Books

[johnny9fingers]

The new Iain M Banks novel, Surface Detail, is again confirmation of the incredible imagination of Banks, and his ability as a writer to be able to conceptualise the Sci-Fi universe in a way that few, if any writers have ever managed. In my opinion he is without equal. I've read Asimov, Herbert, Heinlein, Campbell, Wells, Verne, and most of, if not all of those considered greats: Banks is without compare the most complex and far-reaching of those I've read. If I have one criticism it is that he can be confusing: he always needs a reread as he draws the threads of many sub-plots towards their denoument. Also his nomenclature is somewhat eccentric. I'd give Surface Detail a good 7/10, though I wouldn't recommend it to any religiously minded folk as it might cause a blood-pressure induced heamhorrage.


The Culture is an extraordinary invention of imagination. I want to live there, even though it is merely a fictional construct. Also, to be quite candid, I doubt that I could bear Austen-land for any length of time. Wooster's-World, the Disc, and Fforde's metafictional universe are perhaps the only other imaginary worlds I'd care to spend any time within: but none are in quite the league of The Culture.

Comments

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

I will take this recommendation seriously, although I have never been able to get into the genre so much -- outside of the old Dangerous Visions crowd plus Asimov and Dick.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't start with this one.
'Consider Phlebas' or the 'Player of Games' is where I'd begin. Then I'd take a look at 'Use of Weapons', 'Excession', and 'Matter' before getting to this one.

'Matter' may be my favourite.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Thinking more....
try Phlebas, Excession, and Matter first: then hit Surface Detail.