Questions after an old Guardian article

I just reread the old Banks Guardian article about where to start with his books thought I’d use their headings to spotlight my own Banks favourites…

The Entry Point For me it was Walking On Glass. Steve Miller threw it at me when we on the Transocean 8 in Norway and said ‘tell me what the fuck this is about’. And I’m still not sure, but it was a effective entry drug.

The Odd One Out The obvious choice is Raw Spirit, a homage to whisky, fast cars and his favourite music, but if we’re talking fiction I think I’d go for Dead Air, written in the aftermath of 9/11 for its leaden doom-y feel.

The Billionaires Favourite Going to skip this one I think, although any technology from the Culture would be Elon Musks wet dream, even if the post scarcity, hippy dippy free love Communist-yet-not society would be his vision of hell.

Authors Choice Banks says The Bridge. I say The Bridge. Almost as beautifully written as Espedair St but complex and multilayered, it’s a peach of a book.

Underrated Espedair St, so underrated it’s criminal. A folly, a dog called Total Bastard, depression, redemption, childhood sweethearts and an ending that makes me tear up every time I read it. Read it. Now.

The AI One It can only be Excession, which is in my Banks top 3 anyway. The Interesting Times Gang always make me smile and make AI believably ‘human’.

The Surprisingly Nice One Can I have Espedair St again? If I can’t then it’s The Business. Rags to Riches, unexpected love, missing teeth, netsuke and hordes of duvet children. Beautiful.

Thoughts from the peanut gallery? #smellyoledog #iainbanks #bookstagram #theguardian #mrp