Welcome to www.Iain-Banks.net
Welcome to the new-look Iain [M] Banks website. This site contains a wealth of information on the fiction of Iain Banks and the science fiction of Iain M Banks. New content is being added to the site on a regular basis. If there's anything you'd particularly like to see on the site, please contact the site editors and let us know.
Latest Iain [M] Banks Books
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MatterOrbit Books (UK / US)Hardback January 31st 2008 (UK) / February 27th 2008 (US) 978-1841494173 (UK) / 978-0316005364 (US) [paperback release date: February 5th 2009] more info |
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The Steep Approach to GarbadaleAbacus Books (UK)Paperback February 28th 2008 (UK) 978-0349119281 more info |
Latest Iain [M] Banks News
Pure poetry as Iain Banks adds audio to Mark Brew’s Nocturne
June 26, 2009DaveH of The Banksoniain fanzine fame has been in touch with some information about an audio contribution by Iain to a dance performance that's opening tonight in London:
Not strictly an Iain appearance but Gary Lloyd who created an audio version of The Bridge and is working with Iain on a tribute album for Frozen Gold has used a recording of Iain reading a poem by Luke Pell in the music that Gary has written for a dance group.
The first of this year's performances of Nocturne by the Marc Brew Company are free and will be taking place as part of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival this weekend. The piece lasts approximately twenty minutes.
- Friday June 26th, 13:45 & 18:45
- Saturday June 27th, 13:45 & 18:45
- Sunday June 28th, 13:45 & 15:45
at Monument Gardens, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
There will also be performances at:
- Winchester Hat Fair - 3rd and 4th July
- Penrith Dance Daze - 26th July
- Stockton International Riverside Festival - 31st July, 2nd August
- Liberty Festival 2009 - Trafalgar Square, London - 5th September
- Manchester International Festival - 18th to 20th September (TBC)
Iain Banks at the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2009
June 18, 2009The programme for this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival has been posted online and confirms that Iain Banks will be taking part in two events this year.
The first will be a reading for the Amnesty International Imprisoned Writers Series, on Monday 17th August, from 5.30 - 6.15 p.m.
Immediately afterwards, Iain will be reading from and discussing his latest work in the National Library of Scotland event, which runs from 6.30 to 7.30 p.m.
More details are available on the EIBF ticket booking website.
Iain Banks talks to the Prague Post
June 18, 2009Earlier in the month, to coincide with his appearance at the Prague Writers' Festival, Iain Banks was interviewed by the Prague Post.
When asked about forthcoming brand new novel Transition's placement in the M / non-M spectrum of his work, Iain said:
"The template I had in mind was The Bridge, my third novel, from 1986. I still think very highly of it, and I liked the way its structure let me use different voices and approaches. So, for Transition, I was trying to come up with something as different and challenging. I still think of Transition as basically mainstream, but I guess there's enough sci-fi in there to justify publishing it as such in a market where my sci-fi has generally done better."
Visit www.praguepost.com to read the rest of the interview.
Many thanks to Joe G of FPI Blog fame for the heads-up!
More info on Iain Banks’ Prague Writers Festival appearances
May 28, 2009DaveH of The Banksoniain has been in touch with more details of Iain's forthcoming Prague Writers Festival dates next month:
Iain is doing two signings. The first at the Big Ben Bookshop at 12:00 on Monday, 8 June. The second is at the Academia Bookstore at 17:00 the same day.
Then he is part of the Guardian Conversation called "The Freedom to Lie" at 18:00 on Tuesday, 9 June in the Laterna Magika Theatre, along with Wolf Biermann, Ma Jian, Jaroslav Rudiš, moderated by Max Rudin.
Later that evening he is part of the International Reading session in the same location at 20:00 along with Jaroslav Rudiš, Jaromir Švejdík and Yang Lian.
Both these events are listed as having simultaneous translation.
Tickets are available at the Laterna Magika, from Ticketpro or reservations can be made by email at info@pwf.cz.
The full Festival Programme is available at www.pwf.cz/en.
Iain Banks signing, Chapters Bookstore, Dublin, May 15th
April 17, 2009From the Chapters Bookstore LiveJournal blog, news of an Iain Banks signing in Dublin on Friday May 15th this year:
We are very pleased to announce that Iain Banks / Iain M Banks, author of The Wasp Factory, The Crow Road, Consider Phlebas, The State of the Art, and many more, will be signing in Chapters Bookstore, Parnell Street, Dublin 1 on Friday 15th of May from 5pm to 6pm.
Please contact Chapters for more information on the signing and if you plan to attend, don't forget to check with them before you travel, in case of last-minute alterations or a cancellation.
Iain Banks talks to The View From Here
April 3, 2009Mike French, Editor of online literary news & reviews 'zine The View From Here has posted a new interview with Iain Banks, in two parts: part one, part two.
The discussion ranges across Iain's love of Risk!, the 'anorak' label as applied to science fiction fans, the possibility of a Wasp Factory movie, Iain's reaction to reviews, his taken on the publishing industry and more.
Matter shortlisted for 2009 Prometheus Award
March 26, 2009Iain's latest Culture novel, Matter - currently available in the UK, US and Australia in Orbit paperback - has been shortlisted for the 2009 Prometheus Award.
This award is given by the Libertarian Futurist Society in recognition of the best pro-freedom novel published during the previous year.
The award will be presented during Anticipation, the 67th World Science Fiction Convention, which takes place from August 6-10, 2009, in Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
Congratulations to Iain on his nomination!
Iain Banks discusses the Future of Science Fiction with the BBC
March 19, 2009Iain has contributed to a BBC website column entitled How Sci-Fi Moves With the Times, along with fellow writers Ken MacLeod, Paul Cornell and Ian Watson.
