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What's New
Review Features
S - Science Fiction
F - Fantasy
H - Horror
Complete Listing
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Adams, Douglas (S)
Asher, Neal (S)
Aylett, Steve (S)
Banks, Iain M (S)
Barclay, James (F)
Barker, Clive (H)
Baxter, Stephen (S)
Brin, David (S)
Bury, Stephen (S)
Card, Orson Scott (S)
Cherryh, CJ (S/F)
Clute, John (S)
Cockayne, Steve (F)
Cook, Glen (F)
Danielewski, Mark (H)
Dick, Philip K (S)
Egan, Greg (S)
Feist, Raymond (F)
Gaiman, Neil (F)
Gibson, William (S)
Goodkind, Terry (F)
Grimwood, Jon C (S)
Hamilton, Peter (S)
Jeter, K.W. (S)
Jordan, Robert (F)
Lethem, Jonathan (S)
McAuley, Paul (S)
MacLeod, Ken (S)
Martin, George RR (F)
McMullen, Sean (S)
Miéville, China (S)
Moran, Daniel K (S)
Morgan, Richard K (S)
Nagata, Linda (S)
Niven, Larry (S)
Noon, Jeff (S)
Robinson, Kim S. (S)
Rucker, Rudy (S)
Simmons, Dan (S)
Smith, Michael Marshall (S)
Stephenson, Neal (S)
Sterling, Bruce (S)
Vinge, Vernor (S)
Westerfeld, Scott (S)
Williams, Sean (S)
Williams, Tad (S/F)
Collections (S/F)
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| The Classics |
Bradbury, Ray (S/H)
Burgess, Anthony (S)
Tolkien, JRR (F) |
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| Iain Banks |
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 Our
Ranking From the back cover: "Two years after
I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different and more
fundamental reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did
for my young cousin Esmerelda. more or less on a whim. That's my score up to date.
Three. I haven't killed anybody for years, and I don't intend to ever again. It
was just a stage I was going through." This was spoken by a 16 year old, the main
character Frank. The story is completely told from his warped but extremely well
thought out and spoken perspective. This book is simply amazing. The descriptions
of how Frank perceives his life, his existence, his motivations draws you in to
the point where you will not put down the book. It is rare that you find a story
told from such a non trust worthy perspective, but that pulls you in almost wanting
to trust him, to understand him, to pity him. Throughout the book, Frank pulls
you along through his perversions and his bizarre daily rituals. You can never
really understand why the are needed, but you do understand why Frank feels he
has to perform them. Banks delivers this with incredible subtlety even when you
are faced with the sheer horror of what Frank really does. The main premise of
the book is that Frank's older brother (who is equally warped) has escaped from
an institution and is on his way back home. Most of the story involves Frank as
he tries to prepare for his brother's return. These preparations are nothing an
ordinary brother would do. You slowly come to realize this reunion will not be
about hugs and love, but rather might be of a war. Meanwhile while Frank prepares,
his own father is left unable to react to the brother's return. He is unsure,
scared, completely at a loss as to what to do. For most of the story, the brother
is described strictly from Frank's viewpoint as he flashes back, revealing pieces
of the families very disturbing past. Scattered raving phone calls, paint the
rest of the brother's picture as he draws closer. Iain Banks is one of the undiscovered
gems of a writer in the US. He's a Scottish writer and is actually very successful
in the UK but has not reached the level readership here. It might have something
to do with the topic matter which is usually very English, but it is a shame since
he is one of the best authors of our time. The amazing thing is that this is his
first novel. Anyone who enjoys well written fiction, especially if you like it
a bit on the sick side, read this. I guarantee it will leave you wanting more.
