R.I.P. lain Banks

Sad to hear of the early death of writer Iain Banks.

I discovered his science fiction in particular ... which he wrote under the name Iain M Banks. To be precise I discovered his Culture Series. Grand Space Opera. OK... not always even.... but in these books Banks shows his ironic humour. His is an imagination to savour.

A detail from the series ... the ships' names. The space ships are AI beings and as such they are often characters in their own right with names that reflect their personalities. How can you resist craft with names like "Poke It With A Stick", "Charming But Irrational", "What Are The Civilian Applications?" and "Yawning Angel".....?

For an exhausting and exhaustive list of craft names from the Culture series... click here.