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dancarey_404's review against another edition
4.0
I found Matter> to be extremely well written, with a good plot, and an "I-wanna-go-there" future. The ending was exceptionally abrupt, with almost no denouement. Yet I didn't feel cheated in that regard. Obviously, Mr. Banks' instincts as a writer are better than mine.
Pity the other books in this series aren't available as e-books.
Pity the other books in this series aren't available as e-books.
josher71's review against another edition
1.0
Started off good and then just bored me. He's got much better than this.
iiska's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
eugthinks's review against another edition
3.0
This was my least favorite Culture book so far. I couldn't really put my finger on it, other than that I found the sections in the Sarl setting on Sursamen very boring. I felt like it might have been in need of some more judicious editing. That said, all the standard Banks space opera ideas and elegant prose are still on full display.
kevinwb's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted this book to "matter," but like other reviewers, I found the payoff to be incomplete, abrupt, unsatisfying and therefore off-putting. To be charitable, perhaps this is Banks' point; what does any of it matter? Certainly as a reader, I prefer a more satisfying ending. I wanted to see the fall-out of the actions our protagonists make at the end, and I don't think that occurs.
The ending did get me to think about it over several days, which is usually a sign of a good book for me.
The ending did get me to think about it over several days, which is usually a sign of a good book for me.
mferber's review against another edition
4.0
Not the finest of Banks's Culture novels (though probably the longest), but quite good anyway. Banks is such a skillful and inventive writer that "Matter" held my interest throughout, even though the characters are for the most part thinly developed and unmemorable, and even though the plot takes too long to develop and far too little to resolve, even then leaving some big questions open. Despite all that, the Culture universe is as usual fun to hang out in, just to see what kinds of things Banks comes up with. "Matter" is also a good example of one of the things Banks does well and often: linking small, human stories in unexpected ways to grand events of cosmic scope. Recommended, but for Culture fans only, definitely not as a starting point.
(The meaning of the title is explained, in a fashion, about halfway through the novel, in a philosophical dialogue that has no obvious relation to the rest of the story. I suspect, as I often do after finishing an Iain Banks novel, that I may have missed a great deal.)
(The meaning of the title is explained, in a fashion, about halfway through the novel, in a philosophical dialogue that has no obvious relation to the rest of the story. I suspect, as I often do after finishing an Iain Banks novel, that I may have missed a great deal.)
knicassio's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vamshiaruru's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, but it wasn't just for me. I didn't like the writing style, I didn't like how there were several pages of just straight up info dump. I didn't like the super slow pacing for a very simple plot. Also doesn't help that the characters were cliched or tropey.
I feel like I would have enjoyed this book for the world building alone if I was in a different mood while reading it. But rn, I feel like this would have been better as a much shorter novel.
I feel like I would have enjoyed this book for the world building alone if I was in a different mood while reading it. But rn, I feel like this would have been better as a much shorter novel.