Iain Banks' Dying Wish

[Av Demeisen]

I think if someone was going to write a new Culture novel then MacLeod wouldn't be a terrible option, there are definitely some differences in writing style but they have fairly similar world-views and he did sometimes do some space opera even if a lot of his books are more down-to-Earth.

MacLeod is the only option as far as I am concerned. I would welcome such a book, but since he was quite adamant he didn't want to, it's not going to happen.

 

[Rodders]

I don't see this ever happening.

Another author writing a novel on behalf of another author has got to be a hiding to nothing, surely?

 

[Vince W]

I know this sort of thing has been done with other properties anything attempted in the Culture would probably have saying, 'Oh, Banks did that in X.' So there's really no point. And lets face it, even Banks' non-Culture books were really Culture books from another angle.

 

[Star-child]

And lets face it, even Banks' non-Culture books were really Culture books from another angle.

How so?

 

[Vince W]

No hard evidence, it's just how I choose to see them.

 

[Star-child]

No hard evidence, it's just how I choose to see them.

I wasn't saying you were wrong, just in what way they all connect to the Culture for you? Feersum Endjinn seems reasonably divorced from either the egalitarianism or galactic milieu of the Culture, for instance.

 

[Venusian Broon]

No hard evidence, it's just how I choose to see them.

I agree, I think he had a universal set of characters or perhaps a character style, that appeared in all his works, no matter what genre he did.

Back OT, actually...if his wish was just for Ken MacLeod to take some notes for the next novel and give it a go and do one last Culture novel. Why not? I think I would give it a go for a good friend.

As long as you then didn't spam another dozen novels and milk the Culture for all that it was worth. (Whispers the word 'Dune')

As for others, Hamilton - it's been decades since I've read his stuff, so hardly fair me taking an opinion...but I did pick up Asher recently, and wasn't impressed, can't see him doing Bank's Culture.

 

[Vince W]

I wasn't saying you were wrong, just in what way they all connect to the Culture for you? Feersum Endjinn seems reasonably divorced from either the egalitarianism or galactic milieu of the Culture, for instance.

Interesting that you mention Feersum Endjinn as I see its influence in elements of Matter and Surface Detail. The way Banks wrote ,it seems to me, that he intended everything to be linked in the same universe but at different times and places.

 

[Matteo]

I was fully expecting this to be something about whisky or fast cars rather than concerning the writing of books.

Me too; he had some strong views (with which I agree) about recent practises in whisky production.

 

[Rodders]

He’s still missed, isn’t he.

 

[Vince W]

He’s still missed, isn’t he.

Indeed he is. Shows you what sort of impact he had with his writing.