Matter Audiobook By Iain M. Banks cover art

Matter

Culture, Book 8

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Matter

By: Iain M. Banks
Narrated by: Toby Longworth
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $35.09

Buy for $35.09

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

In a world renowned even within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one man it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one - maybe two - people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder. And for their sister, even without knowing the full truth, it means returning to a place she'd thought abandoned forever.

Only the sister is not what she once was; Djan Seriy Anaplian has changed almost beyond recognition to become an agent of the Culture's Special Circumstances section, charged with high-level interference in civilizations throughout the greater galaxy.

Concealing her new identity - and her particular set of abilities - might be a dangerous strategy, however. In the world to which Anaplian returns, nothing is quite as it seems; and determining the appropriate level of interference in someone else's war is never a simple matter.

Matter is a novel of dazzling wit and serious purpose. An extraordinary feat of storytelling and breathtaking invention on a grand scale, it is a tour de force from a writer who has turned science fiction on its head.

©2008 Iain M. Banks (P)2014 Hachette Audio Adventure Science Fiction Space Opera
Imaginative Worldbuilding • Complex Characters • Philosophical Depth • Entertaining Humor • Fascinating Civilizations
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
Great writing to introduce such stark contrasts in how the Culture operates and thrives.

One of the best opportunities to show another side of the culture. Previous entries in the series offer comparisons between high technology cultures and how The Culture molds with them, but (without spoilers) Matter offers something a little more fresh.

Great Change of Pace for The Culture Series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I kept coming back at every opportunity to listen more. The meaningless family who discovered themselves and the power that they had. also I liked the overallnoace, and the succintness of the ending.

winding sci-fi family story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
truly visionary sci fi. fourth book I've read in the culture series and loved it.

ian m banks makes star trek look like flash gordon

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great audible performance. Great story, great characters with humor in all the right places. The ending did not go where I would have wanted however the story did not suffer either.

My favorite Iai. M Banks story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really liked the book, it's a very interesting story. My only real complaint is that Peter did not read it. The guy that did, did a good job... but it's not the same.

Great book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A great scifi combination of different ages, from simple "barbarians" to highly advanced special circumstances characters (always entertaining) and beyond.

Toby longworth was perfect for this role as narrarator and did an amazing job!! Well worth your credit. Iain M. Banks proves how uniquely entertaining and thought provoking his writing is. I received the full, non abridged version..fyi.

Personal fav culture novel so far!!! Must read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Lots of reviews say this book is different from other culture books. They are wrong. It’s a great culture series book.

This is a Culture Book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is one of my favorites for both its story and its worldbuilding. Although, like others, I so appreciate Peter Kenny's narration, Toby Longworth performs excellently, giving distinct and memorable voices to the wide collection of characters.

An excellent addition to the Culture series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
it's hard to overstate the brilliant imagination and lyrical pros of Mr Banks. especially in the culture world which is so detailed and colorfully wrought.

a delightful epic vignette

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The juxtaposition between the magically-indistinguishable tech of the Culture and the lower tech of the Sel creates a fascinating scenario most fantasy has trouble emulating. Character voices are performed wonderfully by the narrator, nearly no one sounds too alike to differentiate in a conversation and the aliens sound very in character.

Fantastical Sci Fi

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews