The State of the Art - (Culture) by Iain M Banks (Paperback)

About the Book

The only collection of Iain M. Banks's short fiction, including the Culture novella of the same name. From science fiction to horror, dark fantasy to twisted comedy, all eight stories bear the stamp of Banks's talent.

Book Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling and modern master of science fiction, Iain M. Banks, The State of the Art is the acclaimed collection of Banks's short fiction.

"Banks is a phenomenon...writing pure science fiction of a peculiarly gnarly energy and elegance." -William Gibson

This is a striking addition to the body of Culture lore, and adds definition and scale to the previous works by using the Earth of 1977 as contrast. The stories in the collection range from science fiction to horror, dark-coated fantasy to morality tale. All bear the indefinable stamp of Iain Banks's staggering talent.

"Few of us have been exposed to a talent so manifest and of such extraordinary breadth." -New York Review of Science Fiction

"[Banks] can summon up sense-of-wonder Big Concepts you've never seen before and display them with narration as deft as a conjuror's fingers." -scifi.com

The Culture series:
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
The State of the Art
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata

Review Quotes

"[Banks] can summon up sense-of-wonder Big Concepts you've never seen before and display them with narration as deft as a conjuror's fingers." --scifi.com

"Banks is a phenomenon...writing pure science fiction of a peculiarly gnarly energy and elegance."--William Gibson

"Banks never lets up in a dizzying array of characters, mind-bending ideas, and dazzling action."--Booklist

"Banks writes space opera on the grand scale: he measures time in eons, space in lightyears, tragedies in gigadeaths."--Time

"Banks writes with a sophistication that will surprise anyone unfamiliar with modern science fiction."--The New York Times

"Few of us have been exposed to a talent so manifest and of such extraordinary breadth."--New York Review of Science Fiction

"Nobody does it better."--Times (UK)

About the Author

Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984. Consider Phlebas, his first science fiction novel, was published under the name Iain M. Banks in 1987 and began his celebrated ten-book Culture series. He is acclaimed as one of the most powerful, innovative and exciting writers of his generation.