Review
Matter (Orbit)
The Culture Strikes Back
Iain M Banks’s latest ‘Culture’ novel is an epic endorsement of his dominance in the world of science fiction says Claire McCauley.
Set in a galaxy far far away, the primitive shellworld of Sursamen co-exists in a galactic feudal system with, amongst other more superior worlds, the Culture, a highly evolved, technologically advanced mongrel humanoid species. Vying for the patronage of this neighbouring superpower, Sursamen is ensconced in a terroritorial war with invading rogue species, the Deldeyn.
However, Sursamen’s war weary royal household is besieged by Shakespearean-esque treachery, culminating in the murder of their ruler King Hausk. His three children must now face very different challenges to fend off the murky and devious power struggle that threatens the very order of their world.
For one son, Ferbin, it is the quest to expose the truth, after witnessing the brutal murder of his father. For another, Oramen, it is the preservation of his own life against dark forces within the royal household which seek to rob him of his rightful heir ship.
For estranged daughter, Djan Seriy Anaplian, traded as a debt of honour to the Culture by her indifferent father years previous, his betrayal was her salvation from a life confined by his misogynistic limitations. Now a trained Special Circumstances Agent for the Culture she must return to her past, to fight for the future.
Matter is Banks’s latest offering in the culture series since Look to Windward in 2000. His staggeringly imaginative narrative and descriptions of expansive galactic vistas are powerful, yet their detail and technical complexity are potentially alienating to novice science fiction readers. His language is innovative but can seem laboured, lacking a natural flow necessary to maintain a pace and energy to this tale.
Banks has created well-developed and believable characters, in particular, the unlikely heroine of Djan. Her ultimate heroism is in stark contrast to the story of her two brothers who begin as hopeless drunkards and who, in spite of the realistic evolution in their outlook and development, remain unable to assume the role their gender had determined.
Science fiction, as a literary genre, is sometimes dismissed as specialist or even elitist, however, the creation of such seemingly fantastical futures, can provide an allegorical license to make pertinent commentary on present times. Matter exemplifies this, addressing strong themes such as war and political corruption, underscored by a scathing attack on the oppression of women in family, society and even their role in conflict.
Whether Matter becomes a cult success is debatable and will ultimately be dictated by the reaction of his loyal readership. However, what Banks has achieved is the challenging proposal to his reader that somewhere between the worlds of fantasy and reality, there is a glimpse of the truth which, in the end, is all that really matters.
