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bakudreamer's review against another edition
3.0
They really should animate the Culture books ( similar to IRIA )
jenn2d2's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
johnwillson's review against another edition
2.0
I had to give up on this one. Halfway in, I couldn't tell where this book was going, and I found that I didn't care.
Banks' other Culture novels are brilliant. This, a later one, is perhaps too ambitious.
Banks' other Culture novels are brilliant. This, a later one, is perhaps too ambitious.
kavinay's review against another edition
4.0
Banks' specialities: it gets weird, you can't predict the end and yet it all makes sense eventually.
ganglari's review against another edition
3.0
It's a very good book, but it feels unfulfilled somehow. It tries to be scifi-fantasy, but then it will very suddenly abandon or kill the character we thought was principal. So, while it's a good book and a must for Culture-fans, I was somewhat disappointed.
starsplatter's review against another edition
3.0
Fun and readable. It takes a while to get going but the last couple hundred pages really move. A mostly satisfying ending.
sobolevnrm's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as some of the other Culture novels (the “retro” Medieval portion of the story wasn’t as entertaining and seemed to overwhelm the more interesting Culture-specific parts), but still pretty good. Great ending.
tarsel's review against another edition
4.0
Massively imaginative, awesomely scoped, brilliantly authored. But, after the climax there are too many loose ends, leading to questions which Banks would normally have answered in a serious of epilogues.
tom_leslie's review against another edition
4.0
Matter
Iain M. Banks
Has a fairly obtuse start, so oddly think I had a better time after accidentally spoiling some aspects of the setting. Found myself really enjoying the characters in this one, especially Holse, and - as always - was a big fan of the tech and environments throughout.
3.5/5
Iain M. Banks
Has a fairly obtuse start, so oddly think I had a better time after accidentally spoiling some aspects of the setting. Found myself really enjoying the characters in this one, especially Holse, and - as always - was a big fan of the tech and environments throughout.
3.5/5
zrinkas's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this book, imho the best Culture book I’ve read! I loved the whole idea of Shellworlds and their complexities and my favorite part was that each Shellworld is inhabited by a wide variety of species, each at a different level of evolution/technological advancement. Would love to see this one turned into a movie!