Whats everyone reading?

[Trout]

The Wasp Factory, which is good, but I probably would have gotten a lot more out of it as a teenager.

That's a perceptive thing to say. It does have those shocks that seem more shocking when you lack life experience. As time's worn on, I've found the only Banks I can re-read is his science fiction.

[TordelBack]

The Wasp Factory, which is good, but I probably would have gotten a lot more out of it as a teenager.

That's a perceptive thing to say. It does have those shocks that seem more shocking when you lack life experience. As time's worn on, I've found the only Banks I can re-read is his science fiction.

Sad but true. 

[Trout]

But his science fiction is amazing. I think he's made a really important contribution to the genre. I particularly love the Player of Games.

[TordelBack]

Yeah, it's terrific stuff. I thought his last two Culture books, Matter and Surface Detail, were amongst his very best.  I also really enjoy his 'regular' fiction, but with the exception of Espedair Street and maybe The Crow Road I don't see myself re-reading any of them any time soon.  I did however adore them as a teenager.  His SF still excites.

[JOE SOAP]

His SF still excites.

That'll be on the cover of his next book.

[Frank]

But his science fiction is amazing. I think he's made a really important contribution to the genre. I particularly love the Player of Games.

Use of Weapons would have been my candidate to replace Stainless Steel Rat if Carlos fancied a change of material to adapt. Given Ezquerra's aptitude for grand guignol, I'd love to have seen his version of that piece of furniture.

The Bridge and its hilarious Oor Wullie use of colloquial Scots (i) stands out in my memory, but you won't need to be Derren Brown to see where the story's headed. Every time I venture into the spare room that's increasingly dominated by my books, comics and CD's, I'm reminded of the living arangements of Walking On Glass's Grout. Clever metaphor, from the boy Banks, there.

(i) See also, Feersum Ennjin.

[Syne]

Use of Weapons would have been my candidate to replace Stainless Steel Rat if Carlos fancied a change of material to adapt. Given Ezquerra's aptitude for grand guignol, I'd love to have seen his version of that piece of furniture.

That's quite a thought: it'd give the story a weird pulp feel, that's for sure.

I think my favourite of his sci-fi is another of his non-Culture novels, Against a Dark Background.

[Syne]

Not reading them yet, but I just purchased the 1978 2000ad Annual and the 1983 Misty Annual online. Looking forward to them arriving, Misty in particular, as I've read a bit about the comic but never any of it. Hopefully there's some Pat Mills reprints in there.

[U.S.S.R]

Bit behind everyone but oh well, Im reading game of thrones which is great. So glad i decided to get it after seeing the tv series

[Satanist]

But his science fiction is amazing. I think he's made a really important contribution to the genre. I particularly love the Player of Games.

Not read much of his sci fi stuff but that one blew me away! Wasp Factory was good if a tad obvious were it was going.

[the 'artist' formerly known as Slips]

Use of Weapons would have been my candidate to replace Stainless Steel Rat if Carlos fancied a change of material to adapt. Given Ezquerra's aptitude for grand guignol, I'd love to have seen his version of that piece of furniture.

That's quite a thought: it'd give the story a weird pulp feel, that's for sure.

I think my favourite of his sci-fi is another of his non-Culture novels, Against a Dark Background.

I love that book.  I think that often Banks tries to squeeze in to many shocks so you almost expect a twist.  For me Complicity is probably his best (and straightest) book.   

For his Sci Fi writing I think Use of Weapons is probably the best Culture book, as Trout said earlier he really has created something in the Sci Fi field beyond his ability to shock in his "contemporary" books. 

[Frank]

Use of Weapons would have been my candidate to replace Stainless Steel Rat if Carlos fancied a change of material to adapt. Given Ezquerra's aptitude for grand guignol, I'd love to have seen his version of that piece of furniture.

That's quite a thought: it'd give the story a weird pulp feel, that's for sure.
I think my favourite of his sci-fi is another of his non-Culture novels, Against a Dark Background.

I love that book.  I think that often Banks tries to squeeze in to many shocks so you almost expect a twist.  For me Complicity is probably his best (and straightest) book. For his Sci Fi writing I think Use of Weapons is probably the best Culture book, as Trout said earlier he really has created something in the Sci Fi field beyond his ability to shock in his "contemporary" books.

If it's the fucked up nastiness of Banks that appeals, Use of Weapons and Complicity probably represent the twin apogees of that strain of his writing, and they demonstrate that there's much more read-across between his two pen names than is often credited. The video games Colley plays, his drug use, the meaningless fucking, the amoral political violence; all echo the concerns of his spaceship-y stuff.

Like Wagner, one of the things that appeals to me about Banks's work is the way, even when they're working within the confines of a genre, their stories reach out to the politics, culture and concerns of the real world for inspiration- even when they involve implausible violations of the human body and bizarre sexual transgression.

[TordelBack]

If it's the fucked up nastiness of Banks that appeals, Use of Weapons and Complicity probably represent the twin apogees of that strain of his writing...

I think you'd have to go a long way in anyone's writing to match the 'fucked up nastiness' of Surface Detail.  From indented intagliation to the concept and details of the Hells themselves, that is one seriously twisted book. 

[Frank]

I think you'd have to go a long way in anyone's writing to match the 'fucked up nastiness' of Surface Detail.  From indented intagliation to the concept and details of the Hells themselves, that is one seriously twisted book.

Yup. The sequence before and after Donalmacintyredisguisedasabugdemon commits a small, selfish act of betrayal in saving himself before the Mariecolvinelephantalien that he loves is just heartbreaking and an effective metaphor for the cruelty of a construct such as Hell.

The book's exploration of what psychological impulse lies behind the need to punish, and the social function of discriminating between the worthy and the damned, demonstrates how the relevance of books that deal with imagined realities can often be greater (and less tediously wanky) than those that describe life in Hampstead.

There's lots of cool stuff with armoured battle suits, inventive narcotics and wrong sex too.

[JOE SOAP]

demonstrates how the relevance of books that deal with imagined realities can often be greater (and less tediously wanky) than those that describe life in Hampstead.

More honest too.