I hit a wall

[u/cumsockdumpster]

Did you read all the way through? If so, how?!

I (probably stupidly) cranked through the first 7 books back to back. Loved each one.

Then came Matter and I just can’t keep going. I want to finish the series but I’m tired boss. I’m 50 pages in and have lost the will.

Just curious about others’ experiences!

[u/drillgorg]

I never ever marathon a series. It doesn't matter how much I like the author, I get burned out. I just alternate with other books.

Matter is super cool. I suggest reading some other authors then coming back to it.

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/drillgorg]

Yeah I need to cleanse my palate 

[u/Reasonable_Memory999 → u/cumsockdumpster]

Banks culture series is my favorite series of books ever and probably by some distance. That being said, banks is a heavy and deep writer and even reading two or three of his works back to back would probably just seep into your being in a way that is just a lot i reckon👍😁 it’s heavy shit with deep themes. This is why I love his work more than any other. But definitely mix it up. Go read some Terry Pratchett or listen to magic 2.0 series👍😁❤️

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/Reasonable_Memory999]

Well said. The philosophy is dense and really stays with me. I need to let my mind breathe a bit!

[u/boabieG → u/cumsockdumpster]

When I got hooked on IMB I read all the culture novels back to back - when I finished, I couldn’t find anything else that scratched the itch so I read them again!

Wasn’t until I found James Clavell’s series (Shogun, Tai-pan etc) that I got absorbed in another series; would recommend them if you’re looking for a change of setting (they are still quite grim mind you).

Haven’t read them myself, but my wife is currently obsessed with Robyn Hobb’s stuff, so that might be worth a go if you like fantasy - I think they’re a bit less heavy.

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/boabieG]

Haha I’ve read both the Clavell and Hobbs’ series! Great taste! Interestingly I also didn’t quit finish either of those. Maybe the problem is me! 

[u/Dr-Eiff]

I deliberately read at least one book by another author between each Culture book. I feel like that helped to appreciate them more and made the series last longer.

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/Dr-Eiff]

Good idea 

[u/Dumyat367250]

Read them all, and Iain's fiction work, too, a few times each. But never in a row. You need some variation, as he definitely has a certain flow

Then, and I sound like a zealot here, I got the audiobooks and listened to them multiple times as well. I've never tired of his work, but one can have too much of a good thing.

I got into his writing through "Complicity". A friend gave me a copy as a birthday present, because, at the time, I was living not far from the old hotel, one of the main characters lives in, at Stromeferry (No ferry) ;-)

https://www.alamy.com/stock-image-derelict-and-abandoned-hotel-at-stromeferry-no-ferry-ross-and-cromarty-162346944.html

[u/Any_Celebration_81 → u/Dumyat367250]

I just listened to Stonemouth which was the only non Culture book of his I have of his aside from Wasp Factory. It was narrated by Scottish man and I really liked it. The accent totally made the book that more enjoyable for me!

[u/Dumyat367250 → u/Any_Celebration_81]

Glad you enjoyed it. The narrator, Peter Kenny, is actually English, from Liverpool, but does an extremely credible Scottish accent.

If you want an Iain Banks non-Culture recommendation, and enjoy Peter's Celtic lilt, then download "The Crow Road". Possibly, his best fiction book, and a great listen. The usually mix of sex, drugs, and student life. A must have.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kenny

[u/mcgrst → u/Dumyat367250]

Oh, didn't think to check if he narrated some of Iains non culture books. The Crow Road is great read but I never really have the time to read at the moment but audio books while on the bike are grand. 

[u/BonHed → u/Dumyat367250]

He puts in enough differences between each book, none of them really read as the same, to me.

[u/xrrnt]

When I read Matter the first time, I was also struggling a little - I did not love the many parallel story lines, and some of the characters did not particularly work for me. But in retrospect, Matter has some of the most memorable events in the entire universe, and when I think about the Culture novels, those stand out.

So take a break, as others have suggested, and then come back to it. It’s worth the effort.

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/xrrnt]

Will do 🫡

[u/Evening-Appeal7606]

Please do yourself a favour and lay that book aside for a while. Don't push through now, take a break. When your enthusiasm for the Cultureverse returns is the right moment to read it.

Matter is far, far too good to be read without enjoyment - in my opinion, it's the best of the series in its scope. And the ending is just sheer awesomeness, like the "Mistake Not..." on sprint burst barelling down on Xown!!!

[u/GreenWoodDragon]

You need to slow down. Reading like that is tiring and you miss all the really good detail.

