Ian Banks, writer...

Let me share something a little bit more intelligent that just ramblings about my kitchen...

I have always been a voracious reader. I drive my wife to distraction with all the books I always have laying about. I am one of those persons that can read more than one book at the time. On some occasions I have 5 books on the go. I read a bit from one, I read a bit from the other. Another odd fact about me is that I re-read books a lot. For example the Robert Heinlein SF classic 'Time enough for love' is a book that I must have read at least 5 times. My missus does wonder about that. My main reason for re-reading books is that some books are written with such a love for language that you keep finding little bits and pieces that you missed last time.

I read all sorts. I have favourite catagories but I will read anything. I have been known to even read the thrashy chick-lit my wife reads when I have run out of books on holiday.

My main love is SF. Any of the great writers like Asimov, Heinlein or Ian M Banks can get me interested. Especially 'old' SF books written in the 50's and 60's are useful to show what the thinking in those days was with regards to the future. Yes, most of the technology and societies described have now been overtaken or disregarded but it still provides a good window on the thinking of the time. Take a book like 'The Green Hills of Earth' by Robert Heinlein. It is a 1952 collection of short stories by Heinlein. Yes, most of the technology is now all outdated or bypassed but the actual stories stand up as good old yarns...

My favourite however is a scottish writer, Ian Banks. He goes by that name for his fiction and Ian M. Banks for his Science Fiction. http://www.iainbanks.net/ The first book I read by him was Consider Phlebas and it really bowled me over. In my opinion this was the 'space opera' coming of age. Within months I read everything by him I could get my hands on. He's written over 20 books now and I have read them all. Actually, I'm a sad bastard, I have all the books by him on the shelf...

Other books I enjoy a lot are biographies. One of the best I read was about the american WWII general George Patton. The book was called (unsuprisingly) Patton, by Ladislas Farago. The book managed to cram a lot of facts and figures in a book about a fascinating character. Another good one is Bob Marley by co-written by Chris Blackwell. We all think we know all about these famous people but when you read about the nitty gritty background it can be suprising.

I know that SF readers are always looked upon as nerds and slightly weird people, in my opinion people that read Science Fiction are just trying to broaden their minds and take a new point of view at age-old problems and opportunities.

Anyone read any good new SF authors recently? Drop us a comment. About any book I suppose...

Here is the url from Orbit books, the publisher of Ian Banks' books, http://www.orbitbooks.co.uk/
I guess the other books can be found on Amazon, http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=books

Cheerio,

Charles Dickens.