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I've been looking forward to this book for some time. I decided to read the Hainish series in the order they were published.

I wasn't aware this was a book of short stories when I began reading. I was reading it for the title story but did thoroughly enjoy the other stories as well. The State of the Art story (approximately half of the book) was a interesting addition to the Culture series being set on 1970's Earth. Seeing the Culture's view of earth and our messy contradictions helps position their understanding of reality and morality.

I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. The six stories are diverse but each are close and personal. Dealing with changing world and society is the main connecting theme with characters looking into the future while reflecting on the past, near and distant.

I enjoyed all of the stories but particularly 'A Merger in Corn Country' by Danielle Arostegui, about an old farmer learning to change with the world and work together with new people and new ideas. 'Coriander' by Ana Sun, was also very good as the protagonist seeks to reconnect with their culture and family history.

Definitely darker than the original trilogy. I didn't seem to enjoy it quite as much as previous books but I'm not 100% why (entirely possible it was to do with real life issues rather than the book). It has an air of what happens after the happy ending, which is interesting.

Looking forward to this book. I had a break after reading the first trilogy and ready to get back into the world. I'm a few chapters in and can see tensions building between groups already.