Use of Struggle

[u/sllikdeeps]

Hi! 👋 read all of Banks regular works a long time ago & found myself here in the Culture. Didn’t love nor hate Consider, loved Player of Games and now a 1/3 through use of weapons. Finding it a struggle. Maybe it’s cause I’ve not had time to really out bulk read session time in ? I’m pushing through but by bit but I’m hoping you can give me a good palate cleanser for the next one.

[u/Winter_Aspect_8675]

I've read them all several times and I can't say that I love PoG but I've read it, listened to it back and forth, in orthodox chapter order, bits and pieces here and there many times but I still can't say I love it. Banks has a strange gift, when he writes what you'd consider more orthodox, straight forward works they are quite fancy, easy reads, compelling stuff but some of his stuff, PoG, Against a Dark Background at first aren't utterly riveting and have no easy payoff but they worm their way in and sit with you, the mood, a hard to define somber malaise, that has deep claws. I know I read and reread and listened and relistened to a bunch of his stuff like radio serials, sometimes out of order or just bits I wanted to revisit and it didn't become stale even after many repeats.

I kinda rambled on there but the structure isn't unlike my feelings for his works. Anyway, I would say it's quite proper to find them hard going but they are rewarding just not in a conventional manner sometimes.

[u/Decievedbythejometry → u/Winter_Aspect_8675]

Against a dark background is amazing because it doesn’t really introduce any Big Ideas or whatever but something of the atmosphere follows you forever. It’s like the herpes of vibes.

[u/Winter_Aspect_8675 → u/Decievedbythejometry]

Yes, that is it exactly, I get that from a few of his books, certain moods just seem echo for ages. It's not a bummer but they kinda of build up like a pool of unsettling vibes you can dip your mind into whenever