The State of the Art is a collection of short science-fiction stories that also includes the critically acclaimed novella, 'The State of the Art'. Iain M. Banks is the author of the entire anthology. Previous to this collection are three novels (Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games, and Use of Weapons) which each delve into the complex workings of the galactic machine-human society of the Culture. Banks excels in captivating his reader, urging them to soak up knowledge of this sci-fi universe. He successfully caresses both reader and critique into wide-spread adoration for his detailed adaptation of the genre, and the intriguing characters he creates within. A deep and .  Read the complete review

This collection of stories from Scottish writer Iain M. Banks was first published in 1991. It contains the novella of the title, as well as 7 other short stories ranging from horror to sci-fi. This is the second book by Iain M. Banks (as opposed to Iain Banks) that I have read, the first was the novel Consider Phlebas. I enjoyed this to a point, but found a few of the stories a wee bit bland and/or pointless. 'The State of the Art' is the 7th story in the collection, a mini-novel in fact, and was the one I enjoyed the most. Like 'Consider Phlebas', it deals with Banks' sci-fi world of the Culture, and focuses on a Culture ship as it ...  Read the complete review