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 Our
Ranking This may only be available in the
UK. -Song of Stone is one of Iain Banks' more recent fiction stories. The
story is very vague in the setting but it has a very Eastern European/Russian
feel to it. The time is also a bit vague but I had the feeling it was fairly present
day. The plot is fairly straight forward. Wherever the book is set, is going through
a political revolution and rebels/ex army bands seem to have taken control of
the countryside, resulting in much unrest. One band in particular takes a liking
to an old castle which is owned by a n outcast upper class couple. Most of the
story centers around the happenings within the castle once it is occupied and
the previous owners attempt to either escape or get their land back. The story
is very well written. As always with Banks, the characters are solid. He does
a nice play of putting the so called civility of the upper class couple against
the barabaricness of the militia leaving the reader to decide which is actually
worse. All of the characters have their flaws which Banks portrays to great detail
leaving you sort of torn with your allegiances within the story. I was very impressed
how he just seems to pluck a small struggle in the middle of anarchy and truly
turn it into a tale that is gripping and makes you almost forget that it is just
a small part of what is actually occurring in this war. The ending is quite vicious
and will leave you wondering how Banks can actually do this to characters he seems
to obviously be attached to as he writes. But any fan of Banks knows that no matter
how much the character seems to be put on a mantle by him, they will be torn down.
All in all this a good solid fiction novel. |
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Our Ranking Even before I started reading
Banks' latest work I had heard rumblings that this was not one of his best efforts.
However, being the fan I am of his I figured I at least owed the book a shot so
went about reading it. About a quarter of the way through I began to have my suspicions
that the critics had been right. By more than half way through, these suspicions
had become full blown knowledge. This was not a typical quality Banks novel. Then,
nearing the conclusion I sat there reading unable to help but think, "What was
he thinking?". I'm saddened to say, this is the first book by Iain Banks that
I've ever been let down by. This wasn't just a not up to his typical standards
kind of book, this just simply was not a good novel. To begin with, the story
is told from the first person perspective by the main character. The character
happens to be a woman. Banks has always been a bit suspect when it came to the
female side of his characters. Most of them almost come across like a "man's woman"
or the type of woman most sci-fi readers think is the ideal female. While in this
case she was toned down a bit (after all this isn't science fiction) she still
fit the typical Banks mold. I had a hard time really getting into the character,
she just seemed to unrealistic to me. Most of the other characters though were
pretty solid. As always, Banks has a unique way of making them come to life and
this was certainly one of the stronger points here. The plot itself was pretty
much the downfall of this one. To begin with, it was very uninteresting and also
very shallow. The main premise is about an immense secretive multi-national corporation
known simply as "The Business". It's been around since the Roman Empire (which
they claimed they owned for several days) and has grown to become incredibly wealthy
and obviously quite powerful. The Business has decided that they need to put a
bit more influence into world politics and to do so need a seat in the United
Nations. Most of the book's events center around their quest to buy a country.
Mind you, the book itself is not really about this, the events in the book are
just shaped by this plot driver. For the most part, the book is really about the
main character, flying all over, trying to find herself and sleep with another
member of the Business who happens to be married, while several other men attempt
to sleep with her. I hate to make it sound so shallow, but the plot really is.
At points, Banks tries to add a bit more intrigue into the story, adding a conspiracy
or two to the plot, but even those come across as very weak. The conclusion to
the book was horrible. I almost had the feeling Banks got bored and just wanted
to end it. He pulls this final conspiracy almost out of no where, works it into
the main character, has her unravel it and the parties involve just roll over
and confess for pretty much no reason at all. I felt like I was watching the 1960's
Batman episodes the way they were revealing their plans. Even the watershed plot
twist, was just highly unrealistic. Over all, I was sorely disappointed in this
one. For almost any other author this is a bad book, for Banks this is almost
inexcusable to me. He is so much more talented then this book shows. I truly hope
this is just a one time lapse and not a trend of things to come. This is a two
and a half star. God, that hurts just saying that for one of his. |
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| Our RankingComplicity is another one of
Banks' straight fiction tales. While certainly no where near as twisted as The
Wasp Factory or Walking on Glass, Complicity proves to have more of an edge than
say The Crow Road and certainly The Business. Basically, it is set in an early
1990's Scotland. The book is full of English and Scottish modern day culture,
so be warned Americans, some of the jokes and quips will go over your head. I
caught a few but still knew some things were meant to be funny, but just didn't
get them. There's also plenty of world references to the time, so don't despair,
you will get plenty. One of the funnier references I thought was the main characters
addiction to a world conquest computer game called Despot. (The game proves to
be suspiciously like Civilization which I lost many a day to in the early 90's.)
