Customer Reviews
A book of two halves - but not cliché - By: MinnieMoocher, 14 Nov 2008 
For the first timein the Iain M. Banks Culture canon, I found myself more interestedin the non-Culture, low-tech society existing within a high-tech, alien-built & controlled world. The Sursamen serf & turf-wars, power grabbing & palace intrigue is splendidly, richly & vividly written.
The various journeys, both metaphorically & literally of the main characters, with their speeches & inner thoughts are beautifully realised & realistically human-type-like.
It is almost with regret I found the Culture intervention approximately halfway through to be the start of a slight declinein the story-telling & imagination of the book. With such high-tech, invincibility (however close to final jeopardy they comein the end) it is almost, I repeat almost, a too rapid deus ex machina conclusion wrung from what seems to have been Banks' final threadbare cloth of boredom.
However, to give an example of the wonderful writingin the first half of Matter, how about this from the 2nd page :
'What sullen application these humans devoted to destruction' - Turminder Xuss.
Despite the criticism this is still wonderful stuff. Good science fiction & future imaginings rarely ever matchedin the genre.
Just not quite as wonderful all the way through as previous favouritesin the series. A pity for this reader & fan.
I'd give it 3.5 if I could - By: A. Mackintosh, 13 Nov 2008 
Not his best but a book that gradually improved with a better than average ending for Banks - something I feel he can struggle with.
I don't generally like it when he uses the fiction of old technologies cheek by jowl with The Culture for example but the characters were good & the action increasingly urgent......and I just like the whole concept of the Culture
Had to skip pages - too long, too slow. cf Lord of the Rings - By: Paul, 10 Nov 2008 
For the record; I love Consider Fleabag (sic) & the other Culture novels (more or less), this one was far too long, for too little content of interest. The same story could have been told in, say, 200 pages. The other 360ish pages could have been used to carry the hanging threads forward (Djan, purpose of shellworlds etc).
While I often re-read books, & have shelves & shelves of books that I won't get rid of...I had to skip pages of waffle to finish it once. The story really got going at around page 490! There were FAR too many speeches & descriptions. For that, & for another common theme; too many silly names, I also failed to read the lord of the rings.
Not one I intend to re-read!
another one to make people argue. me - I loved it. - By: ANDY, 26 Oct 2008 Long, reasonably complex, various levels & themes, as I find with his books-all of which I have read- you cannot pre guess the outcome, the writing is intelligent & provokes thought. Bearin mind, most other decent writersin this genre owe a lotin my humble opinion to Banks.
Whether this is your favourite or not just remember that he sets the benchmark.
Good, great from any other author, but not quite as good as algebraist - By: Jonathan A. Colvin, 18 Oct 2008 After the fantastic Algebraist I had very high hopes for this Culture novel. It so nearly hit the spot, but as others have pointed out, it seemed very rushed & incompletein the final section. After a long, slow & detailed buildup, it all went out with a satisfying bang, but somewhat prematurely. Ends were left hanging & loose. Now Banks is by no means an inexperienced lover (I mean, writer), so I can only imagine that he felt pressured to get finished. Perhaps the editor was knocking on the door, saying "keep it downin there!". Perhaps Banks just wanted to get it over & done with. It's well worth the read, but maddeningly just a little bit imperfect.
