I hadn't read any of his non-SF until a few months ago, and was shocked to find that the two novels I tried were both fairly traditional corporate wet dream fiction.
sounds a lot like capitalism :-)
I'm on the run. sorry to post and flee, but I'll be back Monday sometime. agree with Chris that scale is a serious problem, particularly in conjunction with Taylorism and machine-consciousness. more later, I hope... The difference between theory and practise in practise ...
I guess he is a bit Fukuyamaish in his description of the utopian society having to deal with the rest of the universe, but I always thought of it as a way of anchoring his (very well written) stories, and to bring out the nuances of his universe.
And I guess it depends on which book you start with. I read "Use of Weapons" first, which is a very depressing, violent book. Didn't read anything else by him for years after. Now he is one of my favourite modern sci fi writers. Definitely the best british one I've read.
