Matter (Culture)

Product Information

Morelle, Rebecca (13 May 2019). "Mariana Trench: Deepest-ever sub dive finds plastic bag". BBC News . Retrieved 13 May 2019.

Interview with Iain M. Banks", SFF World, 1997-06-01, archived from the original on 2009-07-15 , retrieved 2021-08-05 Hyrlis looked expectantly at them. “You see?” he said. “By this reasoning we must, after all, be at the most base level of reality – or at the most exalted, however one wishes to look at it. Just as reality can blithely exhibit the most absurd coincidences that no credible fiction could convince us of, so only reality – produced, ultimately, by matter in the raw – can be so unthinkingly cruel. Nothing able to think, nothing able to comprehend culpability, justice or morality could encompass such purposefully invoked savagery without representing the absolute definition of evil. It is that unthinkingness that saves us. And condemns us, too, of course; we are as a result our own moral agents, and there is no escape from that responsibility, no appeal to a higher power that might be said to have artificially constrained or directed us.”

The asteroid 5099 Iainbanks was named after him shortly after his death. [61] On 23 January 2015, SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk named two of the firm's autonomous spaceport drone ships Just Read The Instructions and Of Course I Still Love You, after ships in Banks's novel The Player of Games. [62] Another, A Shortfall of Gravitas, began construction in 2018. This refers to the ship Experiencing A Significant Gravitas Shortfall, first mentioned in Look to Windward. [63] In 1998 Banks was in a near-fatal accident when his car rolled off the road. [8] In February 2007, Banks sold his extensive car collection, including a 3.2-litre Porsche Boxster, a Porsche 911 Turbo, a 3.8-litre Jaguar Mark II, a 5-litre BMW M5 and a daily-use diesel Land Rover Defender, whose power he had boosted by about 50 per cent. All these Banks exchanged for a Lexus RX 400h hybrid – later replaced by a diesel Toyota Yaris, and said in future he would fly only in emergencies. [31] [45] Piccadilly, London, 2012 Banks published work under two names. His parents had meant to name him "Iain Menzies Banks", but his father mistakenly registered him as "Iain Banks". Banks still used the middle name and submitted The Wasp Factory for publication as "Iain M. Banks". Banks's editor inquired about the possibility of omitting the 'M' as it appeared "too fussy" and the potential existed for confusion with Rosie M. Banks, a romantic novelist in the Jeeves novels by P. G. Wodehouse; Banks agreed to the omission. After three mainstream novels, Banks's publishers agreed to publish his first science fiction (SF) novel Consider Phlebas. To create a distinction between the mainstream and the SF, Banks suggested returning the 'M' to his name, which was then used in all of his science fiction works. [9] [18] Banks book signing at the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005

Mark Macaskill and Robert Booth (25 February 2007). "Bye-bye Porsches, says green convert Iain Banks". Times. London. Archived from the original on 27 February 2007. Iain M. Banks is the creator and the author of the Culture series. The first book in this series came out in 1987 and is titled Consider Phlebas. The second book came out the year after and is titled The Player of Games. The third book came out in 1990 and is titled Use of Weapons. Several more books came out and the tenth book is the final in the series. It came out in 2012 and is titled The Hydrogen Sonata. Flood, Allison (15 February 2018). "Iain M Banks's drawings of the Culture universe to be published in 2019". The Guardian . Retrieved 5 May 2023. Paul Cornell (1 March 2009). "The State of the Art". PaulCornell.com. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013 . Retrieved 6 April 2013. Andrew Brown (4 April 2013). "In one sentence, Iain Banks speaks volumes about marriage". The Guardian . Retrieved 9 June 2013.Sci-Fi Author Iain M. Banks Gets Asteroid Named after Him". Minor Planet Center . Retrieved 8 December 2015. Stephen McGinty (8 April 2013). "Iain Banks marries in his favourite place". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing Ltd . Retrieved 10 May 2013. The couple's wedding certificate shows that Banks, 59, of North Queensferry, married 42-year-old Miss Hartley at the five-star hotel [Inverlochy Castle Hotel, The Highlands], in a short humanist ceremony on Good Friday. On the nesting Matryoshka dolls of space-faring civilizations, philosophy a la Nietzsche, and how Banks ruined SF and epic fantasy at the same time for me. For a book with such a nihilistic theme, the story is alive in so many ways, with character growth and development (even of the villains), humor, intertwining plots writ from small and personal to huge and galaxy-encompassing, intrigue and war both old and new, mysterious ancient ruins and quirky intelligent spaceships. The developing intersection of a medieval world and a far-future one is wonderful to watch and covers well the secondary theme of “Who watches the Watchers?”

