A review by lowercasenospaces
Matter by Iain M. Banks

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.