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outcolder's review
2.0
The first half of the book is a collection of short stories that were excellent but most of the last hundred pages is a novella that I hated, followed by a short piece that was even worse.
My problems with the novella were: (1) too much dialog, not enough story. (2) too much exposition about the Culture for a short piece. I guess he wanted that people who hadn't read other Culture stuff could read it and get it because he has what I considered long speeches from Contact agents explaining to each other stuff about the Culture that they would not only already know but find trite because as Contact agents they would have thought a lot about what the character was saying. So for a reader who has a few Culture novel bricks under the belt, it is not only boring to read so much exposition, it also doesn't seem right in the story. (3) I hate when god-like artificial intelligences study the Earth's cultures and end up obsessing over "Western" literature. Supposedly, these things can read everything ever written in the blink of an eye and then, not just in this book but in other SF, they get all into a stuffy literary canon. It would cost almost nothing for an SF author to name drop Popul Vuh or "Things Fall Apart" alongside the usual Europeans.
So given all that, I would have preferred if he'd taken the things he wanted to say about Earth and made it one of his big old Culture brick books but about another planet. Leave Earth out of it. If it had been some other planet that was on the brink of self destruction but still had hope of getting it together, and fractions within a Contact vessel were arguing about whether to "save" them or leave them alone, I think most readers would get it that it was about Earth and it would have the advantage of not suddenly placing the Culture stories in our present and galactic neighborhood.
Then there's the last bit in here, called "Scratch" which gets an F. This kind of thing has been done to death in the 1960s.
My problems with the novella were: (1) too much dialog, not enough story. (2) too much exposition about the Culture for a short piece. I guess he wanted that people who hadn't read other Culture stuff could read it and get it because he has what I considered long speeches from Contact agents explaining to each other stuff about the Culture that they would not only already know but find trite because as Contact agents they would have thought a lot about what the character was saying. So for a reader who has a few Culture novel bricks under the belt, it is not only boring to read so much exposition, it also doesn't seem right in the story. (3) I hate when god-like artificial intelligences study the Earth's cultures and end up obsessing over "Western" literature. Supposedly, these things can read everything ever written in the blink of an eye and then, not just in this book but in other SF, they get all into a stuffy literary canon. It would cost almost nothing for an SF author to name drop Popul Vuh or "Things Fall Apart" alongside the usual Europeans.
So given all that, I would have preferred if he'd taken the things he wanted to say about Earth and made it one of his big old Culture brick books but about another planet. Leave Earth out of it. If it had been some other planet that was on the brink of self destruction but still had hope of getting it together, and fractions within a Contact vessel were arguing about whether to "save" them or leave them alone, I think most readers would get it that it was about Earth and it would have the advantage of not suddenly placing the Culture stories in our present and galactic neighborhood.
Then there's the last bit in here, called "Scratch" which gets an F. This kind of thing has been done to death in the 1960s.
krispijn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hakimbriki's review against another edition
4.0
Please play State of the Art by Jim James while you read this. Other than sharing (almost) the same title as this book, it has similar themes: technology's true effect on society and the human condition.
Despite a few of duds, I like this collection. Banks gives us a diverse and overall rich anthology - one full of humor, darkness, commentary, and awe-inspiring moments. There is no indication whatsoever that they all happen in the Culture universe, but I choose to believe that they do.
Road of Skulls - ★ ★ - A couple guys taking a break as they journey toward a "city" that may or may not be within reach. I think (?) it reflect on the futility of certain pursuits. I wasn't too enthralled by it, and I found the characters rather annoying.
A Gift from the Culture - ★ ★ ★ ½ - Interesting tale of a Culture citizen in exile facing an improbable dilemma. What I enjoyed most about it is the main character's internal reflections and the backstory surrounding his exile. Why would anyone leave the Culture?
