And now, something I didn't like.

I don't usually bother with Amazon.com reviews but in this case I felt like a beloved author was putting one over on his fans. I Had To Warn Others. The author is Iain M. Banks, the book is Matter.

I have been a fan of Iain M. Banks' "Culture" series for a while. A hyper-advanced interstellar society run by a bunch of playful AIs that spend their free time interfering in the fates of less developed races? Yes please! Banks normally brings a big dose of imagination with a literary bent to science fiction. And his Culture series is Space Opera at it's finest.

I wish I could tell you that "Matter" is a book that epitomizes everything Banks does best, but in fact it's the opposite. It's slow-moving, un-focused and just plain sloppy. It really feels like Banks phoned this one in.

The plot revolves around a 'shell-world', an artificially constructed world that is in onion-like layers, each 'level' inhabited by a different race. Way down on the 8th and 9th levels are the Sarl, a pre-industrial, war-like civilization. The book primarily follows the adventures of two princes and one princess of the Sarl. The girl has grown up in the Culture and become an agent of Special Circumstances. She is returning home after hearing their father has died. Meanwhile one of her brothers is on the run after being the sole witness to his father's assassination by his closest friend. The other brother is now the presumptive heir to the throne and must deal the requisite web of politics and intrigue.

First nitpick - if you're a fan of the Culture, you're going to be bored to tears by the Sarl, and they take up at least half the book. Banks has made every alien race that surrounds them fascinating and mysterious, but instead of hearing more about the aliens we get Sarl Sarl Sarl.

Second, the plotting is just sloppy. There is a major subplot about the growing tension between two leaders, one who is virtuous and one who is villainous. This is setup throughout the book as one of or perhaps even THE major conflict. Then, a few chapters before the end of the book, it is completely jettisoned and we learn the unsatisfying payoff after the fact from different characters.

Third, this book needed to be shorter. A LOT shorter. Who is this guys' editor? I love Banks' universe as much as the next reader, but the fact is that the Morthanveld and Nariscene have very little relevance to the plot and we don't need to spend pages and pages learning about their ships and their homeworlds. Come to think of it, most of this book feels like a digression, although from what the reader is never sure since it's not clear where the book is going. Banks moves his characters around a series of elaborate set-pieces, and endless parade of establishing shots without any close-ups.

The ending is perfunctory and unsatisfying, leaving most of those plot threads completely untouched. We don't ultimately learn anything about any of the ancient galactic mysteries Banks has been building up (Why are the Oct ships making secret, holographic copies of themselves? Who built the ancient city and put the mysterious cubes in it in the first place? Does the Xinthian WorldGod ever actually DO anything?).

It's obvious that Banks is making a larger philosophical point with the abrupt ending, but it's not one that the reader is likely to grant him after several hundred pages of rambling nonsense.

Now, don't get me wrong. Banks on a bad day is still better than most sci-fi authors at their best. Nonetheless, enjoyment of this particular book may rest entirely on how big of a sci-fi geek you are. If breathtaking descriptions of alien species and exotic homeworlds are what get you up in the morning, there may be something for you here. But I shudder to think what the SF newcomer will make of the endless parade of insectile aliens, exotic spaceships and people jetting around on rocket packs.

EDIT: For those looking for some GOOD Banks, I would recommend either The Player of Games or Look to Windward, among others.