Humanity’s future is blister-free calluses! – Iain M. Banks interviewed
by Ian Hocking
According to our friends over at the Cable News Network:
Author Iain M. Banks, whose “Culture” novels have made him one of science fiction’s leading lights, has created a utopian universe where altruistic robot spaceships care for genetically-enhanced humanoids, where no one wants for anything and where people are freed from the chores of daily life to express themselves as they choose.
From CCN.com/technology
I finished Matter (as an audiobook) not two months ago. ‘Rip’ and ‘roaring’ spring to the fingers.
Although I sometimes find him too verbose, IMB is one of the greatest SF authors. The Culture universe is especially appealing – I love his description of it in that interview as ‘my secular heaven’.
I became a fan of IMB through his culture books, but some of it just goes on and on, ‘the player of games’ in particular. It sets out the same scene about 10 times just in different ways, eventually made it to the end with that one, Use of weapons is ace though
Thanks for your comments, Foomandoonian and Richard.
Now I’m looking forward to finally seeing that interview! I’ve been marking all morning…
IMB certainly can write lengthy fiction. There were some moments in Matter where exposition made the story sag a little, but Mr Banks picked it up shortly thereafter. I’ve got a couple of old Culture books hanging around; looking forward to them.