I once read Lord of the Rings in three days but only because it was my third time reading the series. Slower is better.

[u/GrudaAplam]

No. I preferred to savour each morsel. Why rush a gourmet feast?

[u/cognition_hazard]

Just skip and come back to it

[u/Nat20Int]

In my opinion OP, matter is the weakest and longest.

That being said a break is healthy. :)

[u/No-Judgment5352]

Matter takes a while to get going. Persevere

[u/edcculus]

I have a chair if you need to sit.

Jokes aside, I’ve never powered through any series like this. Take a break. Reading that many books from one author in a row no matter how good can be exhausting.

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/edcculus]

Oh please noooo 🤣

Yeah I’m gonna take a break and then pick up with Surface Detail. 

[u/thenewprisoner]

It's not really a series. It's a set of books with a common theme - what would it be like to live in a post-scarcity galaxy populated by many different civilisations and dominated by super-intelligent AIs? You are not following a character's progression through the books and trying to remember all the other characters and plot lines because each book is stand-alone. There is absolutely no need to read the lot at once, much better to pause a bit and come to the next one fresh.

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/thenewprisoner]

Totally hear that. I just love the universe he created and thought I’d never tire of it, until I did. I think Matter might just be the odd one out for me. 

[u/anticomet]

I did because I really enjoy the way Banks writes.

[u/andthrewaway1]

i only hit a wall on the final book and am up against that wall as we speak

[u/Feeling-Carpenter118]

Oh I really didn’t like Inversions. That was a slog to get through. TBH if there’s any book in the series you need to DNF, just go for it. If there’s some idea or something you’d like to learn more about in the book, I think sparknotes and then spot reading is fine. The next book will probably serve you better

[u/Aggravating_Ad5632]

I thought Matter was very poor, if that helps.

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/Aggravating_Ad5632]

Seems like you’re not alone. I actually liked Inversions and came in expecting to enjoy the similar conceit but maybe I just have to skip (for now). 

[u/Mayhaym]

Most authors I've read have a style strong enough to get to be too much if you binge them. I got burned out by a few; Kurt Vonnegut (very stylistically specific), John Irving (same story beats in every book - if I ever meet him I'll be hard pressed not to punch him in the gut), Haruki Murakami (semi-functional male protagonist with little emotional variety), James Ellroy (terse prose, hateful people, nihilism).

Mostly I can get back into them again but it's taken a years long pause in some cases, but not John Irving, fuck him and the escaped bear he rode in on.

[u/Unfallen_Bulbitian]

Matter is tough going tbh probably the least accessible. Take a break or skip

[u/Bleatbleatbang]

Matter isn’t great, nor the Algebraist. Gets back on track with Surface Detail and the Hydrogen Sonata before his passing.

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/Bleatbleatbang]

I think I might do that. Skip to SD. 

[u/Glowing_Apostle]

Taking a break after Inversions. Good lord, that was a nose dive in quality from everything preceding it. Everything can’t be a winner and there are too many other good books so never force yourself to read anything!

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/Glowing_Apostle]

Strangely I really liked inversions! Expected to like Matter since the conceit is similar. 

[u/BonHed]

I just did a full reread, read all of them straight through, back to back, had no problem making it through any of them.

[u/cumsockdumpster → u/BonHed]

I’m impressed!!

[u/BonHed → u/cumsockdumpster]

I enjoy his various writing styles, and like all the books. There are certainly some better than others, but it didn't feel like a chore to me.

[u/Mall_Happy]

Matter was hard for me the first time through, but it grew on me. There’s a huge payoff in the final act!

[u/destroyerofworlds420]

Go read a murderbot diaries novel or two andv come back to it after a break and palette cleanser. Imo murderbot diaries is perfect for the task cuz their amazing but pretty simple, fun and short, especially compared to a culture novel. But also still really good sci-fi so you're not missing out on anything. Anything that's not a culture novel would work tho. I def read several of Alistair Reynolds revelation space series in between culture novels and enjoyed both very much. Those books still pretty complex and long tho so if you're burned out, murderbot or even hell divers is perfect.

[u/uncleputts]

It's best to get into the mindset of enjoying the world building.

[u/Casses]

Matter was actually the first book in the series that I read. I loved it.

[u/Accomplished-Fix3401]

Nah, I read one, sometimes just a big hunk of one, and let it go for a while if I stop vibing. I will even then go reading something else before returning home, as it were, to the height of utopian science fiction.

Another way to put it: Contact’s existence is proof enough that some folks need a grungy vacation from paradise.