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My favorite is Excession. The minds are often more interesting than the humans.
by eco 12y ago
My favorite is Excession. The minds are often more interesting than the humans.
- danieltillett 12y agoExcess is definitely a great book. The problem of choosing the best Iain Banks book is like a parent choosing their favourite child :)
- joshvm 12y agoExcession is basically Mind-porn. It's the one you read once you have some understanding of how the Culture operates and then by god it's good. I imagine people who read it early on are disappointed or annoyed by all the jargon - the very beginning in particular, even though it does get explained simply to you later on in the book.
- misnome 12y agoCuriously, this is the first one I read - the premise sounded interesting when reading the back in an airport bookshop. It was a little hurdle to get past the beginning, but once adjusted very rewarding. Easier to read than Feersum Endjinn, at least! Personally I think "Look to Windward" is probably the best general introduction to the culture.
- qohen 12y agoEasier to read than Feersum Endjinn, at least! A Feersum Endjinn reading tip/hack: from what I recall (having done it, years ago), you can save time (and annoyance) by simply skipping the chapters with the phonetically-spelled journal of the mentally-challenged character, Bascule the Teller, and the story still seems to work just fine. You'll just want to remember that Bascule exists, though, so when he shows up -- way later, in the third-person -- you'll know who it is.
- joshvm 12y agoAgreed on Look to Windward, that or Player of Games for a good overview of how the Culture works. I think State of the Art is often overlooked, it's a wonderful novella. There's a fantastic Radio 4 adaptation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRl9D_agLbU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRl9D_agLbU