Do you prefer Iain Bank's SF or 'normal' fiction novels?

[Tabitha]

Do you prefer Bank's SF or 'normal' fiction novels?

I have read a lot of Iain M Banks scifi writings, but I have also read most, if not all, of his 'normal' fiction - like The Crow Road, Complicity, The Wasp Factory. His writing style is similar in both genres - he seems to like to tell a story from many different threads and have the plots all tie up as we get closer to the resolution. I think his gift for storytelling is what draws me to his writings, not necessarily the subject matter alone.

 

[Dave]

I haven't read any of the non-scifi novels, as I only discovered him last year, and still haven't read all the Iain M Banks books yet. I probably will get around to them eventually, but after years of wondering what to read next, I have found that AsciFi has given me so many new ideas for books to read that I can't handle all the possibilities!!!

 

[Tabitha]

Tell me about it!

If you do ever get around to it, I highly recommend The Crow Road and Complicity, and Walking on Glass, the latter being almost a crossover between his two genres.

 

[Dave]

I've read the short stories in The State of the Art only some of those are what you could call scifi, and only one is a 'Culture' story.

 

[Dave]

I'm now reading Raw Spirit, his first non-fiction novel. It's supposedly about searching for the perfect Scotch Single Malt Whisky, and as such could be classed as a Scottish travel book, but it also has anecdotes and observations and some autobiograhical details, and quite a bit about his love of cars and boats. It also explains things such as the dedication in The Player of Games.

I've also picked up audio book versions of The Wasp Factory and Whit. The Wasp Factory is very dark. It was his first novel and there is a part in Raw Spirit concerning a book launch when a fan asks him is he had a particularly harsh childhood. I can quite understand why someone would ask that question now. Banksie is able to bring out his mother to prove he did not.

Whit is now my favourite Bank's book. The scenes in the London Squat and with the Avon Police had me laughing out loud while listening to it in the car.

I will certainly be reading more Bank's books now.

 

[Dave]

Originally posted by Tabitha
I highly recommend The Crow Road and Complicity, and Walking on Glass, the latter being almost a crossover between his two genres.

I'm reading The Bridge at the moment, and from what I've read so far, it IS science fiction, or at the very least it is surreal. The Wasp Factory was a little fanciful too for that matter, and setting for Whit was quite unlikely.

So, I'm wondering if he really does write within two different genres anyway?

 

[Urien]

I love Iain Banks work. Though I have to say I prefer his earlier works both in normal fiction and in science fiction. The Wasp Factory just blew me away; the energy, invention and humour was fabulous and exhausting.

Probably The Player of Games was my favourite Culture novel.

 

[Fried Egg]

The Wasp factory was brilliant and I loved the Bridge to...fascinating concept.

His science fiction is a mixed bag really. I liked Excession but didn't like Shadows Against a Dark Background.

 

[jackokent]

I didn't really get on with Dead Air, I felt cheated. Love all the Culture novels but I can never tell them apart. I thought Wasp Factory was good but probably more gimic than anything.

The Bridge was outstanding and I also loved Espedair Street.

I couldn't quite work out what we were supposed to be voting on above.

 

[Dave]

I couldn't quite work out what we were supposed to be voting on above.

Ah! When posts were moved from ASciFi to Chronicles it seems that any threads with polls got the polls jumbled up. Brian closed down most of those mixed up threads, but this one got missed, because as a quite amazing coincidence, that poll could almost work in this thread. Just ignore it, otherwise he'll have to close this thread down too.

 

[MeccaJoost]

I've never read any of his Sci-Fi - but do love his "normal" fiction I do think that The Bridge & Espadair Street show that he'd be a brilliant "traditional" Sci Fi author - does anyone have a good recommendation to start with his SciFi?

 

[easygoingman]

Hi all
I've read all of his books.
Overall I much prefer his science fiction as he's allowed to give full power to his excellent imagination, something few of his mainstream novels can do. (though 'The Wasp Factory' was a great start)
'The Business' & 'Canal Dreams' are especially weak. 'Dead Air' is far from amazing.
'The Bridge' and 'Walking on Glass' are his best so called mainstream novels but they contain fantasy and science fiction parts.

