[Dystran Hart]

Anyone like him? I though "Use of Weapons" and "Consider Phlebus" were pretty good - and i loved a non culture novel named "Against a dark background".

Just wondered if you like him (im new here) :)

[fortytwo]

Yes, I''ve read all his books so far. If we're talking about favourites mine is The Player of Games.
They all have something to recommend them though.

42

[ezchaos]

Banks is one of my top 3 or 4 science fiction authors. I can't get enough of the Culture series. Unfortunately, it's hard to get most of his books in the U.S., so I've had to really scour the libraries and used books stores to find his stuff. I haven't found the Player of Games and Use of Weapons. Feersum Endjin was great, also.

[lemming]

Not so hard to find, just visit England.

I don't like his SF books so much. I really like The Wasp Factory (nasty but brilliant) and The Crow Road, though. Neither of these are genre fiction per se, although they are a little twisted.

[ezchaos]

Yeah, I'm probably going to have to break down and order them from England or Canada one of these days.

[juzzza]

I really liked the shapeshifter character in Consider Phlebus.

I find Banks easy to read and he creates vivid characters. I still have nightmares about the cannibal with the various sets of teeth!!!

[Rumfuddle]

I've only read The State Of The Art, a collection of stories. It didn't leave me thirsting for more, though I will have a look at one of the novels at some stage just because people whose opinions I respect rave about them.
There were too Culture stories, I found the second one (The State Of The Art, of the title) irritating and smarmy, maybe you're supposed to. Or does that mean I wouldn't like the novels at all?
I loved the first story, Road of Skulls - it begins feeling a bit like something out of Thomas Hardy, but then....!!!
Descendent was also a very powerful tale.
And then he threw in that Lockerbie story :confused:

The woodcut style illustratrions by Nick Day are terrific and refreshingly unusual for an SF collection.

He's also good when he's wearing his Thriller writer's trousers, as Iain Banks - COMPLICITY was raw, witty and very entertaining.

[Sammie]

Story about Lockerbie?? How do you DO that without being...well...kinda sick?!

[fluffy bunny]

definitely read a player of games

[Dystran Hart]

Yeha player of games was my first read - just before consider phlebus. Got me into the culture quite easily which was nice.

I just listen to an unabridged vesion of Look to Windward - God!! those unabridged audio books are getting sooo much better, really brought the book to life. By teh way look to windward i thought was good - kinda deeper and there was a lot of dialogue :) not sure if i would have liked reading the book - but the audio was fantastic