Iain M. Banks
Per suggestions from my friend Rufus Blooter (and others), I’ve started to dig into Banksy‘s … I mean Banks‘s work. The Player of Games was Rufus’ initial suggestion. I enjoyed it and loved the idea of The Culture, but found the characters flat and the prose uninspiring. Now I’m working through Use of Weapons, and finding it to be a much better read — better-rounded characters, prose that sings, and a structure that heightens the narrative arc.