Head and shoulders above the rest...

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Are there any authors who you feel have one book head and shoulders better than the rest of their work? Every time I get a new Douglas Coupland book I'm surprised how disappointed I am with it and its only now that I realise that "Girlfriend in a Coma" ,which I thought was a lovely, smart, funny book, is the only book of his I've really loved. So come on..who else...?

― Winterland, Thursday, 18 December 2003 10:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Generation X has some great dialogue, but I think Girlfriend.. is the first time he really sat down and wrote a great story. Still made a botch of the ending I thought.

I realise the point of this thread isn't Douglas Coupland specific, but just wanted to add that point.

― MikeyG (MikeyG), Thursday, 18 December 2003 11:46 (twenty-two years ago)

For years I tried reading various Iain Banks books in the hope that one of them would be as good as The Wasp Factory but none of them were. But who knows, he writes lots of books so there might be one I missed that is great. I did enjoy one of his sci-fi books, I think it was called The Bridge. But The Wasp Factory is just one of those one-in-a-million books, you know?

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 18 December 2003 12:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I re-read the Wasp Factory for a book club last month. Everyone (without exception) hated it. I must say first time round it was quite shocking. Now, I found it repulsive. I don't have a problem reading about humans killing each others, but when it comes to killing animals, it made me feel physically sick.

I think the Bridge (not a sci-fi book!), Whit and The Crow Road are all decent books. Walking on Glass confused me.

― MikeyG (MikeyG), Thursday, 18 December 2003 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

The Bridge wasn't sci-fi? hmmm, i must be thinking of the wrong book then. The one i read was about a city in space that had some sort of society with elaborate rules and regulations. jeez, i wish my memory wasn't so shot. And I read the Wasp Factory so many years ago. Maybe I would hate it now too. I just remember that seaside vibe and how that book really struck me at the time as unique and strange. Which is why I sought out more Banks over the years and I never got that same strangeness again. Not his fault of course. And he's certainly is unique.
If he has an American counterpart it might be Stephen Dobyns. He writes amazing poetry(he's actually more renowned as a poet), a private eye mystery series, and strange hybrid genre novels like Church Of Dead Girls and A Wrestler's Cruel Study.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 18 December 2003 13:18 (twenty-two years ago)

That's just what I thought about "Girlfriend in a coma" Mikey. I always read him, he alwys has interesting ideas, or writes about things other writers ingnore, and has a lovely way with language but GIAC seems so much more of a BOOK than the others The scene when the Girlfriend/boyfriend/daughter meet back up I found really moving, something I've never felt in any of his other works.
Good call with "The Wasp Factory" btw., the Iain M Banks sci-fi novel set in a city with elaborate rules and regulations could be "The Player of Games" but I think his best sci-fi novel is "Feersum Enjinn", very clever and funny.

― winterland, Thursday, 18 December 2003 13:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I liked the part in Girlfriend in a Coma where two of the friends got loved-up after many years and he says "she sat on his lap and smiled love's smile"

Not sure where to put the apostrophe in love's. Hmm.

― MikeyG (MikeyG), Thursday, 18 December 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Its in the right place Mikey. I think Microserfs is head and shoulders above everything else of his, but then i havent read Girlfriend, i must do that now.

― jed (jed_e_3), Thursday, 18 December 2003 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

PG Wodehouse's "Leave it to Psmith" - have bought multiple copies to give to interested friends. Perfect British farce and a satisfying resolution to the handful of Psmith/Mike stories.

― Chris Hill (Chris Hill), Thursday, 18 December 2003 15:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I looove Jurgen by James Branch Cabell, but am unable to get anywhere near as into any of his other books.

― otto, Thursday, 18 December 2003 16:55 (twenty-two years ago)

even though it wasnt published as one of his sci-fi novel, 'the bridge' does have a fantasy/sci-fi feel to it as most of it seems to take place in a dreamworld, and judging by your description scott i think you are describing the same book.
'microserfs' is definitely my least favourite DC book though, the characters just seemed so smug to me.

― zappi (joni), Sunday, 21 December 2003 20:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I really liked "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, but his next books were the pits. I gave up on "Lost" after 40 pages or so, and I just recently slogged through the one about Sleeping Beauty - utterly forgetable. No more Gregory Maguire!

― flacajax (Speedy Gonzalas), Monday, 22 December 2003 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

It seems like everyone's favorite Tom Robbins novel is invariably the first one they read (Still Like with Woodpecker for me). They're bowled over by his voice and cleverness and then the rest seem like more of the same.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 22 December 2003 04:29 (twenty-two years ago)

The Bridge is the one with a car crash, right? And he has this crazy coma-dream (OR IS IT?) about, um, I've actually forgotten. I'm actually totally convinced that Against a Dark Background is the best Banks by miles, and I've never even found anyone else who likes it.

Re: thread title: I kinda have to say David Foster Wallace, which makes me feel like a bad fan. And I kinda want to say Nabokov, which makes me feel like a bad person.

― Gregory Henry (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 01:49 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, that's the one! The Bridge, I mean. Okay, so it was all a dream or whatever. It did feel like a sci-fi book. I liked that book.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 01:56 (twenty-two years ago)

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