So my Granny borrowed The Wasp Factory

Valmont

The title says it all, I hope she likes it. This incident reminded of how much I liked the book and how it freaked me out and me made laugh simultaneously. I went to go and buy another Iain Banks book but there were too many. What would you all recommend if I loved The Wasp Factory? Did he write any similar stories?

randomguy

Of the 4 or 5 others I read, I really liked The Crow Road most of all.

showry

He tends to be hit or miss. The Crow Road does stand out. I liked Espedair street too and The Steep Approach to Garbadale.
Anyone I've ever lent The Wasp Factory to has given me very strange looks afterwards.

spadder

I like Ian Banks, I'm not a big sci-fan fan, but his "culture" books he writes under Ian M. Banks are stunning.

"Consider Phlebus" is mind blowing.

General Zod

Do not read "the Buisness" or "Walking on Glass". Terrible, Terrible books.

Crow Road is good, as in Wasp Factory.

Consider Phlebas and most of his M. books are excellent.

BossArky

The more Iain Banks, I read the worse he gets

I guess I lucked out by reading the Wasp Factory and Player of Games first.

Some of the other stuff is woeful.

Zulu

spadder wrote: »

"Consider Phlebus" is mind blowing.

I didn't think it was that good. 6/10.

I loved "Matter" though. Really liked that.

voxpop

Zulu wrote:

I loved "Matter" though.

Did you not think it was a bit drawn out - and the ending, jeysus



I gotta say that the business and canal dreams are 2 I wouldnt recommend


Complicity is decent - long time since I read it though. Against a dark background is good - avoid Feersum Endjinn

Zulu

voxpop wrote: »

Did you not think it was a bit drawn out - and the ending, jeysus

Nah I really liked the characters. I loved the way there was a bigger picture. nah I really liked it.

(Can't remember the ending now to be honest...) :rolleyes:

Andy-Pandy

Ian M, is better than Ian.

Valmont

Thanks guys, it seems everyone has their own specific Iain Banks tastes. I'll give Crow road a go. My granny loved the book surprisingly enough. She is 80 and a staunch Catholic!

spadder

A long time since I read them but i remember really enjoying "Use of weapons" and "the player of games". The short story "The state of the art" was brilliant.
It's amazing none of his Sci-Fi stuff has been flimed. I saw a comment that "Consider Phelbus was the greatest Sci-fi movie yet to be made"
The crow road was made as a BBC mini series with Peter Capaldi

InvisibleBadger

General Zod wrote: »

Do not read "the Buisness" or "Walking on Glass". Terrible, Terrible books.

Crow Road is good, as in Wasp Factory.

Consider Phlebas and most of his M. books are excellent.

I liked "the business", although it turns out to be less epic than it builds up to be.

Sci-Fi wise, i've read all "The Culture" books and loved them( Look To Windward/Excession are my favorites).
There is a BBC radio play of "State of The Art" out on the interwebs somewhere.
I tried Against a Dark Background and thought it was painfully bad.

As for giving granny The Wasp Factory...lol.

beans

His straight-up fiction can be hit-and-miss. I really enjoyed The Wasp Factory and Dead Air, The Bridge to a certain extent, and even A Song Of Stone.

Only read one of his Culture books (Look To Windward) which was excellent... more of the same, please. The Dublin library system seems to be utterly devoid of any good contemporary fiction, but I've only had a cursory glance around the Pearse St shelves, admittedly.

doonothing

I'm not really enjoying Complicity, hoping it gets better!