Finally, the award for That makes no sense goes to Mr Landen Has No Brain by Stephen Walker. This book is utter nonsense.
You know when you start a new job, and you’re being taken round to meet all the employees, and one of them says something like “I’m crazy, me. Oooh, I’m wacky. Totally mental.” and you can only look at them in pity? This book is that person. It aims for surreal, baffling and non-sequiteurious. Hits sloppy on the head.
If you want to find out more about this book, try Google. But really, you’re not missing much.
January 5, 2005
All about books this year – Part 6
Sounds like the Ian M Banks book I’m reading. I keep waiting for the bit where suddenly I have clue what any of it is about.
Similar, but also very different. Ten pages into Mr Landen Has No Brain, you know for sure that it isn’t going to get any better.
Sometimes, I quite like books that make no sense. I was one of the few people that not only read but actually *completed* James Kelman’s ‘Translated Accounts’.
Adrian, that’s got to be “Dead Air”. You’ll never reach that point, if so.
The Algebraist. Never read Dead Air. Heard mixed reports on it. Anyway I thought Dead Air was a Iain Banks not a Iain M banks.
However this the worst Iain M Banks I have read since Feersum Endjinn.
Yes, it is an Iain Banks, rather than an M Banks. My mistake.
Haven’t read the Algebraist, I gave up on the Ms after Use of Weapons, to be honest.
Use of weapons was great till the last chapter where he ruined it (or I didn’t understand it0
Iain M Banks is either brilliant, beyond me, or crap.
I just haven’t figured out which yet.
Feersum Endjinn lies on my bookshelf, gathering dust. Never made it past the first few pages. Awful.
I quite like his “non M” stuff though. Not read Dead Air mind you.
I prefer his M stuff when I understand it. Feersum Endjinn made no sene, espeically the character who talks phonetically.
I’ve enjoyed the Iain Banks books that I’ve read (The Canal, The Wasp Factory, The Bridge), yet I never feel any strong urge to read more. Something about the covers puts me off.
And yes, I do frequently judge a book by the cover.
Funnily enough, I was given a couple of those old Iain Banks paperbacks with the black and white geometric covers and I never read them. Then someone gave me one of the new versions (which I think look rather nice) and I read and very much enjoyed it.
Since then I’ve read a few of his Iain Banks titles and I find them very enjoyable, a bridge between the thrillers I read on holiday and enjoy more than I will admit and the heavy duty fiction I feel duty bound to read the rest of the year.
I thought ‘The Player of Games’ was a fine ‘M’ book, and rather enjoyed ‘Look to Windward’ too, despite a general aversion to sci-fi.
I’m reading ‘The Algebraist’ at the moment and am impressed so far; I like the stately, controlled and detailed way he writes.
Stately, controled? The Algebraist? Are you insane? I’m still trying to find the plot and I’m half way through.
Ah, well, I haven’t got that far – only on page 60 or so at the moment, so I guess I’m still happy plodding along without much in the way of a story. I won’t hold my breath, then 🙂