Banks, Iain M. Banks

This week Iain Banks announced via his blog that he is “officially very poorly.” What was first suspected to be the kind of back pain that plagues most authors, tragically turned out to be late-stage cancer. 

Banks is the author of a wide body of excellent work in both the fields of literary fiction and sci-fi (as Iain M Banks). I personally hold Banks to be one of the authors that inspired me to think broadly and deeply about literature, and not take heed to those who would condemn science fiction as a lesser genre.

After rocketing to success with his 1984 debut – The Wasp Factory, Banks has enjoyed a long and successful career and has earned a place in the modern pantheon of British authors. I could not recommend that you read The Wasp Factory more as it is truly an unforgettable read. With a combination of violence, depravity and style all bound together by the darkest of humour (one of Banks’ best characteristics) it is a book that will send you running for your camomile tea, and will dare you to go for the re-read for years to come.

The Crow Road was the first of Bank’s fiction novels that I came across and it’s a reading experience that will not leave me. While the novel itself is fantastic for a myriad of reasons – ghoulish humour, love, loss, angst, sex and exploding grannies, it will stick with me as one of the first novels that really clicked. Not only did I fall in love with the novel, but it spoke to me and I spoke back. That kind of connection with a work is a rare and special thing indeed.

But it is Bank’s science fiction that I think to be worth celebrating. The coverage over the last few days has seen hundreds of critics come out in praise of the highly-acclaimed and masterfully created work by mister Banks, but little praise afforded to mister M Banks.

What Iain M Banks has achieved in science fiction is very important and very valuable. The subgenre of ‘space opera’ (think, Star Wars rather than The Matrix or Moon) is often seen as the lowliest form of the lowliest genre, and there are many who think that there is little merit to be scraped from this particular barrel.

But Banks’ writing defies all of these assumptions and his writing and vision is consistently astounding across all genres. The Culture series explores a vast and complex universe with style and heart. As an unabashed sci-fi fanatic, these books never cease to excite and amaze and I urge you to give them a go, even if science fiction ‘isn’t your thing.’

If you’re looking for a point to start with Iain M Banks then I recommend you take a look at The Player of Games – one of the shorter reads, but just as brilliant.