The main character is a report named Cameron, who is lives a life that is quite
a few steps away from sainthood. Alcohol, drugs, Civilization - I mean Despot,
a little S & M, and even batches of Socialism (not that there's anything wrong
with that) thrown in for kicks, are all parts of his normal life. This less than
ideal life coupled with a few bad coincidences on his part, leaves Cameron the
perfect suspect for a few murders that have been occurring. Cameron is left with
no alternative then to try and get to the bottom of the murders to clear his own
name and in the process save his life. The plot winds up to be a bit predictable
and to be honest, nothing incredibly special. Banks does throw in a few evil twists
and turns, but the end result winds up being more or less what you expected about
half way through the book. However, as seems to be the case with a lot of his
more straight forward fiction, like the Crow Road, the plot really is just a vehicle
in the story. What makes the story a worthwhile and entertaining read is the characters
and the writing itself. Banks paints a very real picture of Cameron and his friends.
There relationship seems just so incredible real. Banks takes such pains to focus
on the little things that flesh out the characters and their interactions all
the more. The addiction to Despot, the slight unease of being asking to participate
in S & M games with his girl friend all add to Cameron's character making him
so much more believable. Much like the Crow Road I found myself reading this more
to learn about the characters than the plot. In addition, Complicity is loaded
with very intelligent and witty social commentary. Somehow, being an American,
I appreciate the wit even more getting from a UK perspective. The writing as with
nearly all of his books, is simply superb. All in all, I wound up enjoying this
book, but in the end, it really doesn't rank up the with the masterpiece, the
Wasp Factory. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't blown away either, hence the
four stars. It's well worth the read, but start with some of his others first.
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| Our RankingWhile
reading Canal Dreams, I was reminded a lot of Song of Stone. But since Canal Dreams
was written first, I guess the influence was the other way around. The plot is
fairly similar, and to be honest, the main villain (also a rebel) were quite a
bit alike. However, I have to admit, I enjoyed the Song of Stone a bit more. It
just seemed to be the more refined of the two, as if Banks had this idea, and
realized he fell a little short with Canal Dreams and improved upon it with Song
of Stone. Despite that, this was still a very good book, just not up to the usual
Banks' standard. Canal Dreams is extremely simplistic plot wise, probably one
of Banks' simplest. There are really no true plot twists (the one that does exist
really does nothing to change the focus of the book) and it winds up being a very
straight forward novel with a surprisingly (even for Banks) violent ending. What's
even more surprising is that up until the ending where everything just goes nuts,
not a whole lot happens. You basically get to know the characters, especially
the main character, Hisako and a little bit of their surroundings. Hisako is a
world famous cellist who happens to be terrified of flying. Being Japanese and
living in Japan, this is fairly problematic especially when the rest of the world
wants to see her tour. So, she finally gives in and decides to do a European tour,
but only if she travels by boat. So, half way into her journey to Europe, she
is passing through the Panama Canal, where at the time there happens to be quite
a bit of political upheaval. Due to this, her ship and two others become trapped
in a large lake just past the canal. They are not actually stuck in the fighting,
they just can't go any further along because of the fighting. So, they sit, wait,
party among the three boats and do a lot of diving. That is, until their ships
are suddenly taken over by the rebel forces. As all of Banks' books are, this
book is written amazingly well. I can never say enough just how subtly and masterfully
Banks reveals his characters and draws you into them. Hisako and her companions
are no different. And then, with the same ease he draws you in, he rips you apart,
ruthlessly destroying them. I enjoyed reading this and at only around 200 pages,
this is a breeze of a book to read. I finished it in a weekend. However, the plot
is a little bland for me, and especially for Banks, so despite the tremendous
writing, I have to rate this one of Banks weaker novels. I'd still kill to be
able to claim it as my own though. |
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Our Ranking Let me just say right from
the get go, that the 2 star rating my be a bit unfair on this. I'll admit, I'm
a little biased with Banks, considering he is my favorite author by a long shot