For starting with his SciFi I would recommend 'Consider Phelbas' if you prefer violence, war and explosions, or 'Player of Games' if you prefer a slower start and an eventual journey into an alien world's disgusting system.
I'm delberately underexplaining both books as I'd hate to ruin anyone's surprise!
Save 'Use of Weapons' (10/10) or 'Excession' until later though each of the Culture books can be read by itself if you decide to.

best wishes
Paul

 

[Rich_SP]

I am an avid reader of both his sci-fi and more hmm... non-sci fi books (i would try and say conventional but alas that would entirely miss the mark with Banks.)
I actually beliwev I have read more of his non-sci fi works, even though i would always claim sci-fi to be my genre of choice.
as recommendations go, for non sci-fi: The Bridge (yeh very surreal, almost sci-fi), The Crow Road, Canal Dreams and Complicity.
For Sci-fi: (all of them) definately the culture novels...except the algebriast is awesome, love the Dwellers, and Look To Windward was too much of an anti-climax. Start with Consider phlebas or Player Of Games.

 

[gil]

Having read all his books, I judge that Banks is unremarkable at mainstream fiction and very good at sf. There's no competition really - his mainstream books are just ho-hum, though still worth reading, but the sf is mostly outstanding, even if you have to read them twice to realise it!

 

[diziet_sma]

Banks' strengths definately lie in sci-fi rather than general fiction (if you can call it that!). Having said that, I believe that The Crow Road is the pick of his non-SF novels. If you are looking to get into Sci-fi Banks, I too would recommend Consider Phlebas.

 

[Little Rascal]

Hi! Though I loved Crow Road and Complicity, neither of these holds a candle to his Culture series. Feersome E' was a mouth full to read and left me a tad dis-appointed.
A.a.DBack-Ground & the Algabraist, tho not Culture stories are both crackers!

btw; State of the Art has more than 1 Culture story in it. ie; S.ot.Art A Gift from the C. Even Odd Attachment and cleaning Up could possibily be culture. (The technology is Culture based!
.........................................................................
Inversions? Is it a Culture story??? The debate rages!

 

[Dave]

I've read all the SF except Matter and many of the Iain Banks books now. I've just read The Steep Approach to Garbadale. Trying not to spoil, while I guessed the big secret from about half-way through, after his second meeting with Blake in Hong Kong, I was still thrown completely by the second last page of the book. I didn't understand why that was necessary to happen. I thought it had a little too much of Bank's usual but confusing moving back and forth in the timeline. It also has two places where the Alban gives us political rants which could be straight out of Iain's own mouth. Still a great book though not his best. I have The Crow Road lined up to read, which most people mention as one of the best.

 

[chopper]

yep, that's the one that hooked me first off. as luck would have it i read it just before the tv adaptaton started.

 

[Dooma]

I am an avid reader of both his sci-fi and more hmm... non-sci fi books (i would try and say conventional but alas that would entirely miss the mark with Banks.)
I actually beliwev I have read more of his non-sci fi works, even though i would always claim sci-fi to be my genre of choice.
as recommendations go, for non sci-fi: The Bridge (yeh very surreal, almost sci-fi), The Crow Road, Canal Dreams and Complicity.
For Sci-fi: (all of them) definately the culture novels...except the algebriast is awesome, love the Dwellers, and Look To Windward was too much of an anti-climax. Start with Consider phlebas or Player Of Games.

I have to absolutley agree- Consider Phlebas was my first Iain M Banks novel and I haven't looked back- I find it hard to read anything now after reading all his sci-fi novels. I have read most of Iain Banks' fiction books, and they are pale and anti-climactic in comparison to the imaginative, detailed, poetic prose that is his science fiction pieces. Consider Phlebas is still my favourite. I've read it a million times, and as someone who wasn't hugely into Sci-fi, as my first step into the genre, cannot possibly, EVER go back, to whatever it was I was reading before....

 

[UnethicalSolutions]

I read The Wasp Factory and The Bridge before any of his SciFi, but have to confess that I prefer the SciFi to the 'mainstream' (?) novels, by a large margin on average. The only non-SciFi books of his I've really enjoyed have been The Wasp Factory, The Bridge and The Crow Road (but I still haven't read Garbadale).