The last few weeks I've been reading some fiction. Most of it has consisted of books by Iain M Banks. I hadn't read him before, but on impulse I bought The Algebraist a few months ago. It then gathered dust in my book case for a while, until I mentioned Banks to my colleague, and he promptly borrowed me The Player of Games. Once again, I didn't get started on it immediately, due to some pressing time constraints. But when I finally read it I was mesmerized. Not hard SF (which I usually prefer), but not too soft either, and with an intelligence and vision that is hard to find. So I devoured The Algebraist, and found it very nice too. Now I've read Consider Phlebas, Look To Windwards, and I'm halfway through Excession.
Basically, if you like Science Fiction, you will most probably love Iain M Banks. His person portraits are engaging and very believable and the backdrop is so intense and well fleshed out. Go read! I'm going to do exactly that with all books I can find by him. And when I'm finished with his SF, I guess I'll have to try the books he writes as Iain Banks too.
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Banks is marvellous. I think Player of Games especially is way up there in my pantheon of favourite books. I need to borrow The Algebraist from Giles again. I'd borrowed it and then got sidetracked, and he took it back since he wanted to read it himself.
If you are enjoying the mix of thought on politics/cultures in with your more favoured "hard" SF and want another author to try, give Ken MacLeod a try. (He and Banks are old friends - since they were teenagers in fact) I'm currently reading Learning the World. I'd suggest starting with his first novel though - The Star Fraction, which is the first book in his "Fall Revolution" cycle.
Oh, and HI! and sorry I've been so crap about getting on IM lately. I will try to remeber to be better about it- we need to catch up.
Meg
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