who are used as pawns by the higher races, and are only dimly aware (sometimes only the leaders are aware) of the higher races, and then there are races even lower down the pole who have no knowledge of galactic civilization whatsoever. This allows for layers upon layers of political intrigue that draws you in and quickly wraps you up in its web of backstabbing diplomacy. It also allows for an incredible mix of civilization types and technology levels. I especially liked how one of the "middle" races this book focuses on seemed to have a feudal, medieval style structure, making use of medieval armor, but there were also guns, and flying mounts, and they would occasionally interact with the higher technology of the advanced races, who were in turn using technology of ancient races that they themselves barely understood. It's a fascinating world with so many levels of intrigue that you can't help but be pulled in.

The world becomes even more fascinating when seeing the way the higher races interact with each other. Central to these races is a group called "The Culture," which functions sort of as a race, but is actually a conglomeration of many races. It's like a twisted version of Star Trek's Federation. Most of the races take great care to not interfere with the lower races in ways that harm their development, but The Culture has a group within it known as "Special Circumstances" who see it as their job to interfere in other worlds development. By killing certain key groups, breaking up wars before they happen, or allowing certain wars to happen and directing them in a certain way, Special Circumstances guides the development of lower races using clandestine methods and insane levels of high technology. Banks makes a habit of taking sci-fi tropes (especially Star Trek ones) and turning them on their head in interesting ways.

Added to this setting are interesting ideas such as sentient ships, and the great concept of the "Shellworlds," which are planets that were literally constructed by an ancient race for an unknown purpose. The planets are hollow, consisting of many layers, each layer the home to a different species of varying technology levels. I also enjoyed how well Banks thought through the physical interactions between races. Ships often have to choose an atmosphere that is conducive to a majority of races, but make allowances for races that breathe different types of air, or are used to a different level of gravity, etc. Most of these differences are very well thought out, and the idea that completely different forms of life have to create shared spaces where they can all coexist and interact becomes very believable. The only real stretch was translation technology (a Trek-like Universal Translator is used) but it is far from perfect, so Banks plays with the language. I like how consistent his mis-translations were, members of certain races consistently make the same grammar and syntax errors, giving each race a certain flavor, even when they speak the common language.

But as fascinating as the world is, setting always takes a backseat to story and character. Luckily Banks is skilled here as well. His characters are well fleshed out, interesting, differentiated from each other quite well, and don't seem to ever be ciphers that are there to merely fill plot points. The story is intriguing as well, centering around the political struggles of a middle race living on a Shellworld, whose royal family is torn apart by betrayal and war. Matters become more complicated when a former member of the royal family returns -- a young woman who was given to The Culture at a young age as the result of a political bargain, and who has grown up to become a member of Special Circumstances. In the middle of all this is the discovery of mysterious ancient ruins within the Shellworld.

The story is great -- until the end. I was literally reading up until the last page, fascinated, becoming more and more excited as the action ramped up -- and then I turned the page and realized the book was over. I have never experienced so abrupt an ending. I actually thought I might have gotten a misprinted book, but no, it's just that abrupt. Over 400 pages of deep political intrigue and character development have absolutely zero payoff, as none of it is resolved and none of it even matters at all in the end. I suppose Banks might be trying to make some existential point there, which is kindof interesting and all, but now I have all of this complicated, fascinating plot floating around in my head with no payoff whatsoever. I felt completely cheated by the ending. What started off as one of the greatest science fiction novels I have ever read became just another lame one-off that happened to have a great setting.

I'll definitely be checking out some of Banks' other Culture novels, as I am fascinated by the setting, and I'd love to live in this world a little more. I'm also interested to see if the plot resolution issues are unique to this book, or if it's a theme of his.

Either way, this book is worth checking out if you're really into Sci-fi and want to check out a cool setting. Just know going in that the ending is lame, and enjoy it for what it is.(less)

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About Iain M. Banks

Iain M. Banks is a pseudonym of Iain Banks which he uses to publish his Science Fiction.

Banks's father was an officer in the Admiralty and his mother was once a professional ice skater. Iain Banks was educated at the University of Stirling where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology. He moved to London and lived in the south of England until 1988 when he returned to Scotland, li...more Iain M. Banks is a pseudonym of Iain Banks which he uses to publish his Science Fiction.

Banks's father was an officer in the Admiralty and his mother was once a professional ice skater. Iain Banks was educated at the University of Stirling where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology. He moved to London and lived in the south of England until 1988 when he returned to Scotland, living in Edinburgh and then Fife.

Banks met his wife Annie in London, before the release of his first book. They married in Hawaii in 1992. However, he announced in early 2007 that, after 25 years together, they had separated. He currently lives in North Queensferry, a town on the north side of the Firth of Forth near the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge.

As with his friend Ken MacLeod (another Scottish writer of technical and social science fiction) a strong awareness of left-wing history shows in his writings. The argument that an economy of abundance renders anarchy and adhocracy viable (or even inevitable) attracts many as an interesting potential experiment, were it ever to become testable. He was a signatory to the Declaration of Calton Hill, which calls for Scottish independence.

In late 2004, Banks was a prominent member of a group of British politicians and media figures who campaigned to have Prime Minister Tony Blair impeached following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In protest he cut up his passport and posted it to 10 Downing Street. In an interview in Socialist Review he claimed he did this after he "abandoned the idea of crashing my Land Rover through the gates of Fife dockyard, after spotting the guys armed with machine guns." He relates his concerns about the invasion of Iraq in his book Raw Spirit, and the principal protagonist (Alban McGill) in the novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale confronts another character with arguments in a similar vein.

Interviewed on Mark Lawson's BBC Four series, first broadcast in the UK on 14 November 2006, Banks explained why his novels are published under two different names. His parents wished to name him Iain Menzies Banks but his father made a mistake when registering the birth and he was officially registered as Iain Banks. Despite this he continued to use his unofficial middle name and it was as Iain M. Banks that he submitted The Wasp Factory for publication. However, his editor asked if he would mind dropping the 'M' as it appeared "too fussy". The editor was also concerned about possible confusion with Rosie M. Banks, a minor character in some of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves novels who is a romantic novelist. After his first three mainstream novels his publishers agreed to publish his first SF novel, Consider Phlebas. To distinguish between the mainstream and SF novels, Banks suggested the return of the 'M', although at one stage he considered John B. Macallan as his SF pseudonym, the name deriving from his favourite whiskies: Johnnie Walker Black Label and The Macallan single malt.

His latest book is a science fiction (SF) novel in the Culture series, called The Hydrogen Sonata, published in 2012.

Author Iain M. Banks has revealed in April 2013 that he has late stage cancer and is unlikely to live for more than a year.

The Scottish writer posted a message on his official website saying his next novel "The Quarry", due to be published later this year, would be his last.(less)

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