Iain Banks in general

I can’t be too knowledgeable about the bulk of this guy’s work as I’ve only encountered three of his books: Consider Phelebas, Excession and The Business. The first two are sci-fi and the second in the vein of Michael Crichton. I’m writing about the first two; more specifically about the setting they’re in and why I think it’s a work of near-genius. Consider Phelebas & Excession are set in what IMB calls the Culture Universe. Before I attempt to explain this, I’d like to point out to those of you might go off and get these books that IMB shares a trait of Arthur C Clarkes in that he often introduces concepts, events ...  Read the complete review

Iain Banks writes two very different kinds of novels under two very similar names. He writes science fiction fantasy novels under the name of Iain M. Banks, but this is not the genre I am interested in when it comes down to it. Don't get me wrong, not be one to judge especially when it comes to an author with the calibre of Mr Banks, I have tried, but I just don't enjoy them compared to the novels he writes without the dreaded M. He writes in an unique style that usually places the feature character in odd surroundings, or in the case of 'The Bridge' a subconcious background, played out in the mind of the 'hero'. Yet he manages to help ...  Read the complete review

A few of years ago I was fairly strictly reading English or European authors, a mixture of modern and classics, and certainly no Scots, detectives or children's books. Since moving back to Scotland three years ago I seem to have been sucked into the Scottish set. Maybe it's the heavy promotion of local writers in the Princes Street bookshops, or maybe it's that friends and colleagues here rave about how good they are. Iain Banks writes under the name Iain Banks, strangely enough, but also does science fiction under the name Iain M Banks. You can also tell which is which by the cover; colour is science fiction, black and white is not. ...  Read the complete review

I do not know whether it is Ian's style of writing or my style of reading, but I immerse myself in his characters Crow Rd and Espedair Street are great books....a book that makes u cry has to be pretty powerful The BBC adaptation of Crow Rd does it proud, I think Like I did with Brysons I bough all Banks in a onner on Amazon, but I have not managed to get thru anymore ...yet I need a beach holiday to fulfill that desire As for Iain's science fiction stuff under the guise of Iain M Banks.....that I cannot comment on as I do not read SF Keep up the good work Iain ...  Read the complete review

Q. Suppose you’re about to be put in solitary confinement for six months. The day before you’re given an Iain Banks novel, a Jeffrey Archer novel, and a telephone directory. Then you’re put in a room with a photocopier. You get to make two copies of the texts of your choice. What do you do? A. Make two copies of the telephone directory, in case you wear one out. Well, no, actually, that's a bit unfair. If the telephone directory was in Latvian or Basque I might be tempted to take one copy of it and one copy of the Jeffrey Archer novel. But six months in solitary confinement with only an Iain Banks novel for company would be a slice ...  Read the complete review