Korenith Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 This is a question for all the people who read Iain M. Banks. I'm currently writing a "Getting Into" article for my blog on him that gives people a place to start getting into his work and then a few ideas on where to go afterwards. The question is Where did you start? And which of his books do you think works as the best introduction? Sci-fi only please since I've already done a "Getting Into" for his mainstream work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I started with Consider Phlebas. I've also read The Player of Games and Use of Weapons. I enjoyed The Player of Games the most, and Consider Phlebas the least. I enjoyed it still though (****, 4/5 rating), enough to buy more of this work. I'm not sure which one of those three would be the best to start with, to be honest. I think Consider Phlebas, while it's not the best I did find it introduced the world (well, planets) of the story. The Player of Games would be good too, I think Use of Weapons didn't explain as much though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I read his Culture books in publication order. I've recommended The Player of Games as a good starting point for people in the past; I certainly think it is his most accessible science fiction novel (that I have read, anyway). Reading them, as I did, in publication order would be my alternate suggestion. Most of his Culture novels can be read as standalone stories, but if you start with something like Excession or Look to Windward (the bleakest book I've ever read, btw) I'd imagine you wouldn't get the most out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Yeah, I'd start with The Player of Games, too. I started with Consider Phlebas and it really isn't very good, imo. My favourites - of those I've read to date - are both non-Culture, though: Feersum Endjinn and The Algebraist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korenith Posted February 14, 2013 Author Share Posted February 14, 2013 So general consensus is Player of Games is a good start point. I think I agree since some of his later ones can get a bit heavy on the technology side of things which for Sci-fi newbies might get boring. I want to say Consider Phlebas but as Karsa and Athena both said, it's one of his weaker ones so might put people off. Use of Weapons and Surface Detail are my other two favourites. I think UoW is a good follow up/digging deeper book if somebody liked the first one and then SD and Feersum Endjinn as ones for people who really get into his style because whilst they are harder reads they are also really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I quite like Consider Phlebas, but it's a sprawling book (that feels more like three books printed in one volume) and it's an odd one from a Culture point of view because it's told through the eyes of the enemy (as it were). My point about the later books isn't really that they are science fiction heavy, it's that I think you get more out of them if you already have knowledge of The Culture and how it works. I think Excession would be a real wtf?! read if you didn't already know something about the ships, for example. My favourite Culture novels would have to be The Player of Games, Use of Weapons and Matter, but I also really like the short story The State of the Art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingdawn Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I've never read his books. Are they worth reading? What are his novels generally about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korenith Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 I've never read his books. Are they worth reading? What are his novels generally about? They are Sci-fi set in a techno-utopia for the most part and they deal with how The Culture (the utopians) react and deal with other societies with different views from their own. They tend to be about things like human rights and what it means to be human but they have a fair bit of action in some places and lots of speculation about what new technology might ultimately be used for. If that sounds like your kind of thing then Player of Games seems to be what most people recommend as a start point. They are all set in the same universe but there is almost no character or story overlap bar the odd few mentions here and there so you can read them in whatever order you like (with the exception of Surface Detail which has a direct link to Use of Weapons) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingdawn Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Oh, that does sound quite interesting. Might look into getting a preview or something. I always dismissed his books in the shop as I thought they were like horror/thriller. xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 ^ No, they are definitely science fiction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Thanks all, I added Player of Games to my wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 ^ Cool! (I'm surprised you've not read it already!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I read Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games in the past few weeks; I was disappointed with Consider Phlebas (although I will reread it at some point) but The Player of Games is excellent on every level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 ^ Cool! (I'm surprised you've not read it already!). I actually haven't tried that many different sci-fi authors, but I fully intend to expand my range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korenith Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 Well the article is done so if anybody is interested in taking a look the link is here: http://lit-fix.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/getting-into-iain-m-banks.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Thanks for the link Korenith Actually, to correct my earlier post, I didn't start with Consider Phlebas, my mistake. My first was Feersum Endjinn. It's probably still my favourite, just ahead of The Algebraist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korenith Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Thanks for the link Korenith Actually, to correct my earlier post, I didn't start with Consider Phlebas, my mistake. My first was Feersum Endjinn. It's probably still my favourite, just ahead of The Algebraist I loved the world in The Algebraist but the villain felt a little too cartoony for my tastes. I'd probably put it around the middle of the pack if I were doing a list of his best to worst novels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 the villain felt a little too cartoony for my tastes. That was one of the most appealing aspects for me - he was very amusing. I liked the humour in the book in general. It's the one that probably intrigues me the most as, since reading it, I have thought about it more than any of the others of his that I've read to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Well the article is done so if anybody is interested in taking a look the link is here: http://lit-fix.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/getting-into-iain-m-banks.html Nice article . You make me want to go read more of his books now XD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 (edited) Iain (M) Banks has just announced that he has terminal cancer http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22015175 Edit: More here http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/features/iain-banks-reveals-he-is-dying-of-cancer-1-2874469 Edited April 3, 2013 by Karsa Orlong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Wow .. that's so sad.. poor him! I hope he can have a bit of fun in the remaining months of his life. I'll miss him, he writes such good books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 His full statement: http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/a-personal-statment-iain-banks.page His own website seems to have crashed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 That's terrible news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.