It's hard to fault an author for writing a book connected to the events of 9/11, but Iain Banks' take on the tragedy and what it meant for the world is rather uninspired and flat. With an obnoxious, self centered disc jockey as his character centerpiece, Banks puts forth the idea that in the overall scheme of things, 9/11 had no effect on the regular world and that life just continued on down its usual path, as evident in the tumultuous life of our arrogant protagonist. While Iain Banks is undoubtedly a talented writer, he seems out of his comfort zone in "Dead Air". Verging into Bret Easton Ellis territory too frequently, Banks' characters, the situations they find themselves in, and the overall tone of the novel is irreverent and sarcastic, but never irreverent or sarcastic enough. It seems like Banks intends to offend, putting potentially controversial arguments into his characters' mouths, but the controversy just isn't there. The stark references to 9/11 are slightly jarring at first- eleven years later and it still feels too soon- but these references quickly lose their sting and feel too obvious. Kudos must be given to Banks to attending to a topic that could easily create disfavor in a reader, unfortunately, the results are not too memorable. "Dead Air" is an enjoyable read, but inconsequential and ultimately forgettable.