riverwise's review against another edition
4.0
An overview of the late great Iain Banks' work, with a few biographical details along the way. It focuses on the science fiction in his oeuvre, as a careful reading of the title will hint, but also includes the M-less books where they are relevant to a discussion, or borderline SF (like Transition). Kincaid has an interesting idea about RD Laing's theory of the divided self being the underpinning of Banks' novels, and his argument is pretty convincing. This is a concise and readable book, written for an intelligent reader but not drowning in academic language. As a fan of both versions of Banks, I'd have liked a bit more on books like The Crow Road, but they are understandably out of the scope of this book. It made me want to go back and reread the whole Banks catalogue, so that must be a recommendation.
calypte's review against another edition
3.0
Not quite an academic deconstruction, not quite a fan-rave about some excellent books, this book sets out to show why Iain M Banks was so important to the resurgence of science fiction. Definitely one for those who have already read the books being discussed, as it doesn't stop before the endings, but if you are (and if not, why not!?) a fan, then some excellent nuggets about themes and inspiration.
Full review on my blog.
Full review on my blog.
nwhyte's review against another edition
4.0
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2979935.html
In a better world, Iain Banks would have turned 64 last month and would have published his thirtieth novel some time last year, or maybe even the year before; and we'd be debating his eligibility for this year's awards. We live in an imperfect world. Some popular authors disappear as soon as their career is over, but Iain Banks won't be one of them, and Paul Kincaid explains why in a succinct but thorough survey of his literary career, part of the same University of Illinois series as Edward James' Lois McMaster Bujold, which I read last year. I found the analysis of Banks' politics particularly enlightening, as that's the sea that I swim in; but it was also very interesting to read of the influence of Alasdair Gray's Lanark, R.D. Laing, T.S. Eliot, and Erving Goffmann's The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life which includes some research in Scotland and which I read recently.
In a better world, Iain Banks would have turned 64 last month and would have published his thirtieth novel some time last year, or maybe even the year before; and we'd be debating his eligibility for this year's awards. We live in an imperfect world. Some popular authors disappear as soon as their career is over, but Iain Banks won't be one of them, and Paul Kincaid explains why in a succinct but thorough survey of his literary career, part of the same University of Illinois series as Edward James' Lois McMaster Bujold, which I read last year. I found the analysis of Banks' politics particularly enlightening, as that's the sea that I swim in; but it was also very interesting to read of the influence of Alasdair Gray's Lanark, R.D. Laing, T.S. Eliot, and Erving Goffmann's The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life which includes some research in Scotland and which I read recently.
riverwise's review
4.0
An overview of the late great Iain Banks' work, with a few biographical details along the way. It focuses on the science fiction in his oeuvre, as a careful reading of the title will hint, but also includes the M-less books where they are relevant to a discussion, or borderline SF (like Transition). Kincaid has an interesting idea about RD Laing's theory of the divided self being the underpinning of Banks' novels, and his argument is pretty convincing. This is a concise and readable book, written for an intelligent reader but not drowning in academic language. As a fan of both versions of Banks, I'd have liked a bit more on books like The Crow Road, but they are understandably out of the scope of this book. It made me want to go back and reread the whole Banks catalogue, so that must be a recommendation.
kevinwkelsey's review
5.0
Posted at Heradas Review
A concise yet comprehensive literary analysis on the works of the late [a:Iain Banks|7628|Iain Banks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1374456581p2/7628.jpg]. Kincaid’s writing functions primarily through illustrating and deconstructing the thematic lineage and interplay between Banks’ novels published with and without the M, but also delves into the deeper political and societal backdrop in which Banks’ wrote and lived. The bits of history that Kincaid feels influenced Banks are particularly illuminating for myself, someone who knows little of Scottish or UK life, especially concerning the 70s and 80s.
Not as obviously praising of Banks’ writing as [a:Simone Caroti|4824812|Simone Caroti|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]’s [b:The Culture Series of Iain M. Banks: A Critical Introduction|23875588|The Culture Series of Iain M. Banks A Critical Introduction|Simone Caroti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418770318s/23875588.jpg|43484396], and in a lot of ways it does feel like a response to it. Caroti called for a need to examine Banks’ entire catalog of writing, not just the M or non-M work as had previously been done. Kincaid’s book takes exactly this approach, but with an emphasis on his science fiction work. It is also a much more balanced examination of the strengths and weaknesses at play in the novels. That being said, the rabid Banks fan inside of me enjoyed Caroti’s book quite a bit more because it more closely aligned with my own reading and interpretation of Banks; which is of course an admittedly subjective, masturbatory reason.
