As above, on at 9pm BBC2.

I know there are a lot on here who love Banks. I haven’t noticed the Beeb making much of the fact it was written by him.

Posted 7 years ago

I watched it on Monday night .
I was disappointed 🙁

Posted 7 years ago

It is OK – but its no Crow Road. Some disappointment indeed. I wish they had used the money to make tele out of one of his better novels. Some of the culture stuff for example, which I guess would take a huge budget !

Posted 7 years ago

Couldn’t agree more hels.
I always thought that Espedair Street would have been a good one.

Posted 7 years ago

Not one of his better books. Not a lot happens, really.

Posted 7 years ago

I liked the characters and the Glasgowness of it.

Posted 7 years ago

I read The Player of Games again recently, although some might say it steals some plot themes from Ender’s Game, it would make some good tv, or a film. If I win the lottery I will buy the rights !

Posted 7 years ago

I read The Player of Games again recently, although some might say it steals some plot themes from Ender’s Game, it would make some good tv, or a film. If I win the lottery I will buy the rights !

I’m pretty sure that he wrote Player of Games in about 1980, but it wasn’t published until ’88. So it would actually pre-date Ender’s Game (though I think that might have been based on a short story from the mid-70’s, so you could argue that one backwards and forwards!)

Out of all his Sci-Fi novels I think that Consider Phlebas would ake the best ‘normal’ film. Something like Use of Weapons would have to be a series, as the plot is so convoluted.

Posted 7 years ago

I’m pretty sure that he wrote Player of Games in about 1980, but it wasn’t published until ’88. So it would actually pre-date Ender’s Game (though I think that might have been based on a short story from the mid-70’s, so you could argue that one backwards and forwards!)

Wikipedia says something similar.

I seem to remember enjoying Stonemouth but being slightly disappointed with the end. At the same time, I cannot remember anything that happens apart from lots of stuff on a beach. (And somebody being shot? I really must retrieve my memory from wherever I left it..)

I’d never expect a tv adaptation to be as good as the book. Even The Crow Road was rather disappointing, both on first viewing and during the recent repeat. TV just doesn’t get the tone that Banks wrote in. I’m sure I’d hate a Culture film.

Posted 7 years ago

Against a dark background would make an awesome film.

Posted 7 years ago

Wasn’t a big fan of the novel tbh so couldn’t work up any enthusiasm for the tv series, I guess I’ll watch it at some point.

Espedair Street would make a cracking tv series. Whit, too. The Complicity film was alright too, even with miscast Jonny Lee Miller. And since Crow Road was pretty good, I guess steep approach to garbadale would be too since it’s basically the same book…

Hey! I’ve not read the Business, how did that happen?

Posted 7 years ago

I’m torn as I have yet to read Stonemouth but I’d like to watch it. Would always rather read the book than watch teh film but it’s going to be a while before I get to do that.

From what I remember I think Transition would make a great film.

Posted 7 years ago

The Business is a bit of a non-event storywise IMHO.
I absolutely loved his later novel Transition – brilliant mix of his literary and Sci-fi styles.

Posted 7 years ago

Hm, Espedair Street good call! The others – Whit I’m not sure about, couldn’t get worked up about the novel, The Business had some great cameo bits but it all seemed to run out of ideas 2/3 way through. Didn’t see Complicity film – think that had some great ideas as a work, and the (as pointed out in an Amazon review) how the narrative changes person at the very end is – thoughtful. *and* it has the happy ending for The Bridge —hm, The Bridge 🙂

Grow road adaptation haven’t seen since I recorded it on VHS – has it been repeated? I wasn’t at first sure about the moving about and esp. the Uncle Rory character part, but I can see how it’s actually quite a good ploy now.

Posted 7 years ago

I was disappointed TBH, I don’t think I’ve seen a Ian Banks TV adaptation that I’ve enjoyed.

Posted 7 years ago

The best sci-fi film never made

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/27/sci_fi_movie_poll/

With 3 in the top end of the poll he’s a hard man to convert to the screen for the Sci-Fi stuff certainly, currently hunting down a copy of Complicity as I read that recently, depends how he gets the characters onto the screen really.

Posted 7 years ago

Ringworld was adapted for the screen – I saw a dodgy adaptation on one of the cable channels a few years ago.

Posted 7 years ago

I would hate for Use of Weapons to made into a film TBH, “they’d” **** it up.

Posted 7 years ago

Isn’t Use of Weapons the one with one story going forwards and one story going backwards? Took me ages to work that one out 🙂

Ones *not* to adapt – Canal Dreams; Song of Stone (found that really quite unpleasant and hard to read TBH).

Posted 7 years ago

Having just watched Complicity, I thought Johnny Lee Miller was good as Cameron, Paul Higgins/Andy was the bad casting, not enough army feel in there. That and the basic film thing of skipping over the depth of the book, one where a serious long film from the right director could have been a lot more. Sometimes it seems people are scared of the depth of a book.

Posted 7 years ago

I enjoyed Canal Dreams, Song of Stone was hard going though, will be a cold day in hell when I go back to that.

Really need to do Inversions again, I never realised at the time it was actually a Culture novel. Would love to see Excession but thats despite the fact it would be pretty boring; I just love the Minds and how messed up they are (ITG, Grey Area/Meatfucker). That and Hydrogen Sonata are probably my favourite Culture books for that reason.

Posted 7 years ago