Matter (novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature, Science fiction |
| Founded | January 25, 2008 |
| Founder | Iain M. Banks |
| Products | Science fiction novel |
Matter is a science fiction novel authored by Iain M. Banks, set within his established Culture universe, and was released on 25 January 2008.
Matter earned a spot as a finalist for the 2009 Prometheus Award.
Creation
During a 2007 discussion at the Hay Festival, Banks characterized Matter as an intricate Culture narrative, extending to 204,000 words including necessary appendices and glossaries for readers' comprehension. The story incorporates invented terminology, characters who disappear for significant portions, flashbacks, and examines societies at diverse technological levels, including one that has transcended physical matter.
Interestingly, the initial working title for Banks' prior novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale was also Matter.
Synopsis
The story centers on three royal family members of the Sarl, a humanoid species with feudal and early-industrial characteristics residing on the eighth tier of the Shellworld called Sursamen. These Shellworlds are ancient constructed planets created by the long-extinct Veil, made up of nested concentric shells internally illuminated by miniature thermonuclear "stars." Each shell hosts various primitive races and progressively advanced caretaker species, culminating in the "Optimae" (referred to as "Involved" by the Culture). Approximately 4,000 Shellworlds were originally built; however, over half were destroyed by the presumed-extinct Iln. At Sursamen’s core dwells an enigmatic being known as a Xinthian Tensile Aeranothaur, revered by the Sarl as their "WorldGod."
Prince Ferbin, heir apparent to the Sarl throne, escapes after witnessing his father King Hausk’s assassination by Mertis tyl Loesp, the king’s deputy. Meanwhile, Ferbin’s younger sibling, Prince Oramen, unaware of this betrayal, places trust in tyl Loesp who assumes control as regent until Oramen reaches maturity. The Oct—Sarl’s mentoring species—are covertly maneuvering to seize control of Sursamen’s ninth level—territory owned by the Deldeyn—manipulating the Sarl court and military forces as instruments in their scheme. Their objective lies beneath vast sediment layers being eroded by enormous waterfalls in the Nameless City. This recolonization effort received hesitant approval from senior mentoring races on Sursamen: the Nariscene and Morthanveld. The Culture holds no authority here; instead, Morthanveld and Culture maintain a tense diplomatic balance. The Aultridia oppose Oct’s advancement on the ninth level, risking escalation should other patron species intervene.
Djan Seriy Anaplian, another offspring of King Hausk, departed Sursamen fifteen years earlier to join the Culture’s covert Special Circumstances (SC) intelligence division. She returns to honor her father and presumed-deceased brother but soon undertakes an assignment investigating Oct operations on Sursamen. SC dispatches her with support from avatars of the Culture ship Liveware Problem, initially Klatsli Quike followed by Pone Hippinse. Anaplian’s combat drone Turminder Xuss clandestinely accompanies her disguised as weaponry; despite earlier diplomatic restrictions limiting her SC enhancements, she reinstates most for this mission. Upon arrival, Anaplian reunites with fugitive Ferbin and his aide Choubris Holse.
Together they infiltrate Sursamen’s ninth level aiming to confront tyl Loesp and safeguard Prince Oramen during excavation activities in the Nameless City. Although Oramen survives several assassination attempts, he ultimately dies at the hands of a formidable entombed entity—a merciless machine either belonging to or created by the Iln. This discovery shocks both Sarl and Oct factions who had assumed they were uncovering one of the original Veil architects. The Iln apparatus kills nearby Sarl and Oct personnel—including Oramen and tyl Loesp—with a minor thermonuclear explosion before advancing toward the Shellworld’s core intending to capture the Xinthian "WorldGod" and annihilate Sursamen through antimatter detonation.
With tyl Loesp and Oramen deceased, Anaplian and Ferbin descend toward the core equipped with advanced SC combat suits. The Liveware Problem leads their descent but sustains significant damage from Nariscene weaponry en route. They confront overwhelming firepower from drones controlled by the Iln device, which has hijacked a Morthanveld guard ship along with twelve additional drones concealed within the core. Turminder Xuss disappears during combat. The Liveware Problem destroys most drones but sacrifices itself attacking the commandeered vessel; Hippinse dies eliminating one drone; Anaplian destroys another but faces diminishing resources against the Iln machine.
Ferbin sacrifices himself drawing attention from the Iln entity, enabling Anaplian to approach despite sustaining injuries beyond typical human survival limits. While still conscious enough to activate a small antimatter grain powering her SC enhancements, she detonates it—obliterating the Iln machine and saving Sursamen.
In the epilogue, Holse—the sole survivor—returns home accompanied by Quike with intentions to guide a post-monarchist Sarl society under covert Culture support.
Unpublished content
A portion of the initial manuscript that was not included in the final version was later released as a short story titled The Secret Courtyard. This appeared in a limited-run booklet called The Spheres, produced by the Birmingham Science Fiction Group in 2010 to commemorate Novacon 40.