and well, I look forward to each of his new books with an incredible amount of
anticipation. So, because of that, I probably put him at a higher standard, and
might be a bit hard on him here. However, that said, the fact remains this is
not one of his best efforts, and even worse, I have to say this wasn't even as
good as The Business, which was pretty disappointing. Overall, this wasn't a horrible
book, it just really didn't have much there. It felt empty. It takes place in
very present day London, basically right after 9/11. (I have to admit, it was
a bit creepy reading about 9/11 in a fiction novel, and also a bit weird reading
it from the English perspective) The main character, Ken Nott is a Scottish shock
jock for one of the large London radio stations. Nott is a leftist, who tends
to push points to the extreme (as most shock jocks do to stay on the radio) and
with the current post 9/11 climate he has a ton to spout on about. For the most
part the book is about Nott's social life as he bounds about London, from pub
to pub, womanizing and getting into long winded political arguments with nearly
every other character in the book. Plot wise, this his to be the thinnest plot
I've ever read from Banks. There really wasn't one. It's simply Notts getting
in trouble from sleeping around, and cooking up some schemes to publicize his
show and views. I suspect the real "plot" of this novel is to have a character
that Banks can use as a mouth piece for his own political views. Without exaggerating,
I think it's safe to say nearly 50% of this book is simply political rants (in
the form of first person opinions from Nott or his radio broadcasts) or Notts
having political discussions/arguments with the other characters. Banks even went
so far as to have a scene where Notts was arguing with his ex-wife about Israel
and in the process getting her so upset she storms off, reacting as if Notts had
just slept with her sister, and not just had a disagreement over views. A lot
of this was unbelievable and the rest grew extremely tiresome. Also, just to get
it out there, this wasn't bothersome because I disagreed with the opinions expressed.
For the most part they were pretty fair, and at the beginning it was interesting
just to see the "Europe perspective". Instead, this might as well have just been
a political essay from Banks. To add insult to injury, along with the paper thin
plot, were surprisingly bad characters. This had to be the most surprising thing
of all, considering Banks is generally the master at this. Notts was tough to
care about due to the constant spouting of politics. It didn't help that in general
he was just an ass of a character as well. The side cast of characters were completely
forgettable. None of them stood out and they seemed to be there simply as listening
stations for Notts. If anything about this book disappointed me the most it was
the characters. Now that I finished the review, maybe I'm not being to hard with
this rating. Banks seemed to just have a lot on his mind, and like the rest of
us felt he needed to express his views of all that is happening in the world since
9/11. I have no problem with that. I just get a little upset when he tries to
hide these views in a form of a novel, and a bad one at that. (let along a $25
one) Overall, I think I'm going to pretend like he didn't write this one and with
the book being so focused around the current events of today, I get the feeling
it's going to be very dated and forgotten in a year or so. Here's hoping his next
sci-fi effort doesn't suffer the same fate. |
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 Our
Ranking Consider Phlebas is one of my favorite,
if not my favorite science fiction novels ever. It is the first of several science
fiction books by Iain Banks, and it launched the Culture series that he still
writes of today. In this one the Culture is actually the enemy, an oppressive
force that is fighting a brutal war with another alien race in which whole planets
and habitats are devastated for the cause of the war. In the middle of the is
Horza, a member of a changling species, who is fighting for the Culture's enemy
the Iridians. Horza is pitched into a dangerous mission to recovery a crashed
"mind" of the Culture. The minds are the artificial intelligences that not only
power the Culture's warships but are also the crux of their society. If the Iridians
can get hold of a living one, it could change the face of the war entirely. Banks
brings this tale to life. The characters are so rich, even the alien races, their
customs, their mannerisms, everything is explained so fully that you can't help
but feel that this is real. In the course of one book, Banks creates to opposed
alien races each with distinct and believable political systems and describes
them to the point that the reader actually sympathizes with one side or the other.