Appeals to reason, international law, U. N. resolutions and simple human decency mean – it is now obvious – nothing to Israel... I would urge all writers, artists and others in the creative arts, as well as those academics engaging in joint educational projects with Israeli institutions, to consider doing everything they can to convince Israel of its moral degradation and ethical isolation, preferably by simply having nothing more to do with this outlaw state. [41] The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia, the 2016 graphic biography of Louise Michel by Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot, is "Dedicated to the memory of Iain (M) Banks, friend and sorely missed creator of socialist utopias." [64] The first three of his novels came out into the mainstream before the publishers were down to release the first science fiction novel from the author, which was titled Consider Phlebas. The return of the middle initial was brought up to his publishers by the author himself. He did at one point consider using as his science fiction pen name John B. Macallan, which was based on names from two of his favorite whiskies.Kennedy, AL; Galloway, Janice (28 August 2011). "Scotland and England: what future for the Union? | Culture | The Observer". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 4 September 2011.

Banks has been described as "an incorrigible player of games" with both style and structure– and with the reader. [30] In both the Culture stories and his work outside science fiction, there are two sides to Banks, the "merry chatterer" who brings scenes to life and "the altogether less amiable character" who "engineers the often savage structure of his stories". [31] Banks uses a wide range of styles. The Player of Games opens in a leisurely manner as it presents the main character's sense of boredom and inertia, [32] and adopts for the main storyline a "spare, functional" style that contrasts with the "linguistic fireworks" of later stories. [30] Sometimes the styles used in Excession relate to the function and focal character of the scene: slow-paced and detailed for Dajeil, who is still mourning over traumatic events that happened decades earlier; a parody of huntin', shootin', and fishin' country gentlemen, sometimes reminiscent of P. G. Wodehouse, when describing the viewpoint of the Affront; the ship Serious Callers Only, afraid of becoming involved in the conflict between factions of Minds, speaks in cryptic verse, while the Sleeper Service, acting as a freelance detective, adopts a hardboiled style. On the other hand, Banks often wrong-foots readers by using prosaic descriptions for the grandest scenery, self-deprecation and humour for the most heroic actions, and a poetic style in describing one of the Affront's killings. [26] The eighth book in the culture series. If you're reading this, you're familiar with the Culture, and you don't need yet another review telling you how fantastic this particular entry is. All I'll say is that it's no exception, and stands right up there with all the others. Prince Ferbin, the self-centred heir to the Sarl throne, has to flee his home level on the Shellworld and the Shellworld itself after witnessing the murder of his father, King Hausk, by Mertis tyl Loesp, the King's second-in-command. Prince Oramen, Ferbin's studious younger brother, is unaware of the treachery and trusts tyl Loesp fully. After Ferbin's disappearance—and presumed death—tyl Loesp takes on the role of regent, ostensibly until Prince Regent Oramen comes of age and can be crowned king.

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So it feels flawed and utterly brilliant at the same time. Which is a shame. I really want to LOVE this novel, not just appreciate it to death. Which I do. Hell, I want to kind of worship it, but I can't quite LOVE it. How frustrating. Allberry, Russ (2005-11-18), "Review: The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks", Eyrie , retrieved 2009-02-17 .