Odd Attachment - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - My favorite. It's short but mighty, and evocative of early Stephen King short stories. It's about a sentient tree who has a hard time understanding human (or humanoid?) anatomy. It's thought-provoking and hysterical at the same time.
Descendant - ★ ★ ½ - I usually love survival stories, but this one lacked the emotional depth that's often characteristic of the subgenre.
Cleaning Up - ★ ★ ★ ★ - A provocative story that asks the question: How would governments wield alien technology if given the chance? Would they be cautious? Would they strategize with other governments? Banks has a pretty bleak answer.
Piece - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ - What starts as a rather basic soliloquy on religion ends with one of the most nauseating and shocking reveals I've ever read. My jaw dropped.
The State of the Art - ★ ★ ★ ★ - Diziet Sma Goes to Earth! I really enjoyed the parts where the Culture agents debated if Earth should be "saved" or not. Banks shares pessimistic perspectives on humanity. (with which I agree) and why advanced and utopian aliens probably would not want anything to do with us. It plodded, now and then, and in some ways, it reminded me of some Camus novels (like The Plague) wherein the Algerian perspective is not taken into account at all. The narrative unfolds through the lens of the Culture, which is fitting as it's central to the story, but I would have enjoyed this more if Earthlings played a bigger role.
Scratch - ★ ★ - I get it... stream of consciousness is a good choice, but the story itself feels empty. The author wants us to experience what it was like to live in the UK in the 80s, and makes very pessimistic (again!) predictions on where we are going as a species.
Make sure not to overlook this book as you journey through the Culture series. I guarantee you'll get a lot out of it... Expect a few laughs and ample food for thought.
Despite a few of duds, I like this collection. Banks gives us a diverse and overall rich anthology - one full of humor, darkness, commentary, and awe-inspiring moments. There is no indication whatsoever that they all happen in the Culture universe, but I choose to believe that they do.
Road of Skulls - ★ ★ - A couple guys taking a break as they journey toward a "city" that may or may not be within reach. I think (?) it reflect on the futility of certain pursuits. I wasn't too enthralled by it, and I found the characters rather annoying.
A Gift from the Culture - ★ ★ ★ ½ - Interesting tale of a Culture citizen in exile facing an improbable dilemma. What I enjoyed most about it is the main character's internal reflections and the backstory surrounding his exile. Why would anyone leave the Culture?
Odd Attachment - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - My favorite. It's short but mighty, and evocative of early Stephen King short stories. It's about a sentient tree who has a hard time understanding human (or humanoid?) anatomy. It's thought-provoking and hysterical at the same time.
Descendant - ★ ★ ½ - I usually love survival stories, but this one lacked the emotional depth that's often characteristic of the subgenre.
Cleaning Up - ★ ★ ★ ★ - A provocative story that asks the question: How would governments wield alien technology if given the chance? Would they be cautious? Would they strategize with other governments? Banks has a pretty bleak answer.
Piece - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ - What starts as a rather basic soliloquy on religion ends with one of the most nauseating and shocking reveals I've ever read. My jaw dropped.
The State of the Art - ★ ★ ★ ★ - Diziet Sma Goes to Earth! I really enjoyed the parts where the Culture agents debated if Earth should be "saved" or not. Banks shares pessimistic perspectives on humanity. (with which I agree) and why advanced and utopian aliens probably would not want anything to do with us. It plodded, now and then, and in some ways, it reminded me of some Camus novels (like The Plague) wherein the Algerian perspective is not taken into account at all. The narrative unfolds through the lens of the Culture, which is fitting as it's central to the story, but I would have enjoyed this more if Earthlings played a bigger role.
Scratch - ★ ★ - I get it... stream of consciousness is a good choice, but the story itself feels empty. The author wants us to experience what it was like to live in the UK in the 80s, and makes very pessimistic (again!) predictions on where we are going as a species.
Make sure not to overlook this book as you journey through the Culture series. I guarantee you'll get a lot out of it... Expect a few laughs and ample food for thought.
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
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.