The unbelievable part is that all of this detail is just in the periphery of the
main story of Horza trying to get to the mind. Horza's journey to recover the
mind is actually a series of smaller adventures that are woven together expertly
by Banks. Each tale shows you another perspective of the galaxy and the war that
is raging on. Straight from the opening pages of this book I was hooked. The opening
scene is one of the best I've ever read and it truly gives you the groundwork
for Horza's character and what is to follow. There are very few slow parts throughout
the book, but those are quickly forgiven by the explosive ending that just left
me dying to read more from this setting. This may not be the best of the Culture
series from the perspective of plot, but it is still the best just from the sheer
scale of it. Banks is just an incredible talent, and he displays it wonderfully
here and in the rest of the culture series. |
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 Our
Ranking Look to Windward is the latest in a
long line of incredible Culture novels by Iain Banks. After reading several other
reviews of this, it has become obvious that this is either a love or hate book
for Banks fans. I happened to absolutely love it, and wanted so much more when
it was finished, but then again I've never been disappointed by a Banks sci-fi
novel. Continuing what he seemed to have started with Excession
Look to Windward focuses mostly on the non human aspects of the Culture. The five
to six main characters, are either alien or minds (artificial intelligences).
It is not as extreme as Excession was, where it totally focused on the minds,
but it still was rather striking not to have a single human character to relate
with. Despite that, Banks does not fail in delivering incredible characters, with
true motivations and just flat out wonderfully developed personalities. The main
(I don't want to say villain because the implies being evil) protagonist is an
alien that lost his wife in a civil war. The character is built around this pain
and suffering and Banks lays the bricks to his foundation so subtly that you are
left with a complete understanding of why he is reacting as he is. While he is
by far the strongest character writing wise, the others, even the minds, are no
less powerful. These strong characters were certainly needed though. The plot
is not the grand sweeping plot of Consider Phlebas or Use of Weapons that Banks
fans have grown to love. It is a lot more like Inversions, an extremely more intimate
tale that only involves a few characters but manages to affect them dramatically.
I think this is one of the reasons that it is getting mixed reviews by a lot of
fans. I think they crave the galactic level that Banks delivers so well. I enjoyed
the honing in that Banks did here. What the smaller plot and the alien characters
allow Banks to do is really explore the Culture's, well, culture, from an outsiders
perspective. Throughout the book, Banks has the aliens looking upon the Culture
with mixed emotions, and from their own unique views. Banks seemed to have a lot
of fun with this and I also got the feeling that he was finally trying to describe
what he had always felt about them from the beginning. It really gives the reader
an opportunity to judge if the Culture is a force of good or evil, and if their
so called Utopia is really just that. Needless to say, you find yourself thinking
a bit about it. Overall, I completely loved this book. I still think Use of Weapons
and Consider Phlebas are a notch above it, but those two are just simply mind
blowing so it's not a fair comparison. If you are a Banks fan, this is a must
read without a doubt. If you're new to Banks, this might be a rough one to start
with since it does assume you know a lot about the Culture. I'd suggest grabbing
Consider Phlebas first and then maybe moving
to this one. |
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 Our
Ranking Cover is from the UK version which
is much cooler looking Excession is yet another science fiction novel set
in the Culture world that Banks created back with Consider Phlebas. However, unlike
the previous novels set in this world, this is really the first one that takes
the focus off of the humans in the Culture, and rather focuses on the alien races
as well as the Minds. (the Artificial Intelligences that are the backbone to the
Culture) In particular, Excession heavily revolves around the Minds. Nearly all
of the main characters are actually these sentinent computers. Admittedly, at
first this was very interesting. Having read all of the previous Culture books
where the Minds are characters, but generally more mysterious and in the background
manipulating things, it was wild to have the story actually told from their perspective.
