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The State of the Art

Culture Series, Book 4

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The State of the Art

By: Iain M. Banks
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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About this listen

The works of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. With breathtaking imagination and extraordinary storytelling, they have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.

The State of the Art is the only collection of Iain M. Banks's short ­fiction and includes the acclaimed Culture novella of the same name.

From science ­fiction to horror, dark fantasy to twisted comedy, all eight stories bear the inde­finable stamp of Banks's staggering talent.

The novels of Iain M. Banks:

The Culture series
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
The State of the Art

Other books by Iain M. Banks
Against a Dark Background
Feersum Endjinn
The Algebraist

©1991 Iain M. Banks (P)2013 Hachette Audio Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Horror Scary Science Fiction Short Stories Banking

Critic Reviews

'Banks is a phenomenon' William Gibson
All stars
Most relevant  
I want to stand and clap. Culture series keeps getting better. Thanks Mr Banks x.

Perfect.

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Can seem a bit abstract but each chapter is a short story exploring a concept in the banks universe. As always Kenny is excellent.

Collection of concept short stories.

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There’s quite a few reviews complaining of no story and suggestions of skipping this particular book but please, PLEASE ignore them. This is a beautiful little interlude in the series to give some unusual perspective of life outside the culture. Mostly random short story’s and unusual and sometimes bizarre scenarios that completely blow away the importance of the society and make the utopian needless cultures efforts seem frivolous to particular viewpoints. Banks throws 1980s earth into the mix in the longest story, skewing time (something of which is sometimes hard to grasp in the series) and also adds one of my favourite characters. Extremely enjoyable and a nice break from what can sometimes be a complex read(listen)

Ignore the pessimistic reviews

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Just a collection of trash short stories, I'd suggesting skipping this one. Narration is still good up the same standard as the others.

Skip this one.

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A Few short stories followed by an angry atheist rant.l and political gibberish Not worth 1 credit. Or my time.

Rubbish

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have loved other banks works

but this was like the random and dislocated diary of a madman

started all over the place

ended nowhere at all

waited all that time for it to begin

never happened

inane ranting

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