One of my favourite authors is interviewed on CNN – go here for the link http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/05/15/iain.banks/

Interesting to hear that he cites Brian Aldiss as one of his influences. I often remember how good Aldiss’s Helliconia books were – they almost feel like a combination of Sci Fi and Fantasy – well a pre-industrial world with a scifi story framework around it, which is an influence on my own writing. Banks usually sticks to straight Sci Fi, but in some books he does experiment with pre-industrial societies, or he mixes technological levels – so the high Culture being the highest level, but in for instance Use of Weapons, the main character works as a mercenary on a lower technology world. An interesting comment on our world perhaps where technologies still vary around the world in actual take-up if not application. For instance although you can get Wifi in Kenya I don’t suppose there are many Masai bloggers?

Off at a bit of a tangent here, but well worth reading anything by Banks or Aldiss!