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Against a Dark Background isn't a Culture book, but it features a gun with a sense of humour... Um, are you looking for sci-fi, or not? Only he wrote both, and all other things being equal I'd suggest starting with The Wasp Factory, which is an amazing achievement.
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Oct 10, 2014 11:12
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:13 |
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LSV Actually, That's a Misquote
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Oct 17, 2014 23:01
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I think that Transition, like The Steep Approach to Garbadale, works a lot better if you read it early. I just couldn't shake the thought "I liked this a lot better when it was simpler and easier to follow and called 'The Business'."
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Nov 10, 2014 03:03
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Can someone who likes Inversions tell me what the point of all that was? At least Canal Dreams had a heroine I could cheer for. I mean, I get what he was trying to do, mostly, but there had to be a better way...
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Dec 17, 2014 23:28
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Banks, like Terry Pratchett, is a complete original. We'll nae see his like again and it's completely hopeless looking for someone to play that role.
Trin Tragula fucked around with this message at 21:36 on Jun 23, 2015 |
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Jun 23, 2015 21:31
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IIRC his starting point was "Iain Banks does an airport novel".
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Jul 6, 2015 15:33
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I thought it was an interesting near miss. Definitely worth trying to see what you think.
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Sep 20, 2015 19:33
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If you like him best when he's being totally weird, go for The Wasp Factory, Walking on Glass, The Bridge, and A Song of Stone. If you like his characterisations, go for Whit, Espedair Street, or The Crow Road. If you like his plotting and imagination best, try Complicity, The Business, or Stonemouth.
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Dec 8, 2015 14:57
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Excuse me, but are you implying that "Pounded in the Butt By My Own Book 'Pounded in the Butt By My Own Butt'" is not significant?
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Dec 10, 2015 21:15
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You have to be able to cope with lukn @ reel wurd nat-Ingels rittin 2 b abel 2 njoi Feersumm Endjinn, myn u; wic i kant reely du so t woz 1/2 interesting and 1/2 dull paynfull slog (I had exactly the same problem with Riddley Walker.)
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Mar 15, 2016 12:38
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I'm far from sure that I'd describe Excession as the best Culture book, but it's definitely my favourite. That ITG takeover of the Taussig Incident scratches a very deep-rooted itch.
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Apr 28, 2016 14:17
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The Culture is not a liberal democracy and I wouldn't be surprised if suggesting that it is means that you start hearing a ghostly Scottish voice singing the Internationale for a while (leave out a few drams of Islay and it should go away again) http://www.vavatch.co.uk/books/banks/cultnote.htm Trin Tragula fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Apr 30, 2016 |
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Apr 30, 2016 23:29
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:13 |
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Dude, have you read Complicity yet? Go read Complicity. Right now.
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Jan 25, 2017 18:01
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