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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.
tc4mpbell's review against another edition
4.0
Liked it. Like the last Banks Culture novel I read, was blown away by the awesome universe-building, the cool species and galaxy-spanning ideas. Love that. This one was great too, staying focused of the character's humanity as they travel from their tiny backwards world into the vast universe Banks has created.
I thought the ending was too abrupt to be great, though. I wanted a big, BIG problem to be solved, and while the danger that threatens the world was big, the final pages of the story seemed kind of rushed, and it seemed like Oramen and Loesp just got kicked abruptly out of the way when they had nothing left to offer the story. And I liked Oramen. :(
And it was kind of weird that the last chapter (which I was very glad he added) came after all the appendices and glossaries. I wonder how many people just missed it? Thanks for adding it, though, Iain, when I first turned the page and saw the glossary, I was thumbing through feeling very melancholy at the abrupt ending, until I found there was another chapter.
I thought the ending was too abrupt to be great, though. I wanted a big, BIG problem to be solved, and while the danger that threatens the world was big, the final pages of the story seemed kind of rushed, and it seemed like Oramen and Loesp just got kicked abruptly out of the way when they had nothing left to offer the story. And I liked Oramen. :(
And it was kind of weird that the last chapter (which I was very glad he added) came after all the appendices and glossaries. I wonder how many people just missed it? Thanks for adding it, though, Iain, when I first turned the page and saw the glossary, I was thumbing through feeling very melancholy at the abrupt ending, until I found there was another chapter.
lowercasenospaces's review against another edition
3.0
The universe Banks has created is wonderful and unique, and vast enough that it's easy to get lost within it, and that's what I found myself doing constantly. It took me more than 6 years to finish it, reading it on and off, 20-50 pages in a sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed the fleeting moments of action, though every dangerous encounter was glossed over in less than half a page, where a social exchange may get up to 15 pages of detail on the specific colours and smells present surrounding the conversation, a fraction of this given to the exchange itself.
The ships and the technology, and the utterly unique species described are gorgeous, but so utterly unnecessary to the narrative.
I'd give it three and a half stars if it were possible, but it's averaging 4 stars so I've rounded down.
The ships and the technology, and the utterly unique species described are gorgeous, but so utterly unnecessary to the narrative.
I'd give it three and a half stars if it were possible, but it's averaging 4 stars so I've rounded down.
spikespiegel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
Good, tense, potent story filled with intrigue and madness. The shellworld is just an inherently amazing setting.
domesticat's review against another edition
4.0
The thing I love about Culture novels? You know Banks is going to screw with you. You know he's going to do it, and you read his work anyway -- and he STILL finds a way to pull one over you, even though you know it's coming.
nwhyte's review against another edition
http://nhw.livejournal.com/1004253.html[return][return]The latest Culture novel by Banks; speaking in Brussels a couple of weeks ago, he said that he felt he is mellowing as he gets older, and the book is strikingly domestic - I can't think of another Culture book which has such a focus on family. Here we follow the tale of three royal siblings - the sister who ran away from a primitive society to join the Culture, the older brother who is on the run believed dead in battle, and the younger brother who has accidentally become king - as the main set of plot strands. The background for much of the story is the Shell world on which the family originate, a massive nested structure of concentric spheres, more reminiscent of Ringworld than Rama but borrowing from both. I found it not a stretching but a satisfying read; the ending was abrupt, but fitted reasonably well with the accelerating pace throughout the book. If I'm nominating for next year's Hugos this will probably get a vote from me.
ianbanks's review against another edition
4.0
It doesn't take long for the reader to realise that this is very familiar but your outrage or amusement will depend on how you venerate J. R. R. Tolkien. It's the world-building however - in Tolkien a joy, here merely quite interesting - that really gives it away. As with The Algebraist you feel that the Shellworld is another Big Dumb Object (google it) that Banks has developed as a background rather than as a backdrop. It's an astonishing place but it isn't until the last couple of chapters that you really get a proper sense of the scale of the place: characters talking about how big it is really don't compare to the grandeur of the climax which is a shame because I wanted to love this book, from the sheer cheek of the Frodo/ Sam "homage" (or Don Quixote/ Sancho if you're better read than me) to the political thriller of the other main storyline but it just doesn't quite make it. What is interesting, though, is the nods you get towards some ideas laid out in the next two Culture novels...
ryouhku's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best Culture novels. Really sweeps you away in the Culture universe, the worlds are so well developed.