PEOPLE / 1 WORK

Dean Lorey

TV 2003Arrested DevelopmentMitchell Hurwitz

TV · 2003

Arrested Development

PEOPLE / 1 WORK

Hugh Grant

Movies 2023Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among ThievesMichael Gilio

Movies · 2023

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

PEOPLE / 24 WORKS

Iain Banks

Also credited as BANKS, IAIN, 1954-2013 · Iain M Banks · IAIN M. BANKS · IAIN M.BANKS · BANKS, IAIN M., 1954-2013 · Iain M. Banks · Banks I

Books 2012StonemouthIain Banks

Books · 2012

Stonemouth

Books 2012The Hydrogen SonataIain M. Banks

Books · 2012

The Hydrogen Sonata

Books 2010Surface DetailIain M. Banks

Books · 2010

Surface Detail

Books 2009TransitionIain M. Banks

This is the only non-Culture Sci Fi I've read from Banks. As usual it is up to his high standards. I thought it was a pretty cool combination of secret agents and science fiction. I do feel like Banks played up the sex a bit much but he is want to do that.

Books · 2009

Transition

Books 2008MatterIain M. Banks

Books · 2008

Matter

Books 2007The Steep Approach to GarbadaleIain Banks

My favorite novel. I think one of Bank's greatest skills is building to the big showdown at the end of his books. Often that showdown involves lasers or fires or whatnot. This time it involves a family reunion and company meeting but the outcome is just as good. My only complaint with the book that some others have mentioned is the entirely unnecessary anti-American rant near the end. While I didn't disagree with it I didn't feel it added anything to the novel aside from letting Banks express his outrage. I've now read this book three or four times and would highly recommend it.

Books · 2007

The Steep Approach to Garbadale

Books 2003Raw SpiritIain Banks

Books · 2003

Raw Spirit

Books 2002Dead AirIain Banks

Books · 2002

Dead Air

Books 2000Look to WindwardIain M. Banks

Books · 2000

Look to Windward

Books 1999The BusinessIain Banks

Edit 6/16/16- Bumping this up to a 5 star, this isn't Banks' best work. But I really do love it. I feel it encapsulates so much of what Banks liked writing about and what I like about his writing. Personally I'm moving it to my upper tier of his work. ---- This was the first book by Banks I've read in almost a year. That's kind of weird. My plan was to finish his books this year. I think for that reason I really liked it, I missed the old bastard (miss :(.) I think that outside of Canal Dreams Banks has done pretty well by his few female protagonists and I liked this one a lot. It's a pretty enjoyable book partly for being set in the real world with one big fictional construct, The Business itself. It's also interesting for his quite leftist views to be worked into a story about a huge multinational. I found the end a little abrupt/unsatisfying though I liked where things ended. This was far from the top of his work but I enjoyed it.

Books · 1999

The Business

Books 1997A Song of StoneIain Banks

Books · 1997

A Song of Stone

Books 1996ExcessionIain M. Banks

Good. Banks' only book with a medieval setting. More typically it has an odd structure but it works out very well. The end is kept very vague which I liked but also causes some frustration. Regardless, I'd recommend it.

Books · 1996

Excession

Books 1995WhitIain Banks

The synopsis is the story’s protagonist is Isis, Beloved Elect of God (one of his very few female protagonists) who was born on February 29th. By nature of that fact she is the successor to her Grandfather as leader of the Luskentyrians, a Scottish cult. She is sent off into the wilds of England to try and track down her cousin who has renounced the faith. As this is a book about a cult written by Iain Banks this clearly sets off a series of events that will *sarcastic spoiler alert* SHAKE THE FOUNDATIONS OF HER FAITH!1! Mild spoilers with a censor at the end for real spoilers. So anyway, I think the book is really good. One of Banks’ strengths as a writer is world building. This is more on display in his SF but I think that without a doubt it plays a role in much of his mainstream fiction (Espedair Street comes to mind.) He uses world building to great effect here creating a view of a modern cult whit a narrator that believes wholeheartedly which rings true. Well, rings authentic, ‘true’ might be the wrong word when talking about an Atheist writing about a cult. Anyway… I enjoyed the book a lot. It starts as an adventure story or maybe a coming of age story. This being Banks DARK SECRETS become involved and you start to wonder where things will end up. The young woman from a rustic cult going to the big city angle works well especially as Isis brow-beats most of those she meets into assisting her. This makes the characters she can’t control that much more important. Throughout the book reading it as an atheist I was rooting against the cult as could be expected. I’d expect a good number of god-fearing Christians to do the same if for other reasons. However the reader is also rooting for Isis which creates some internal conflicts of interest that I personally enjoyed. In the end so I liked how the book ended. At some level I wanted Isis to burn the place to the ground, literally or figuratively both work. However I think the book ended well and open-ended (omg does Isis like the ladies?) which is the best in cases such as this. Isis’ role and the community’s survival seem secured. What Isis wants beyond the community is unclear, especially to her and that is okay, she is a young woman. My one complaint is that I thought Salvador's robbery in the past was a little unnecessary. The plot as written needed it but I think the book would have been better with something a little less dramatic.

Books · 1995

Whit

Books 1993Against a Dark BackgroundIain M. Banks

Books · 1993

Against a Dark Background

Books 1993ComplicityIain Banks

Books · 1993

Complicity

Books 1992The Crow RoadIain Banks

Books · 1992

The Crow Road

Books 1990Use of WeaponsIain M. Banks

Another great Culture novel from Banks. It was hard for the first few chapters to follow but once I "got it" the story telling device worked brilliantly. The entire book was engaging and I'd highly recommend it.

Books · 1990

Use of Weapons

Books 1989Canal DreamsIain Banks

Books · 1989

Canal Dreams

Books 1988The Player of GamesIain M. Banks

The second Culture book I read. It was an enjoyable read. As someone who plays a lot of games I really liked the focus on them in this book. Overall however I found the story and characters to best the least-gripping of the Culture books I've read.

Books · 1988

The Player of Games

Books 1987Consider PhlebasIain M. Banks

I loved this book. It was the first Culture book I read and it got me hooked. Introducing The Culture from the view of a hostile outsider is a brilliant concept. My favorite part of the book is the last 1/3 or 1/4. The entire book builds up to the hunt through the tunnels and I was not disappointed.

Books · 1987

Consider Phlebas

Books 1987Espedair StreetIain Banks

Books · 1987

Espedair Street

Books 1986The BridgeIain Banks

Books · 1986

The Bridge

Books 1985Walking on GlassIain Banks

Books · 1985

Walking on Glass

Books 1984The Wasp FactoryIain Banks

My least favorite book by Banks I've read (listened to in this case). It's story and characters just didn't grab me like some other of his books. It reminded me in some ways of Catcher in the Rye which I also didn't like.

Books · 1984

The Wasp Factory