Iain M Banks - where to start with Culture series

KiLLiNG-TiME

Well its been a while no feedback yet lucasisking !!!

lucasisking

Im such a slow reader!  I wasn't exaggerating

Near the end of Phlebas though

KiLLiNG-TiME

Well let us know you thoughts when done as i know you like a good write up..

lucasisking

Finished!

Wow.  What a tense and gripping finale.  Thrilling and uncompromising. And what a shocker of a final sentence!   I also enjoyed the various bits & bobs afterwards- the epilogues and appendices about the war.

Grand space opera on a massive scale.  Throughout the book I kept imagining it as a movie- and what a rollercoaster it would be.  Setpieces are breathtaking- the - but still nothing for me is as affecting as .  

Yet, more so than the story itself, I found myself immersed in Bank's Culture universe.  With it's GSVs and drones, orbitals and aliens, Minds and mercenaries; its as rich a universe as that of Lucas or Rodenberry or Tolkein- but with a distinctly adult sensibility.  I've always wanted there to be a 'grown-up' and science-literate version of Star Wars- and this is it.

On then, to Player of Games.  Might take a while thoughMegaship, the Train crash

KiLLiNG-TiME

I am glad you enjoyed it (knew you would) for me its the best modern science fiction period! i just love his culture universe

lucasisking

I want to live on an Orbital .  

And take a trip on a GSV.

Cloysterpeteuk

I've had these books for years, I even put Hydrogen Sonata on preorder the other day. Trouble is I've not read any of them yet, I've been reading through all my Peter F. Hamilton books (going through Great North Road now) so after that I'm planning on getting onto the Culture novels.

Mr.D

The Iain M Banks novels are some of the best written sci fi novels out there , quirky , poetic , funny , touching , shocking and brimming over with large ideas whilst never losing site of the individual more human scale perspectives of its characters.

Seriously most other grand sci fi novels come across as juvenile nonsense; and I include some of the heavy hitters there (Dan Simmons....Hyperion Cantos...superb...until we get to Endymion which seems to be written by someone else entirely , Peter Hamilton I think writes a good yarn but his prose is very leaden , Banks writing is enjoyable in its own right).

If you run out of Banks , Try Neal Asher's similar Polity series which are arguably a little more pulpy and horrific but imaginative and very good fun as well.

Then you can try the Kovacs novels from Richard Morgan ; again very well written but not for the faint hearted.

Greg Bear's recent Halo novels are a surprisingly good read and streets ahead of the other pulpy Halo based stuff which borders on unreadable in my opinion)

KiLLiNG-TiME

BBC News - Five Minutes With: Iain M Banks

EarthRod

That was a quick 5 mins!

Iain Banks seems a nice guy. The type of bloke you sometimes meet in a pub who is congenial, convivial, interesting and easy to get on with...


...But gives nothing away!