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Rereading the best science fiction writers of all time: Iain M. Banks (www.newscientist.com)

submitted 13 hours ago by Emperor to c/britishbooks

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Iain M. Banks died more than 11 years ago, but remains a titan of modern science fiction. He wrote “literary” works under the name Iain Banks, but added the “M” for his 14 sci-fi offerings, which are known for an audacious, ground-breaking take on the space opera that transformed the genre.

If you have never read any of these books but love “hard” sci-fi, is it worth diving in now?

Short answer: yes. Longer answer: Banks’s sci-fi, at its best, is staggeringly inventive, beautifully written, dramatic and often very funny. His stories are packed with ideas, warships with minds very much of their own, alien races, charismatic drones and intergalactic politics.

That said, time is a stern judge. I have read celebrated “classics” of sci-fi and found them startlingly misogynistic, homophobic and racist – even for their time. There is nothing so serious to worry about here, but Banks’s novels haven’t aged perfectly. I reread five for this column, and even as a dyed-in-the-wool fan, I couldn’t avoid the fact that, for books set in a future where men and women are meant to be equal, they don’t always read that way.

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[–] MartianSands@sh.itjust.works 4 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I can't imagine what they're referring to when they claim his books are sexist. I'm pretty sure as many protagonists are female as male, and a significant fraction of the characters have no gender at all.

Of those who do have gender, it's not at all unusual for them to have changed genders once or more in their lives, and the only time I remember anyone making a fuss of it is as part of Genar-Hofoen's character arc in Excession, wherein he is shown to have grown as a person by doing exactly that.

Can anyone point out an example of what the author might be thinking of? I'm genuinely baffled

[–] sxan@midwest.social 5 points 11 hours ago

I would love to hear the author's justification and examples. And then I'll repeatedly slap them in the head with Player of Games, where one of the characters changes genders every couple of decades and it's unclear whether anyone remembers what they started out as because it's utterly irrelevant to everyone.

Also, seriously yeah, WTF? Several of The Culture's major operatives - their James Bonds, their spies, counter-spies, and black ops - are women, and to my recollection the only agent that used sex as a manipulation tool was a man.

Of all the terms you could try to insult Banks with, "mysogynist" utterly misses the mark.

[–] Emperor 3 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

The example they give from the article:

Take Excession, where there are jokes about an alien race for which rape is part of everyday life. This is dealt with in a “jolly” manner, with the novel’s hero worshipping the aliens and wanting to do everything they do. It is stuff that wouldn’t get through an edit these days, I guess.

Nothing else springs to mind but I haven't re-read them in a while.

[–] MartianSands@sh.itjust.works 7 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Actually, alright. Not completely out of nowhere then. That's what I get for only skimming the actual article.

I think it's still a bit unfair, since the aliens in question are clearly framed as barbaric and not people who should generally be emulated

[–] Emperor 3 points 8 hours ago

Exactly, they are written to be appalling, you are definitely not supposed to be on their side or like anyone who thinks they are right. Not every character is supposed to he likeable. It'd make for some very dull fiction.

[–] tetrachromacy@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

The species in question is called the Affront, which is a name they took on willingly. The Affront know that most of the galaxy thinks they're barbaric and pointlessly gruesome, and they revel in it. Think of them like a race of Klingon Donald Trumps. They're also very clearly not good guys and are not presented as such in the novel.

The main character I'd hesitate to call a hero, because he's not. His wish to join the Affront is seen as extraordinarily odd by his colleagues and the Culture in general, who only tolerate the Affront in order to avoid drawing them into war.

I can't read the full article on mobile but the premise is stupid. I've read most of the Culture novels and none of them felt sexist to me.

[–] neutronbumblebee@mander.xyz 4 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

Use of Weapons is one of his best I feel. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jul/20/book-club-use-of-weapons-iain-m-banks (contains spoilers)