You might have seen me writing here recently that I was reading Iain M. Banks for the first time:

http://rickoshea.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/currently-reading-14/

Briefly, just to say that he was brilliant, brilliant beyond what I could have hoped for. I know that people refer to him as one of the finest sci-fi authors of the latter half of the 20th century; on the basis of this they are spot on. More.

This?

http://rickoshea.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/currently-reading-16/

is just ok. It’s one of his earliest books and not as accessible as any of the later stuff (Status Anxiety, Religion For Atheists, The Consolations Of Philosophy). I have to admit I was skimming by the end.

As for the book I finished before that:

http://rickoshea.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/currently-reading-15/

I’ve finished my review for the Bord Gais Energy Book Club but it’s under the radar til they say so…