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A review by fruitbatwoman
Matter by Iain M. Banks
5.0
By now I thought I knew what to expect from the Culture books, but number eight in the series proved to be different yet again. A lot of different ideas converge in this story: the complex and morally questionable concept of a Shellworld, whose inhabitants live in a medieval-like era, but are at the same time aware that other alien entities "watch out" for them; the intrigue of regicide and a war with hidden sides; and a woman from said Shellword, who joined the near to almighty Culture. The story is less action-heavy than other books in the series but makes up for it by the unique viewpoint of protagonists who have lived on the Shellworld their whole lives, and are now plunged headfirst into the vast technological advancement of several different cultures (and the Culture). Seeing the same world(s) through different eyes is what made this book so enjoyable for me, even before the action picks up in the third half of the story.