The Wasp Factory

If you like Bank's writing try 'The wasp factory'. It's rather dark, but quite brilliant with an amazing twist at the end. It's not sci-fi.

Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read. Gateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death. The Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good. Most things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners

There's Iain Banks (The Wasp Factory), and there's Iain M. Banks (other books). Same guy--the latter is science fiction, and always worthwhile; the former is his "experimental" fiction, some of which I can't figure out the point of. The Wasp Factory isn't SF but is good: the story of an average British boy, his odd circumstances, and the odder resolution of his problems.

Fiction: - Someone already mentioned Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", but it's so good, I'll mention it again :) Very well constructed and has its specific atmosphere... - Anything by Iain Banks - "Walking on glass", "Wasp factory", "A song of stone" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them. His science-fiction is much simpler, but... didn't get me as excited as "Walking on glass". Non-fiction: - "Leading Lean Software Development - Results are not the point" (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Resu... (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Results/dp/0321620704)) is the best team / organisation / project leading book I've seen. I hate most of books like that with passion, but this one is different. I can't wait for the next story they introduce in every chapter. It touches many topics useful for anyone working with even one other person and you can read it like a good adventure book - it's got clear examples, interesting quotes and in-depth but not boring analysis.