The State of the Art

Note that 3 stories are set in the Culture universe

• Road of Skulls - (1988) - short story - my Rating "D - -" = 1/2 star
• A Gift from the Culture - [Culture] (1987) short story - my rating "B+" = 3 1/2 stars
• Odd Attachment - (1989) - short story - my rating "E" = 1/2 star
• Descendant - [Culture] - (1987) - novelette - not rated
• Cleaning Up - (1987) - short story - not rated
• Piece - (1989) - short story - not rated
• The State of the Art - [Culture - 3] (1989) novella - my rating "B -" = 2 1/2 stars

175 - Scratch - (1987) - short story - not rated

Note - reading the Culture stories in this collection is a nice way to let someone try reading a little bit of The Culture without committing to an entire novel. This was how my wife got me addicted.

My rating system: I begin with one star being equivalent to a rating of "C -". Progressing upwards, I add ½ star for each step, up to the maximum 5 stars, which is equivalent to a rating of "A"+. I reserve ½ star for BOMBS, there being no option of zero or negative stars.