Ping: Flere

[Crapshoot]

I finally figured out your username. I'm reading it right now, but The Use of Weapons and Inversions were both better. :D

[cschex]

Agree on the first, disagree on the second. I'd rank Player of Games 3rd, behind Use of Weapons and Phlebas. Either way, Banks is awesome.

[Crapshoot]

Yeah, I'm a huge banks fan.

My rankings:

1) Use of Weapons - I don't think is debatable. Possibly the best sci-book of the last 10-15 years - and easily one of the best of all time
2) Consider Phelbas
3) Excession
4) Inversions
5) Player of Games (so far)
6) Look to Windward - just not that big a fan, IMO - the weakest Banks' novel.

[flere-imsaho]

Heh - nice! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

PoG is probably my favorite of his sci-fi. My favorite of his fiction is probably Espedair Street, which is considerably lighter than a lot of his other fiction.

I managed to see him at a book signing when Excession came out in Oxford and have my copy of that book signed by him.

[Crapshoot]

Heh - nice! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

PoG is probably my favorite of his sci-fi. My favorite of his fiction is probably Espedair Street, which is considerably lighter than a lot of his other fiction.

I managed to see him at a book signing when Excession came out in Oxford and have my copy of that book signed by him.

Really? More than the Use of Weapons? Every Banks fan I've ever talked to seems to think Use is the best one. I suppose once I'm done with PoG I'll be able to compare more fully, but the main character simply isn't as... compelling :D

[flere-imsaho]

Well, for me it's clearly not about the main character. ;)

No, in all seriousness, I'm not sure why I like PoG better, and it's a close run between the two and Phlebas. I guess in the end I like them all for different reasons.

BTW, his newest Sci-Fi, The Algebraist, is really excellent as well.

[Crapshoot]

Finished it last night. I don't think the narrator "revelation" was a big surprise at all, and the twist was less of a "Banksian" twist IMO (again, I was spoiled because Use of Weapons was the first book I read). The concept was clear, but the execution wasn't as... dynamic, IMO. Still, light years better than most of the dreg that passes as science fiction.


Read the Algebraist - enjoyed that one a fair amount. I found another one of his non-culture books that was pretty good - Against a dark background. At this point, the only sci-fi one I haven't read is Feersum Endjin, because I know reading the "phonetic" style will drive me nuts.

P.S - he is new book is out in 6 months - and he's said its going to be nuts - appendix needed. (Matter is the name, I believe).

[Crapshoot]

http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue274/interview.html

Good interview btw.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Banks, I can say with ease that he's by far the best science fiction author out there - in my mind, up there with Asimov, Clark, and Heinlein.