From: jismulkstis@att.net
Subject: (urth) Recommended authors
Date: Sun, 02 Mar 2003 13:21:13 +0000


I strongly recommend Iain M. Banks Culture novels:


Consider Phlebas
Use of Weapons
Excession 
Inversions 
Look to Windward

While stylistically unlike Gene Wolfe, Iain M. Banks writes
novels about the moral ambiguity that comes with wielding 
vast power.   He can also be very dry, sarcastic, and funny, 
but these are in no way humorous novels.  The Culture is a 
detailed, well thought out society and his books are better
at creating the old "sense of wonder" (especially Excession)
than anything I've read in many years.

You have to like a world where the spaceships are far more
intelligent than their passengers and give themselves names like 
"Honest Mistake" and "Ethics Gradient".

Those who are hooked on a more medieval setting should 
try "Inversions".

I'd like to know what others think of Banks, but this 
may not be the appropriate forum. 

Muskrat

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