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Matter

Orbit

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Average customer rating: 3.5 stars

Too many overly tough, misleading reviews

I'm not going to summerize the plot; there've been many good descriptions. What got me full of trepidation was criticisms about pacing and how at the end everything was rushed to an unsatisfactory conclusion, as if the author was tired of his creation.

Well I just finished it and it's one of Banks' best works, I think. Yeah; it picks up and MOVES near the end and perfectly so, it narrows like the point of the spear: action is all. And why not? We'd gotten all the background, description, philosophy, diplomacy, court intrigue etc., all of which tend to slow down the narrative flow and all of which is vital.

But there came a point when action is all that's required and it's handled quite excitingly and beautifully. I say beautifully because the preceding 500 pages which built up to the ending had the heft to enable me over the next several days after I finished the novel to reflect upon it, its universe, its characters, so full of context. Breathtaking; reminds me of Look To Windward, for my money the other masterpiece in the Culture series.

Good read, fizzles a little

This is the second Culture novel I've read, after Look to Windward. If I had to summarize what characterizes Banks' writing, I would say it is "large scale" -- full of ideas and physical constructs that are bigger, more interesting, and more brain-stretching than you would find in most sci fi novels and pretty much any sci fi movie. Like Charles Stross, Banks has spent some time thinking about what it could mean for species and technologies to make many-orders-of-magnitude leaps that are hard for us to imagine.

Banks' writing is also generally entertaining, his characters are interesting (though not very deep), and his plots are reasonably fast paced. But where this particular book falls down a bit is that there are too many storylines that "stretch" it out in the first half, and then the plot falters and becomes kind of small scale (considering the large scale ideas involved) toward the end. The ending is rather abrupt -- it seems to confirm that the author doesn't care that much about most of the characters.

Note for Kindle readers: You're likely to miss the Epilogue because it comes at the very end of the Kindle file after a long Appendix -- be sure to look for it, it's a bit silly but it wraps up the story slightly more than would otherwise be the case.

Great read

This is the first Iain M. Banks book that I have read and I found it very interesting. The characters and worlds challenge your imagination but not to the point where you're completely lost and have trouble following the plot. I felt like this book should have been the first installment in a trilogy because of the amount of time the author spent setting up the plot and was disappointed by the abrupt end. It seemed like he reached the desired number of pages and said, ok now how to do I end this book quickly. I hope his other books which I plan to read shortly won't have such an abrupt end. Overall a highly enjoyable book and worth the almost 600 pages!

The Heart of the Matter

In this addition to Banks now famous Culture universe there is once again a grand operatic landscape serving as the backdrop to a series of very personal, character stories set in a familiar science fiction universe. The main thrust of the book follows three noble-born children from a primitive people. The princess Anaplian is recruited into the Special Circumstances section of the Culture and taken away from her world and family. Youngest sibling Oramen unexpectedly finds himself in possible line to inherit the throne of his land. Elder sibling Ferbin, with his servant Holse, finds himself on the run after witnessing a dreadful conspiracy against the kingdom. Now years after her adoption into the powerful space-faring Culture, a death in the family draws Anaplian back to her ancient artificial world. There, Anaplian must walk again amongst the primitives and uncover a mystery that could affect the fate of not only her own people, but also numerous alien races bound to the artificial Shellworld of Sursamen.

Matter, at some 586 pages, is one of Banks larger books in the Culture catalogue. This novel definitely indulges in details and includes dozens of characters and locations (though there is thankfully several glossaries for quick reference). Banks maintains the elegant complexity for which he is known and lays out his story in Matter with an engaging interweaving structure. Character development is strong in Matter and despite the fantastic nature of the fiction, the reader can easily relate to nearly all the characters, protagonist and antagonist alike. The events of Matter are grand, including wars and mysteries, personal tribulations and mind-blowing discoveries. The book is dense, but not incomprehensible, mostly thanks to Banks grounded prose and clever contemporary dialog. Banks is comfortably within his element and yet always makes certain the reader feels the same by using vivid descriptions and helpful explanations of both the technology and the worlds he creates.

As the eighth story (seventh book) in the Culture universe, Matter is surprisingly accessible without writing down to the audience. Matter is also near-flawlessly intriguing and each new chapter leaves the reader ever curious for more. In Matter, Banks also affirms, in violent detail, his tough and ruthless devotion to story. The characters of Matter are vulnerable to any fate at any time and Banks fearlessly ensures they are written to serve the story at whatever cost. The reputation Banks earned with his earlier Culture stories is maintained in Matter and he proves yet again that he is ever the risk taker now as he was when Consider Phlebas was published some 22 years ago. Matter is just as gritty as any Culture novel and remains as challenging in its dire imagery and tense danger as any of his non-sci-fi fiction novels.

Where fault is found in Matter it is in the somewhat excessive exploration of socio-political themes. While the book is rarely dull, the story does indulge its characters in ponderous and sometimes pedantic pontification. Ruminations upon politics, religion and existentialism grow organically from character development in Matter, but often the book dwells on such thoughts for far too long at the expense of pace. It is easy to find oneself tiring of such ruminations and wishing for some more cerebral chapters to balance the rather lengthy book. It's also not uncommon for characters to be taken out of the narrative for significant periods of time. Combined with the wide breadth of the plot, this can sometimes make the reader feel as though not enough is happening or that the characters are not taking enough action. However, it is hard to fault Matter as it slowly simmers toward such a delicious crescendo and delivers a powerful close that makes the reader frantic to turn those final pages.

As daring as Consider Phlebas and as scientifically enthralling as Excession, Matter is as much an affirmation of a talent as it is vibrant growth of the author's craft.

Wonderful space opera

This is the first of the Culture novels I've read, and it will by no means the last. Nice complex plot, rich tapestry of characters (including the AI machines), and excellent writing. Who could ask for more?