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knod78's review against another edition
2.0
My husband wanted me to read iain banks, because it is his favorite author. I’m not sure this was the best book to start me on his writing. I’m not a huge fan of ambiguous endings and most of it was. I’m also not a huge fan of short stories, because there is usually not a beginning, a middle, and an end. And most of these stories followed this pattern of just starting in the middle and then maybe end. I liked gift from the culture and descendent really well. I almost hated the state of the art story at the end, but then really enjoying it. I’m not sure what the hell the last story really was or about, but I read a lot of run on sentences and repeat words. I’m not sure there was a point, maybe something to do with middle eastern food. I wouldn't recommend this book as your first iain banks book.
dragonfly2802's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
simotomaton's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mwplante's review against another edition
2.0
An okay collection of Banks' short fiction. I like his long-form work better.
fishface's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Funnily enough The State of the Art was one of my least favourite from this anthology. I was not a massive fan of Diziert in Use of Weapons either. Best story is the one where the guy is in the sentient suit.
andrew_j_r's review against another edition
3.0
Having decided to work my way through the Iain M. Banks books I have reached the fourth book, which is a collection of shorter stories (although one does fill half the book).
There are a couple of things worth mentioning. The first is that three of the eight stories are Culture tales, and these are easily the most interesting.
Secondly, the longest story (which shares the title of the book) answers a question that had been at the back of my mind since I started reading the books: how does good old planet Earth fit into the Culture series? This answers it, although I suspect that it is only part of the answer as I have no idea what period of time the Culture series covers, are the stories pretty much contemporary with each other or could they be set thousands of years apart? I guess more may be expanded upon on future stories.
Also we have the first reoccurring character in Diziet Sma. I wonder if there will be any more.
So, the good stuff was good. The final tale, thankfully less then ten pages long, was frankly baffling.
So not the best read, but worth it for the questions it answers.
There are a couple of things worth mentioning. The first is that three of the eight stories are Culture tales, and these are easily the most interesting.
Secondly, the longest story (which shares the title of the book) answers a question that had been at the back of my mind since I started reading the books: how does good old planet Earth fit into the Culture series? This answers it, although I suspect that it is only part of the answer as I have no idea what period of time the Culture series covers, are the stories pretty much contemporary with each other or could they be set thousands of years apart? I guess more may be expanded upon on future stories.
Also we have the first reoccurring character in Diziet Sma. I wonder if there will be any more.
So, the good stuff was good. The final tale, thankfully less then ten pages long, was frankly baffling.
So not the best read, but worth it for the questions it answers.
zmull's review against another edition
4.0
Worth read for the title story alone. Sums up the appeal of Scottish Socialist SF when a character sneers at 1970s capitalists that their future is "bright, bright red." Sweet.
taylort1997's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
joebeal's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
trid1977's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of short stories. Some of the stories just suddenly stop, without some sort of conclusion, but I think that's the point. They're more like tales of a day in the life.... Many of the stories had some sort of humorous and un-expected twist. I often had to re-read passages - not because it was poorly writeen, but rather I wanted to be certain I knew what was happening before moving on.