Product Description

In a world renowned even within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one - maybe two - people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder. And for their sister, even without knowing the full truth, it means returning to a place she d thought abandoned forever.

Only the sister is not what she once was; Djan Seriy Anaplian has changed almost beyond recognition to become an agent of the Culture s Special Circumstances section, charged with high-level interference in civilisations throughout the greater galaxy.

Concealing her new identity - and her particular set of abilities - might be a dangerous strategy, however. In the world to which Anaplian returns, nothing is quite as it seems; and determining the appropriate level of interference in someone else's war is never a simple matter.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1475 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 544 pages

Review
'There is now no British SF writer to whose work I look forward with greater keenness' The Times 'Confirms Banks as the standard by which the rest of SF is judged' The Guardian 'Explosive' Sunday Times 'Gripping, touching and funny' T.L.S. 'A wild imagination' Mail on Sunday 'Captivating' Time Out 'Spectacular ... the field needs his energy' The Scotsman 'One of the very best just got even better' Starburst 'Banks is a phenomenon' William Gibson

Synopsis
In a world renowned within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one - maybe two - people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder. And for their sister, it means returning to a place she'd thought abandoned forever. Only the sister is not what she once was; Djan Seriy Anaplian has become an agent of the Culture's Special Circumstances section, charged with high-level interference in civilisations throughout the greater galaxy. Concealing her new identity - and her particular set of abilities - might be a dangerous strategy. In the world to which Anaplian returns, nothing is quite as it seems; and determining the appropriate level of interference in someone else's war is never a simple matter.

About the Author
Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY, in 1984. He has since gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels.

Customer Reviews

A worrying trend
Matter is an unnerving continuation of a trend, which has run, for me, probably since Dead Air or Look to Windward as appropriate, of what seems like Iain Banks (with M and without) either sitting on his laurels or running out of ideas. If it was written by someone else and you happened to pick it up, you'd be reasonably happy with your purchase - it is by no means a bad book although it feels oddly paced for the story. I found the huge index pretty pointless too; all it does is add weight to the book. I don't have the greatest memory in the world and I didn't need to refer to it once.

What made it disappointing, like the Algebraist and Garbadale, is the lack of a new direction, spark, idea, approach or gear that Banks has brought in with new books previously. Getting hold of the new Iain Banks has been enjoyable in its anticipation for me for years - there have been lesser books before but three successive (and regressive) disappointments is a new experience. I don't know if you can call someone derivative when what they are derivative of is their own work, but that is how this feels. Banks becoming a run of the mill author cannot be a good thing.

I'm undecided as to whether the book is too long or too short. The ending seems rushed and incomplete, which would argue for more length, but there is a lot of totally irrelevant stuff going on and characters and civilisations which add nothing to the story. Whichever, it isn't right, and there are some lengthy sections where I got the child-like urge to skip on a few pages to see if something was happening.

So, if you manage your expectations carefully you may well still enjoy this book. If you've read the rest of the M books you probably won't find anything new in here. It takes up a lot of space on your shelf too and weighs just under a ton in hardback. If this is the only Iain M Banks you've read, don't worry, the rest are better. I just hope the next one is too.

Anti Climax
I can keep this review fairly short. Matter is 450-ish pages of very good story telling in Bank's magnificent Culture universe let down by a 50 page rushed, anti climactic and sometimes downright bad conclusion. If you're interested in the Culture books, try one of the earlier ones.

Solid addition to the Culture canon
I've been a Banks fan for a long time and he has certainly produced some disappointing books recently. At his best, he is truly brilliant, but sometimes the books just don't work.
It took me a while to get into this book, because the plot is multi-layered, and the layers are only revealed as the book progresses. As a result, what seems like a relatively simple plot at the beginning becomes much more complex and wide-ranging by the end.
I grew more and more interested and impressed by the book as it went on, and really liked the latter parts. There are many very different and varied characters from the different races and societies, as well as a fascinating and novel physical environment. Lots of imagination, and I always like Banks' writing style.
It's not his best book, but it was very enjoyable, and a worthy addition to the Culture canon. I hesitate between four and five stars - for Banks it's a four-star effort; for anyone else it might have scored five.