The State Of The Art (original 1989; edition 2007)

short stories ( )

http://speculiction.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-of-state-of-art-by-iain-m-banks.... ( )

These shorts feel a lot like throw away pieces. They're not bad but they feel too loose to have had any real effort put into them. Even the titular novella is lacking in surprises. It's a decent yarn but it ticks all the boxes you'd expect of a Culture story set on Earth without throwing up anything too unexpected (perhaps with the exception of it showcasing a rather nasty side to the Culture on occasion). The novella was interesting but felt rather by the book.

As a result I'm not sure there's anything really "must read" in this collection, even for fans of the Culture. People wanting to dip their toe into the water and see if Banks is for them should try his novels which, even the flawed ones, feel more accomplished that this collection. ( )

Iain Banks' manifesto.

I got The State of the Art by Iain M. Banks because LT lists it as #3 in the Culture series. Wikipedia lists it separately, but after getting advice from the SF group here in LT, I read it as #3 of Culture.

The State of The Art is actually a collection of short stories, and one novella. One short story and the novella are Culture, the rest is general SF. I didn't like all the short stories, some were just too modern for me. I did like the Culture stories.

The novella deals with a Culture visit to earth. It is a moralizing story about humanity and earth and if there is any future for us (and thus, if the Culture should intervene or not). It is described from one Culture agent's point of view, and it is a great story. I think everybody following the Culture should read it, because it completes the story even more. ( )