The problem is that they proved to be so utterly foreign that it became very hard
to relate with them. Banks does a good job of trying to lay out the Minds own
sub-culture and etiquette. You get a great perspective of just how powerful these
Minds really are and if they truly wanted to rule everything, the humans of the
Culture would stand no real chance against them. As part of this, Banks also explains
why the Minds don't abuse this power, and how the Minds that do are heavily looked
down upon and even banished from the Mind's sub-culture. This background proved
pretty vital to the plot and was done pretty well. Where the foreignness really
set in was with the interaction between the Minds. Banks brings you through pages
of e-mails, transmissions, etc. that the ships are exchanging. This became a little
tedious at points and I felt it really convoluted the plot. By the ending, I was
really hoping for some humanness just to wrap things up, but of course that never
really occurs. What I really missed, was Banks' trademark incredible characters
that no matter what the plot was, you want to keep reading because you care so
much about them. The plot itself, was probably the most sweeping plot Banks has
written to date. The sheer magnitude of it also didn't help the books cause. There
was no small cause you could really cling to, or root for. Everything was at a
massively large, almost cold level. Couple that with the lack of any characters
that you could relate to, and after a while you feel like you are reading a history
book instead of a novel. Now, don't get me wrong, the plot was still a very interesting
one, but it was just way too big. Overall, Excession is my least favorite of all
of the Culture books. While it is not a horrible novel (the writing after all
is still Banks and therefore incredible) it is truly not his best effort. If you're
a fan, and have read all of the other Culture ones, you might as well read this
one. However, if you're looking to get introduced to Banks, or have only read
one or two Culture books, read the others first. |
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 Our
RankingPlayer of Games is the second sci-fi novel
by Banks, set in the Culture world that was originally written in Consider Phlebas.
The Culture is an intergalactic power that has conquered nearly all of the known
galaxy. It is comprised of an odd combination of artificial intelligent(AI) computers
and humans. On the surface it is most certainly a utopian society, but throughout
his Culture series, Banks peels back the layers to expose the cracks beneath it.
The important thing to know is that the computers are starving for knowledge and
this is pretty much what drives them. Knowledge and subversity. The Player of
Games is centered around Gurgeh, a human citizen of the Culture that is a master
gamesman, never beaten within the Culture itself. He is offered a mission to go
to a distant galaxy that the Culture has no influence in and that is driven by
an amazingly complex game. They are hoping Gurgeh can solve it. The writing in
this is incredible. This is only Banks' second sci fi novel so it is still very
raw and he is still exploring the Culture itself. As always with Banks' the characters
are incredibly solid and this includes the AI's characters as well. The traits
and personalities he gives these computers are a brilliant combination of wit
and cunning. One of the trade mark of these Culture novels are the eccentric natures
of some of the AIs. The game itself is fairly amazing. What is so great about
it, is that Banks uses it a lot to teach you the subtleties of not only the alien
world, but also the Culture itself and how their minds (and Minds) work. Using
this, Banks in a very unique manner exposes you to the political system of this
planet that is so central to the plot of the story. It's just so much more creative
than just spelling it straight out. The game is also incredibly complex and Banks
actually goes into some heavy detail of the rules. It's obvious from this one
and also Complicity where he details the game Despot that Banks is a games lover.
