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!
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.
State of the Art radio adaptation news
October 7, 2008Via DaveH we've learned that Ian Whates, one of the organisers of this month's Newcon4 convention - at which Iain will be a Guest of Honour - has posted the following news about Paul Cornell's radio adaptation of Ian's short story 'The State of the Art', at the SFF Chronicles forum.
"Paul Cornell's radio adaptation of Iain Banks' novel The State of the Art will be aired on the 6th March 2009 on Radio 4...
"Of course, anyone impatient for a preview would have to come along to NewCon 4. We've obtained permission to play exclusive clips from the show, 6 months ahead of its broadcast; said clips to then be discussed by the author and adaptor ('adaptor' as in Paul, rather than any electronic gizmo!)."
And there's more information on State of the Art's place in the forthcoming BBC Radio science fiction season, over at blogs.thestage.co.uk.
Iain [M] Banks Q&A session II - more questions, please!
July 24, 2008Iain enjoyed providing answers for the first email Q&A session so much that he's asked us to set up another one right away.
And so, without further ado, we hereby call for all you Banks-fans and readers to send in your next batch of questions for Iain. The same general guidelines as last time will apply once more:
Send your best question (just one per correspondent, please), by email, to orbit@littlebrown.co.uk, with the subject line 'Iain [M] Banks QandA Suggestion'.
The deadline for submissions for this second session is Wednesday August 13th. After that date, the half-dozen or so queries that - in the collective opinion of the team here at Orbit / Abacus - are the most interesting and / or intriguing will be put to Mr Banks for his consideration and contemplation. The resulting answers will then be posted to to the website as soon as Iain has gotten his answers back to us.
Fire away!
Iain Banks on ‘The Wasp Factory’ in The Guardian
July 14, 2008The Guardian has posted Iain's own take on the background to his breakthrough novel The Wasp Factory over at books.guardian.co.uk.
In the article we learn that The Wasp Factory was Iain's sixth completed novel, and that at the time he regarded it as something of a step-backwards from his dream of becoming a published science fiction writer:
"The Wasp Factory represented me admitting partial defeat, heaving a slightly theatrical sigh, stepping reluctantly away from the gaudy, wall-size canvasses of science/space fiction to lay down my oversize set of Rolf Harris paint rollers, pick up a set of brushes thinner than pencils and - jaw set, brows furrowed - lower myself to using a more restricted palette and to producing what felt like a miniature in comparison."
There's plenty more insight into the origins of the book to be gained by reading the rest of the Guardian article.
‘State of the Art’ radio-play - casting news
June 26, 2008Last week on his blog, Paul Cornell reported that no less a British stage luminary than Anthony Sher KBE will be playing the voice of the GCU Arbitrary in the forthcoming BBC4 radio adaptation of 'State of the Art', which Paul has scripted and Iain Banks is reportedly very pleased with indeed.
More news as Paul reveals it...
[Thanks to Dave H of 'The Banksoniain' for the heads-up]
Download ‘The Wasp Factory’, FREE, via The Independent and Audible.co.uk
April 8, 2008The Independent and Audible.co.uk have teamed up to bring you a free, yes, that's right, a completely FREE - audio download of the new audiobook version of The Wasp Factory.
The Independent explains:
"Over the course of the week [the offer went live on April 2nd*] you will be able to download the chapters from this celebrated novel and by Friday April 11th you will have all of the parts you need to make up the complete 6-hour audiobook."
Full details of the offer are available from www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books.
And check out www.audible.co.uk/iainbanks for a special offer on a range of Iain Banks audio titles from Audible.co.uk, which are available at a 30% discount until April 18th.
*Apologies for the late posting of this one, folks... if you're quick, you can still catch it!
Cumbernauld Theatre Company touring ‘The Wasp Factory’, April - June 2008
March 21, 2008Doug Martin of Glasgow's Tron Theatre has been in touch with the details of a forthcoming tour of the Cumbernauld Theatre company's production of The Wasp Factory.
Here's the press release:
The Tron Theatre is thrilled to announce that Cumbernauld Theatre will premiere their new production of Iain Banks' celebrated cult novel, The Wasp Factory, at the Tron, from 17th
Iain (M) Banks confirmed as Guest of Honour for Satellite 2, July 25th-26th 2009
March 19, 2008Iain Banks will be the Guest of Honour at Satellite 2, a convention being be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow over the weekend of July 25th and 26th, 2009.
Early days yet, so more details will be forthcoming at a later date, but memberships are already available from www.satellite2.org.uk.
[Thanks to DaveH of 'The Banksoniain' for the heads-up]
Out Now: Iain Banks’ ‘The Wasp Factory’, Audio CD, read by Peter Kenny
March 6, 2008A brand new audio adaptation of Iain Banks' career-launching debut novel, The Wasp Factory, is available now on CD Audiobook from Hachette Audio.
The narrator is Peter Kenny, an actor and singer who has worked widely in theatre and broadcasting, appearing with, amongst others, the Royal Shakespeare Company, A&BC, Coventry Belgrade, and the BBC Radio Repertory Company.
Click on the cover for more info on The Wasp Factory:
Out Now: ‘The Steep Approach to Garbadale’ UK paperback edition
February 28, 2008Another official Iain Banks release date today, this time for the UK paperback edition of The Steep Approach to Garbadale, although copies may already be available in UK bookstores.
Click on the cover image to read an extract from this novel of families and the games they play:
Out Now: ‘Matter’ - US hardback edition
February 27, 2008Today is the official publication date for the US edition of Matter (although there's a good chance you may already have seen copies of the book in US stores).
Click on the cover image to read an extract from the new Culture novel, courtesy of publisher Orbit Books:
Paul Cornell to adapt ‘State of the Art’ for BBC Radio 4
February 25, 2008Over on his LiveJournal, science fiction writer Paul Cornell has announced that he has been commissioned to adapt the Iain Banks novella 'State of the Art' into a play for broadcast on BBC Radio 4 later this year.
Paul, who is best known for his work as a writer for Doctor Who and also writes novels and comics, said of the project:
"My producer is the wonderful Nadia Molinari, and we're looking to keep all the SF goodness of the original. I'm enjoying how serious and thoughtful the brief is. The story is about Banks' spaceborne utopian civilisation, the Culture, encountering Earth. Some interesting casting of a Ship voice ahead, I should think, and who should be Diziet Sma? I'm anticipating the process hugely."
Further details as they become apparent...
Iain Banks named in Times list of ‘50 greatest postwar writers’
February 21, 2008Iain Banks has been named alongside 49 other British literary luminaries in the (London) Times' list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.
In their quick summary of Mr Banks' achievements to-date, they note:
"Although reviewers of Iain Banks
‘The Steep Approach to Garbadale’ short-listed for new Scottish fiction prize
January 23, 2008The Clare Maclean prize for Scottish Fiction is a new award that will be announced by the organisers of Aye Write!, the Bank of Scotland Book Festival on March 15th.
The Steep Approach to Garbadale is one of six short-listed novels, all of which were first published in 2007, that have been nominated for the inaugural award. Fingers crossed!
