Walking on Glass by Iain Banks

[ChrisC]

Ok I've finished this book. It was a highly enjoyable surreal read. However, it left me thinking what was the point. I guess the point was there is no point or am I missing the point. I did enjoy the Sci Fi element greatly though.

 

[Crispy]

Ok I've finished this book. It was a highly enjoyable surreal read. However, it left me thinking what was the point. I guess the point was there is no point or am I missing something. I did enjoy the Sci Fi element greatly though.

No 'big' point, just



SPOILER WARNING!




















PLOT COMING UP!





















Just that the reason life is so shitty is because it's actually a punishment for POWs in another universe.

 

[oi2002]

I'd been reading far too much heavy depressing stuff on ME politics and somebody The Algebrasist for Xmas.

A real page turner... as it's just plain dull. I got to page 150 after an hor or so and then he put in an uppercase text message passage, AD 4025, yes really clever Iain M. I actually quite liked Feersum Engine but 80s gags get tired. Went back to reading about the Kurdish genocide to cheer myself up.

Space operas were what he was good at, the first couple of culture novels are witty and interestingly constructed fantasies. His gothic stuff, Wasp Factory excepted has always been tedious and rather more adolescent than the SF.

WARNING: Very popular author with 90s Loyalist paramillitaries.

 

[Wanderer]

I've loved every book I've ever read by Ian Banks, especially the Sci-Fi. The man can do no wrong in my eyes. I enjoyed The Algebraist so much I actually saved chapters for the next day so that I wouldn't finish it too quickly. My personal favourites:

Wasp Factory
Consider Phlebas
Complicity
The Algebraist
The Business
Feersum Endjinn

Worst Iain Banks Book: Raw Spirit.

Basically he gets paid to travel round Scotland looking for the perfect dram of single malt. Cue pages and pages of literary wanking and non-Whiskey related rambling. Still, it did lead to my current love of single malts, so I still rate it.

 

[Main Street]

Walking On Glass is good.

Espedair Street is his best IMOH, some well funny moments in that one.

Yeah, have to agree with this. Read Espedair Street first. I wasn't that impressed with Walking on Glass.

Complicity is good.

"is good" that's lame isn't it? Sorry Iain. You are a fucking genious