h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Personally I have to confess a deep love of 'The Player of Games' - so easy to read! Unlike 'Feersum Endjinn', which made my eyes nearly fall out of my head at first.

Love 'Against a Dark Background' - okay, it's not Culture, but it *does* refer to the Culture. Superb.

Hello! "Player" was the first Culture book I read. I was hooked from then. "Feersum"was hard going because of the accents - ditto for the "Bridge" but very enjoyable.

Finished the new one 6 months ago but I'm at work and can't remember the title. It was about planets blowing up and an ambassor with a General implanted in his head. Oh yeah and a big fireworks display. God, my description sounds crap!!! Very good though.

Yeah, I'm at work too, can't remember it for the life of me... too much , feel like my head's about to implode... bought the hardback for £3.50 (bargain queen or what?!)

I'm home now and can't find it anywhere! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh, thats annoyed me! Do you know the one I mean though?

Oh crap! Sorry, I seem to have exploded the page. No idea how to get it back to size either

Heh heh... I have days like that!1

Sure do know the one you mean. the first book I read was Consider Phlebas, and it blew me away. Loved The Wasp Factory, too.

Aha, a lot of people only seem to read the Culture stuff. Glad to find a fellow Wasp fan! I've heard rumors that a film will be made of it. it will have to be good to match the book.

Did you ever see the BBC adaptation of The Crow Road? I was almost afraid to watch it in case they make a complete pig's ear of it, but it was actually alright. The Crow Road definately lent itself to serialisation.

Agree that the film of the Wasp Factory would have to be phenomenal to match the book. Is this a definite, or just a rumour? I can't imagine seeing it on screen - I've got such subjective views of how it should be played (that's what writing your fifth-year dissertation on Iain Banks does to you.)

Ahhh Iain Banks fans... I have to say my faves are the Player of Games and Espedair Street.

While I am here have you guys heard of the new h2g2 Club - the h2g2 Bookworms. Confusingly this is not a club for small wriggly things who like eating paper, but humans who love books. You can find the club at A745544

I think Espedair Street is one of the best and funniest books about music around.
Crow Road was very good and even got my ignorant mates reading!!!
I'll check out the bookworm site.

Forgot to say.... the W, Factory article was in a comic related magazine talking about turning comics into films.
Director of a film I can't remember, mentioned he was trying to get the rights.
This article was a couple of years ago.

Hello fellow Banks fans. My favourites have to be Excession, Look to Windward and Use of Weapons. Haven't read any of his non sci-fi stuff yet. What do you recommend I should start with?

Probably 'The Wasp Factory', as it was the first novel an' all, but if you're loooking for cool opening lines, you won't get much better than "The Crow Road".

May I also recommend "Whit" - one of my friends found it hard work, but it's just a stunning study of isolation and religious fervour.

And "The Bridge" may suit you, if you like the SF stuff.

Kitten

Yep, I think "Whit" would be a good starter..... I did not find it hard work though,
+ it would be interesting from the fact that is is as far removed from the SF stuff as you can get!

Just reading through these messages and i was a bit surprised no one has mentionned Inversions, ok, i know its never confirmed that it even has anything to do with the Culture but its pretty obvious that it does. I thought it was an excellent book, very easy to read and i found the two stories worked well together. Not read Feersum Endjinn yet but i was gonna read it on holiday this year.

The Wasp Factory was the first Banks book I read, and I never looked back.

His new stuff isn't really cutting it anymore though. Dead Air is the best of his last 3 books, but the Business and ( can't thing of the name) were not so good.

Best book was Walking on Glass.

not read any of the normal (non sci-fi) but inversions and excession are the best that i have read

I've read The Wasp Factory, Walking on Glass, A Song of
Stone, Whit, The Player of Games and Look to Windward.
Can't get enough of them. A song of stone is one sick,
twisted book, but such is the brilliance of Iain Banks,
there was not one moment where i regretted starting it.
My favourite book would have to be walking on glass. sheer poetry