Somebody light a match
Mar. 30th, 2008 11:26 amUtopias are boring. From a writing/reading point of view that is. Everybody knows that right? What is there of interest in a world where there is no hardship or conflict?
Perhaps you can fill up a few pages with description of the utopia, but to get any real action you have to step outside it or break it in some way. Iain Banks knows this perfectly well with his "Culture" series. The stories set in this universe aren't really about "The Culture" itself. It is simply the mirror by which other flawed cultures (small c) are judged. The white knights of Special Circumstances go into these other settings to set things right or whatever. The clash has made for plenty of fun reading over the years.
But The Culture has slowed down for Banks. His last story in that setting was pretty awful and his most recent piece of space opera didn't even use that universe even though it could have been easily incorporated. But he is back in the familiar setting with Matter. A member of the Culture's Special Circumstances is off on a journey to a primitive world to sort things out while some of those "primitives" are embarking in a journey of their own. I repeat "journey" because this book is all about the journeys - its a very common Banks scenario. In the end there is another common scenario - a conflict with some old and very strange technology where lots of magical Culture technology is unveiled to deal with it.
Matter feels like a paint by numbers Culture novel. Familiar themes wound together to make a product suitable for the fans. Well, except perhaps right at the end, but I don't want to spoil anything. Of course to get to the end you really have to read through and there is just one other thing to say - this novel is so slow moving that you will be tempted to skip though. Again, another Banks characteristic but taken too far - I know the journey is more important than the destination but really!
Perhaps you can fill up a few pages with description of the utopia, but to get any real action you have to step outside it or break it in some way. Iain Banks knows this perfectly well with his "Culture" series. The stories set in this universe aren't really about "The Culture" itself. It is simply the mirror by which other flawed cultures (small c) are judged. The white knights of Special Circumstances go into these other settings to set things right or whatever. The clash has made for plenty of fun reading over the years.
But The Culture has slowed down for Banks. His last story in that setting was pretty awful and his most recent piece of space opera didn't even use that universe even though it could have been easily incorporated. But he is back in the familiar setting with Matter. A member of the Culture's Special Circumstances is off on a journey to a primitive world to sort things out while some of those "primitives" are embarking in a journey of their own. I repeat "journey" because this book is all about the journeys - its a very common Banks scenario. In the end there is another common scenario - a conflict with some old and very strange technology where lots of magical Culture technology is unveiled to deal with it.
Matter feels like a paint by numbers Culture novel. Familiar themes wound together to make a product suitable for the fans. Well, except perhaps right at the end, but I don't want to spoil anything. Of course to get to the end you really have to read through and there is just one other thing to say - this novel is so slow moving that you will be tempted to skip though. Again, another Banks characteristic but taken too far - I know the journey is more important than the destination but really!