If you've never read a Banks sci-fi book this might not be a bad one to start
with. A good thing about the Culture series is that each book really stands on
its own, and you can start with anyone. This is certainly one of the best of the
series. |
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 Our
Ranking This may only be available in the
UK. Against a Dark Background was the first Iain Banks book I'd read, and
luckily I didn't go with my first instinct and stop here. It's not to say that
this isn't a good book, but it is a very tough read. As always with Banks, the
characters are phenomenal. They are full of the wonderful quirks and little things
that make a Banks character seem so much more real. However, even after rereading
this, I found the 2 female characters to be a bit annoying. They just seemed a
bit too unrealistic and too much on the border of the stereotypical sci-fi male
author female macho character. The main issue with this book is that it almost
feels like it is a sequel. The characters are all old time friends and the book
refers to many past missions but just in passing. In addition it almost feels
like Banks expects you to know the other characters as well as they know each
other. I actually stopped reading it halfway through the first time to see if
I could find the first of the series but realized there was none. You don't miss
anything from the plot of the story but it feels like you are reading a long inside
joke and you're on the outside. The plot itself is pretty interesting, and while
sci-fi, this is not a Culture series, even though a vague argument could be made
that it might be. The ending is actually incredible and in my mind saved the book
from being a disaster. It is an extremely viscous last 100 or so pages that I
couldn't put down and also couldn't believe what I was reading. Once there, the
book was worth the read, but if you want to read a true Banks novel, start with
Use of Weapons or Consider Phlebas. |
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 Our
RankingThe State of the Art is actually a longish
short story by Banks, once again using the Culture as the backdrop for his tale.
In this one we find the Culture orbiting Earth, the members of Contact as well
as the sentinant GCU (living ship) are observing the planet during the 1970's.
They watch curiously as mankind is engaging in a brutal arms race which they can
only conclude will lead to man's obliteration at its own hands. Banks offers a
refreshing perspective of human nature and politics, giving it completely from
the Utopian view of the Culture. This is certainly his most philosophical of his
science fiction works, delivery very thoughtful commentaries and discussion around
what it means to be human, and whether we may be quite deserving of our own self
destruction. This is really brought to a head when one of the members of Contact
decides to remain on Earth, even going so far as to gengineer himself to be more
humanish. Is this enough to be called human? I found myself as a reader, actually
leaning towards the Culture's side of the argument almost not understanding what
he saw in mankind that would convince him to try and convert. This is somewhat
disturbing, but truly makes you think, almost trying to position the argument
yourself. Along with the philosophical angle there is also some of Banks usual
political observations. While not as clever as the main debate, they do present
a unique position. The plot is not a strong as most of Banks' works, but unlike
most of his science fiction, the plot is not what is driving this tale. What makes
the story click is the situation, the debate and interaction as well as reactions
of the Culture to Earth and its people. The characters are wonderful and their
responses to Earth carry the story. This is an extremely short read, and well
worth it. It is a worthwhile addition to the Culture series. |
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 Our
RankingInversions is the latest science fiction
effort by Iain Banks (hence the M. in his name). While certainly not straight
fiction, Inversions isn't exactly science fiction. It is set on a distant planet
that has mostly primitive, midevilish, technology. However there are subtle hints
that this planet is certainly not alone and may be being influenced by those with
a much higher, more futuristic technology. Dare I say, the Culture? (For those
of you not familiar with Iain Banks, the Culture is a recurring futuristic civilization
in most of his science fiction books. See my reviews of Player of Games and Consider
Phlebas for more). Inversions is really two completely separate stories in one.
He tells each one with alternating chapters, and while set in the same world,
the stories only have limited repercussions upon each other. Each story focuses
on a different character. The first is around a strong willed female doctor who
is the personal medic for the King in the region. The second is around a brooding
bodyguard who is personally responsible for the head of his particular region
as well. Between the two stories you come away with a very strong sense of the
world Banks is describing. The perspectives allow you to see different angles
of the political and social situations of the two distinct regions. Due to this,
you become very close to the setting in the tale and Banks does a wonderful subtle
job of intertwining the regions ever so slightly. This is going to start to sound
repetitious in my Banks reviews, but once again, the characters are amazing. The
two main characters are very well done. You truly begin to feel for each of them,
understanding them, but at the same time still a bit unsure of their motivations.
