Matter
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4.6 • 47 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A novel of dazzling wit and serious purpose. An extraordinary feat of storytelling and breathtaking invention on a grand scale, it is a tour de force from a writer who has turned science fiction on its head.
"Unexpectedly savage, emotionally powerful, and impossible to forget." —The Times
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 civilizations 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.
The Culture Series
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
The State of the Art
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This magnificent eighth novel (after 2000's Look to Windward) of the Culture, an interstellar posthuman civilization of incredible wealth and technological sophistication, centers on three siblings: Ferbin and Oramen, the misfit heirs of conquering King Hausk of the Sarl, who rules a backward and patriarchal realm deep beneath the surface of the artificial "Shellworld" Sursamen, and their exiled sister, Djan, now a powerful agent of the Culture's Special Circumstances division. When King Hausk is murdered, Ferbin narrowly avoids the conspirators and sets out across the galaxy to ask Djan's help with revenge against the killer, now serving as Oramen's regent. Soon they learn of the horrific forces a hidden enemy is about to unleash on Sursamen, and must race to save the home that has rejected them both. Beautifully written and filled with memorable characters and startling technology, this tale of intricate politics and interstellar warfare ably demonstrates that Banks is still at the height of his powers.
Customer Reviews
A very complex must read, game of thrones meets dune
I started off reading this and hating the first few chapters. I've never much liked the " Game of Thrones " world of story , but eventually it moved into the culture I have come to so much love and dream of. Once the politics and setup of who is who and why is there we meet Djan , a sort of orphaned member of the family that rules the Sarl level of a multi level planet . One who was whisked off to a " Culture" world and eventually becomes part of an elite section charged with making sure that races don't extinguish the entire planet or Galaxy.
This is not a light read .
It's also one with an ending game of thrones fans will love , but I was kind of bitter sweet over , I can't say much more or it will spoil it ...
Incredibly brilliant, but…
The strangest and most unexpected (and depressing) ending to a novel I have ever read.
A Different Path in the Same Direction
Intricately woven story lines with multiple layers/levels of civilization to keep in mind. The importance of individual decisions and actions is played out rather than Culture or other big actors. A nice change of pace.