Hang on a second... - Rated 
I have been an avid hardcore Sci-Fi fan for the past 30 years and have read all of Banks' works. Each of the culture books has introduced some significant new aspect of the culture (with the possible exception of Inversions) which has continued to entertain and enthrall. Matter, once again, has lived up to the previous outings and introduces a magnificently conceived variation on a Dyson sphere, which, to my reasonably extensive knowledge of Sci-Fi over the past 30 years, is unique. However, even set against this enigmatic edifice, Banks has still managed to weave an intricately woven story about ordinary people that illuminates the technological tour-de-force of the background. He has used the juxtaposition previously employed in Feersum Endjinn to great effect and after a slightly slow start where he builds the tension and sets the scene for the final battle, the story goes into imagination overdrive as the main characters leave the Shell world and journey out into the culture.
It beggars belief that some of the previous reviews complain of it being "contrived" or even "predictable", or best yet "nothing new here". ?????
Read it. Be amazed. Read it a second time, and truly appreciate the mastery and craftsmanship that emanates from Banks' mind. Enough said.
Matter - Rated 
A new Iain Banks novel is something to look forward to like that holiday you booked late last year, or that annual bonus you were promised with your next pay cheque. Alternately releasing mainstream novels as Iain Banks, and his hugely successful science-fiction novels as Iain M. Banks, there's always something to look foward to. His last book was set outside his usual universe, meaning that it's been about eight years since his last novel set within the galaxies-wide civilization known as "the Culture".
"Matter" is a faithful return to the universe that Banks has created, further developing not only the Culture, but the outlying words and civlizations that the Culture must interact (or interfere) with. There is a lot to enjoy within the 600-or so pages, including a selection of bizzare new races, the usual Special Circumstances agents who get all the interesting dirty work, and their deadly and quirky drone accomplices. Fans of the Culture novels might be disappointed that the Minds, supremely powerful AIs that control the Culture's quirkily-named spacecraft, take a bit of a back seat here. In fact, the Culture itself is primarily something draped across the background of the story, rather than playing a huge part in it.
The novels is set mostly on a rare type of planet called a "Shellworld", apparently-artificially-created worlds that are hollow and composed of several layers, each occupied by a different atmosphere and one or two accompanying species. The world itself is a centrepiece for a great drama that begins with the death of a king, and the resulting squabbles and battle. It's a sound plot with several twists, played out by some well-drawn characters and sprinkled liberally with gimmicky gadgets and awesome action set pieces. More linear that most Banks novels, it can afford to get into detail without confusing the readers or making them wait for a concrete details to figure out when and where they are. There are a lot of details, with Banks taking liberties with the knowledge that publishers and readers pretty much expect it now. Thankfully there aren't many irrelivancies, and of course the more specifics about the new species and the unfamiliar planet-type the better.
Banks seems fully aware that he will need to do a lot of satisfy fans with this one. He opens with a traditionally Culture-like scene involving action, drama, humour and sarcastic drones. He then throws us into the almost medieval style society of the Shellworld, describing its intricacies and introducing its close cast of relevant inhabitants. From there we are shown the Culture from the outside, which although providing us with a new view of the morally ambiguous civilization also serves to distance us from it. Bad move from Mr Banks, but it's not a total loss. There's enough of Special Circumstances and its interaction with neighbouring races to keep things familiar as we explore the Shellworld and the revelations that take place there on, in and around it.
His creations and their almost senseless banter are too fruity to be believed (although he did more than stretched believability to begin with). They all leave the reader with a mild suspicion that Banks is, to put it bluntly, taking the piss. Seeing how much he can get away with before somebody slaps him down and says, "Okay, too far." It does get silly at times, but then that's kind of what Banks' sci-fi is about: yanking imagination out into big long strings like warm Blu-Tack, and then rolling them up into a confused bundle and hope that something amazing takes shape. In this case, Banks is reasonably successful. It's not perhaps the best thing he's written, and nothing to match "Consider Phlebas" or "Excession", but it's a good read and its length counterbalanced by the fine prose and well-tuned dialogue. If you like the Culture novels, or even if you just like sci-fi, you're sure to enjoy it. And, as always, you needn't have read any of the others to understand it, which is common practice nowadays. Give it a go, enjoy the depth of the characters, the silliness of the aliens, and the breathtaking final scenes. It's awesome and its fun and it's proper literature as well. Bonus!
Veering towards fantasy - Rated
I still rate this four stars, because it's Banks and he's that good. But, please, less fantasy, more sci-fi. If this was rated alongside his other Culture books, it would probably only merit a two star.
Context ! - Rated
Another excellent science fiction novel; and set in the Culture universe.
Many reviewers seem to want Banks to reproduce the precise parameters of their favourite 'Culture' novel in each subsequent one. Boring, surely, were he to do so? 'Matter' is by no means my personal favourite of Banks' science fiction, but it certainly is thought-provoking and entertaining in its own right. In many respects, it seems to be a far more thoughtful, considered novel than many of the 'better' or 'purer' Culture novels.
As I read it, it's crucially all about context. Many layers of events, covering not only disparate groups of intelligent beings, but different levels of societal development, are examined and inter-woven to form the overall plot; and, as with good fiction of most genres, the plot is not necessarily the core interest in the book. In this case the manner in which 'people' behave, their development and their attitudes, all form the more important part of the whole. Virtually every character here actively develops over the course of the story, changing really quite significantly as the context in which they exist changes; even tyl Loesp has begun to change a good deal before the final few pages. The only major characters who don't change (though they are 'developed') are the few Culture ones, since they all have a whole wealth of contexts in which they can exist; and they broadly understand each of them.
As for the rest, the interactions they each have with different civilisations, their own circumstances and responsibilities, and the choices presented by the plot itself, all change and develop them, and Banks' exploration of this is, in my opinion, very interesting and relevant to how people in general perceive things differently as they become more experienced and educated.
As to various criticisms of the relatively brief end-sequence of the novel: it's credible! In the context of the events being described, that's what would, in all probability, happen. i.e. after a long build-up, the drama at the end would be rapid, and highly destructive. Again, this puts into context the various levels of pointlessness and futility (arguably!) of the lower-level political actions of some characters. It shows clearly how insignificant certain choices and actions are in a wider context (for example, all of tyl Loesp's long-term machinations are pretty irrelevant in the context of his final choices).
Personally, I undoubtedly enjoyed 'Use of Weapons' and 'Excession' more, but they're highly different from each other and different from 'Matter', which stands up very well, on its own, as another great piece of science fiction, 'pure Culture' or not.
Come on - it's not that bad - Rated
I've read a couple of Ian (M) Banks books - I wouldn't describe myself as a fan and I can take his books or leave them but I read Matter and overall I liked it.
I like Science Fiction to ask questions that are relevant and I think Matter succeeds in this. The concept of the shellworld containing different civilisations at different stages of development, diverse agendas and rules on intervention is a very contemporary issue. Should countries be isolationist or should they interact and what is the bounderies for those interactions.
I don't have a problem with Banks use of an under-developed civilisations. Sci-fi isn't just shiny ships, death rays and beeping robots. It's the ideas that, 'Matter.'
I don't think this is a five out of five book though. I agree with some of the other reviewers in that I think the ending is weak. Banks raises the question of how different societies should interact but ultimately avoids giving an answer. An author shouldn't eliminate his characters just because of the awkward questions the story raises. Banks just lets himself down.
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