Caroti’s book started a new conversation; addressing the ways in which Banks had been grossly ignored, misunderstood, and misinterpreted in literary circles and criticism over the years. It posited a much better interpretation of Banks’ work than had previously existed. I’m please to see that it appears Caroti’s contribution had it’s desired effect, because this continuation of the conversation seems to have benefited greatly from it. Gone are the misreadings and general sloppy analogies in the pre-Caroti analyses. Of course, as a result, Kincaid is much more objective and more in line with a standard literary analysis, which is more intellectually pleasing, but it remains thoughtful to the corrections and additions that Caroti made previously.
The bulk of this analysis deals with Banks’ writing chronologically, but also takes into account the order in which the novels were written, rewritten and released. Since so many of them -- the Culture novels specifically -- were written very early and then reworked later in Banks’ career before being published, this method helps to trace the evolution of themes and thoughts throughout the novels as they changed and adapted. There are quite a few biographical details and quotes interspersed throughout, which I always welcome, especially considering that there is still no extant proper biography on Banks. The book then comes to a close with an illuminating interview between Banks and Jude Roberts, who received his P.h.d. on The Culture series.
This book is something I’ve been waiting a long, long time for, and I am extremely pleased that Kincaid has not only continued the conversation on Banks’ work and legacy that Caroti jump started, but also added so much to it in the process. This is a fantastic addition to the Modern Masters of Science Fiction series and I look forward to seeing where we go from here. Personally, I feel that Banks’ work needs to endure the test of time, and welcome future writings on him as a subject.
A concise yet comprehensive literary analysis on the works of the late [a:Iain Banks|7628|Iain Banks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1374456581p2/7628.jpg]. Kincaid’s writing functions primarily through illustrating and deconstructing the thematic lineage and interplay between Banks’ novels published with and without the M, but also delves into the deeper political and societal backdrop in which Banks’ wrote and lived. The bits of history that Kincaid feels influenced Banks are particularly illuminating for myself, someone who knows little of Scottish or UK life, especially concerning the 70s and 80s.
Not as obviously praising of Banks’ writing as [a:Simone Caroti|4824812|Simone Caroti|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]’s [b:The Culture Series of Iain M. Banks: A Critical Introduction|23875588|The Culture Series of Iain M. Banks A Critical Introduction|Simone Caroti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418770318s/23875588.jpg|43484396], and in a lot of ways it does feel like a response to it. Caroti called for a need to examine Banks’ entire catalog of writing, not just the M or non-M work as had previously been done. Kincaid’s book takes exactly this approach, but with an emphasis on his science fiction work. It is also a much more balanced examination of the strengths and weaknesses at play in the novels. That being said, the rabid Banks fan inside of me enjoyed Caroti’s book quite a bit more because it more closely aligned with my own reading and interpretation of Banks; which is of course an admittedly subjective, masturbatory reason.
Caroti’s book started a new conversation; addressing the ways in which Banks had been grossly ignored, misunderstood, and misinterpreted in literary circles and criticism over the years. It posited a much better interpretation of Banks’ work than had previously existed. I’m please to see that it appears Caroti’s contribution had it’s desired effect, because this continuation of the conversation seems to have benefited greatly from it. Gone are the misreadings and general sloppy analogies in the pre-Caroti analyses. Of course, as a result, Kincaid is much more objective and more in line with a standard literary analysis, which is more intellectually pleasing, but it remains thoughtful to the corrections and additions that Caroti made previously.
The bulk of this analysis deals with Banks’ writing chronologically, but also takes into account the order in which the novels were written, rewritten and released. Since so many of them -- the Culture novels specifically -- were written very early and then reworked later in Banks’ career before being published, this method helps to trace the evolution of themes and thoughts throughout the novels as they changed and adapted. There are quite a few biographical details and quotes interspersed throughout, which I always welcome, especially considering that there is still no extant proper biography on Banks. The book then comes to a close with an illuminating interview between Banks and Jude Roberts, who received his P.h.d. on The Culture series.
This book is something I’ve been waiting a long, long time for, and I am extremely pleased that Kincaid has not only continued the conversation on Banks’ work and legacy that Caroti jump started, but also added so much to it in the process. This is a fantastic addition to the Modern Masters of Science Fiction series and I look forward to seeing where we go from here. Personally, I feel that Banks’ work needs to endure the test of time, and welcome future writings on him as a subject.
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