In the course of describing his general approach to the degree of scientific realism he includes in his different writing modes, Iain also lets slip a tantalising hint about his next novel:
My new book is a mainstream novel that borrows science fiction tropes. It plays with the idea that there are an infinite number of different worlds.
So it's using speculative hard science. And it's important to the book that there's a degree of respectability about the idea of the multiverse, or the many-worlds theory.
You can discuss the implications of this little snippet over on the Iain [M] Banks fan forum, should you be so inclined...
Iain Banks taking part in ‘Ursula Le Guin at 80′ radio tribute
March 11, 2009Iain Banks will be contributing to a BBC Radio 4 tribute to veteran science fiction and fantasy author Ursula K. LeGuin, which will be broadcast on Tuesday, March 17th at 11.30 a.m.
Here's the info from the BBC Radio4 website:
Writer China Miéville talks to American science fiction writer Ursula Le Guin.
Le Guin was a trailblazer - writing in the 1960s, her series of books about the adventures of a boy wizard, Ged, included characters of every race and colour. Her fiction has been acutely concerned with politics, portraying worlds destroyed by environmental catastrophe that prefigured modern concerns about global warming, and societies without gender just as modern-day feminism began to take off.
Featuring contributions and tributes from Iain Banks and Margaret Atwood.
[Thanks to The Banksoniain's David H for the heads-up]
Paul Cornell ‘State of the Art’ audio interview
March 4, 2009As part of Sci-Fi London's Reality Check podcast series, Alex Fitch talks to Paul Cornell about his work on the BBC radio adaptation of 'The State of the Art', which airs on Radio 4 tomorrow (Thursday March 5th) at 2.15 p.m. as part of the current BBC R4 Sci-Fi Season.
[via the FPI Blog and Dave H]
Banksoniain #14 available for download
February 26, 2009The latest edition of the Banksoniain fanzine is now available to download from the Banksonian website.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Wasp Factory we revisit Banks's first published novel. The timeline of Paul Cornell's radio adaptation of The State of the Art is examined and the production is reviewed, along with a trip to Diziet Sma's Paris. We also look back on Banks appearances at Gateshead Library, Lincoln Book Festival and Newcon4, and a quick look at the geography of chapter 2 of Complicity, along with the usual chronicling of Banks's media coverage.
The Wasp Factory on BBC Radio 4
February 11, 2009Iain's debut novel The Wasp Factory, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, will feature on BBC Radio 4's A Good Read on Tuesday March 3rd at 4.30 p.m., repeated on Friday March 6th at 11.00 p.m.
Visit www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts for more information on the current series of A Good Read.
Iain Banks to appear at Prague Writers’ Festival
February 11, 2009Iain will be an author guest at the Prague Writers' Festival, which takes place at the Laterna Magika theatre in the city over the weekend of 7th - 11th June this year.
Visit www.pwf.cz for more information on the event.
[Thanks to DaveH for the heads-up.]
Announcing the title of the next Iain Banks novel
January 13, 2009We're pleased to announce that Iain Banks' next novel, to be published in September 2009, is provisionally entitled Transition.
More details to follow, as they become available.
Website maintenance, redux
January 12, 2009The recently-heralded server transfer and CMS upgrade is about to happen, so please do not be alarmed if the Iain [M] Banks website disappears from your screens for a short while. The Iain Banks Forum should not be affected by the changes.
Update, 13.01.09 The transfer is now complete and normal service appears to have been restored.
Iain [M.] Banks announced as GoH for Eastercon 2010
December 22, 2008Odyssey 2010 - the next-but-one reincarnation of the annual Eastercon British National Science Fiction Convention - have announced that Iain will be one of their Guests of Honour, along with fellow authors Mike Carey, Alastair Reynolds and Liz Williams, plus Artist Guest of Honour Carlos Ezquerra, and Fan Guests of Honour Jon and Fran Dowd (all Guest of Honour appearances are subject to work and other commitments).
The four-day convention, which in 2010 will return to the London Heathrow Radisson Edwardian; scene of this year's Orbital 2008 event.
For more information, see www.Odyssey2010.org.
Iain Banks FAQ moves to Blogspot
December 18, 2008Had a note in from Haddonsman this afternoon to say that he's re-located his near-legendary Iain Banks FAQ to iainbanksfaq.blogspot.com, if everyone could update their links and bookmarks, please.
The new site also has an RSS Feed to help you keep up with updates and is sub-divided into easy-to-navigate sections. Plus, you can add your comments to any of the FAQs on show.
New Iain [M] Banks Fan Forum now live
December 11, 2008The all-new Iain [M] Banks Fan Forum is now live at www.iainbanksforum.net.
This new forum replaces the old installation which has been largely defunct and closed to new members for quite some time. Former and brand new members alike are most welcome to sign up for an account and join the conversation. Your frienfly, neighbourhood Forum Admin, along with moderators 'edash' and 'rac', will be on hand to help new members settle in and will be happy to answer any queries you might have.
Website maintenance
November 14, 2008Just a quick note to let folks know that we'll be moving the site to a new hosting platform over the next few days. This will involve a domain-name transfer as well, so there may be some down-time as a result. Normal service will be resumed as soon as humanly possible.
[If anyone happens to have the address of a friendly Mind who could make this happen in a nano-second or two, please do let us know via the usual channels.]
Update 17.11.08: Looks like this will be happening some time early next week now, folks. Normal service will continue for a short while yet...
Iain Banks email Q&A October 2008
October 14, 2008Welcome to the latest Q&A session with Iain Banks. The first two sessions can be found here: Q&A session I and Q&A session II.
Read on for the latest Q's from Iain's readers and fans, with A's from the man himself...
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