(this is especially true with the more mysterious Doctor). Banks does a tremendous
job of slightly masking their motivations behind serving their perspective leaders,
keeping you guessing as the plot unfolds, but at the same time leaving you feeling
very close to the two. The winds up being so needed at the cliff hanger ending
where you are simply left wondering, and depending on how you perceived the drives
of the characters you come up with a different conclusion. Only a few authors
could have pulled this off so well, and Banks is certainly one of them. In addition
to the two central characters, the side cast was written just as well. Both leaders
act as foils to each other, one so strong and willed but cast into a helpless
scenario, the other weak and stuck beneath his dead father's legacy but seemingly
in a position to grasp greatness. They both remain so true to character throughout
the story. To be honest, every character, from the King's head torturer, to the
Doctor's assistant, to the Bodyguard's female friend (and head of the leader's
harem) to the minor diplomats who flow in and out of the scenes, Banks does a
tremendous job. This truly is a character tale. The plot is good (very simple
but good), but it is driven by the characters. As I mentioned above, even the
ending is influenced by what you took from the characters. I surprised myself
at how much a loved this book. It has to be one of the top character driven tales
I've ever read. It is somewhat sneaky on how it gets you though. You feel as if
you are just reading along, moving back and forth from scene to scene as the plot
ever so slowly unfolds. At some point though, the plot becomes almost secondary.
You find yourself more concerned with the plights of the characters and learning
more of their past and present. It's a wonderful feeling to read a book that can
do this. Even for non science fiction fans, I would suggest this one. It is just
a great piece of writing. |
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 Our
RankingLet's get this right out in the open.
Feersum Endjinn is a tough read. There's really no getting around it. This is
not a book you can just read casually. This one takes full concentration throughout
most of it to grasp what is happening. If you can make that commitment, and manage
to plow through it, I promise you'll be swept into an incredible tales of fantasy.
Feersum Endjinn is written from several different characters viewpoints. Banks
alternates chapters among them, twisting and turning the plot, dancing the characters
tantalizingly close to each only to blow them apart with no warning. Just when
you get a feel for how these characters relate, Banks' proves you wrong. This
is certainly one of the more entertaining parts of the novel. While reading it,
you just find yourself amazed at the complexity of their interrelations and you'll
come to realize you are in the skilled hands of a master. The plot to this one
is one of the best of Banks' science fiction works(second to only Use of Weapons).
The general premise is of a futuristic Earth which has passed on. The creators
of incredible technologies and monuments are no longer on Earth, either having
moved on or been terminated somehow. The remaining residents are left in the shadows
of these technologies, hoping to maybe somehow harness them to prevent a second
ice age from taking the planet. The problem is, the characters for the most part
are a scattered group, ranging in talents or lack of, and have no real knowledge
of these treasures left behind. One of the tough parts (and for a lot of people
one of the reasons they give up on this book) is that one of the main characters
has everything written in phonetics. The character is obviously for the most part
illiterate and spells things exactly how they sound. Hence the title, Feersum
Enjinn is really supposed to be Fearsome Engine. This takes quite a bit to get
used to. First off, it's tough to read entire chapters written like this. You
feel as if you are translating. Second, and this is mostly for Americans, you
phonetics is actually based on a Scottish pronunciation. There are points where
you are trying to sound out the syllables to the words and the make no sense.
Basically this is because you are supposed to be trying to pronounce this like
a Scot. Pretty rough. However, once you get through two or three chapters you
start to almost read these parts like it was a true language. Banks uses this
nicely at points to really twist the description and make some fairly witty comments
from this view point. It really does add to the story once you get used to it.
All in all, this is a completely different kind of science fiction from Banks.
It is not a Culture novel. It has no sweeping galactic wars or alien races. It
truly is a new world and once you are past the translations, a truly fantastic
world. Do yourself a favor and make the effort on this one. It's worth every word. |
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