What is Satellite 2? GoH - Iain M. Banks News The Hotel Getting There Da Rules Mission Control Team Message from Chair Programme Programme Guide Guest of Honour Talks Panels Other Items Evening Events Join Satellite 2 First Timers' FAQ List of Members Con T-shirt Contact Us Links The Amazing Adventures of Roger<beep>
 
Log In

GoH - Iain M. Banks

The Satellite 2 committee are delighted that our Guest of Honour will be Iain M Banks. Iain is one of the leading authors in Britain today, widely known for both his mainstream works and science fiction.

Iain was born in Dunfermline, son of an Admiralty officer and a former professional ice-skater. He was educated at the University of Stirling, studying English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology. He still lives in Fife. He has strong political interests, supports Scottish independence and famously cut up his passport in protest over the invasion of Iraq.

In the SF genre he is perhaps most famous for the "Culture" novels, a series of galaxy-spanning epics, featuring sentient spaceships, moody drones and colourful human characters. As well as writing mainstream and SF, Iain has also written a book on another of his passions, whisky (although he says he drinks less of it now than he used to!)

It is difficult to write something new about Iain as so much has been written already. The Times placed him in the top 40 of the most significant British writers since World War II, and even the most cursory search of the Internet reveals countless reviews, interviews and critiques. His work has led to critical acclaim and international recognition.

At the start of this year he announced a new direction — that of musical composer. He hopes over this summer to capture some of the sounds he has heard in his head for years, creating something we can all share. We wait with bated breath…

For more about Iain and his works, check out the links below.

Links

IMB's wikipedia entry
IMB's official website
The Banksonian - an IMB fanzine
Interview with 'The Cambridge Student' (Feb 2008)
Interview with 'The Australian' (Feb 2008)

Bibliography

Novels as Iain Banks

• The Wasp Factory (1984)
• Walking on Glass (1985)
• The Bridge (1986)
• Espedair Street (1987)
• Canal Dreams (1989)
• The Crow Road (1992)
• Complicity (1993)
• Whit (1995)
• A Song of Stone (1997)
• The Business (1999)
• Dead Air (2002)
• The Steep Approach to Garbadale (2007)

Novels as Iain M. Banks

'Culture' novels

• Consider Phlebas (1987)
• The Player of Games (1988)
• Use of Weapons (1990)
• Excession (1996)
• Inversions (1998)
• Look to Windward (2000)
• Matter (2008)

Other novels

• Against a Dark Background (1993)
• Feersum Endjinn (1994)
• The Algebraist (2004)

Short fiction

• The State of the Art (1989)

Non-fiction

• Raw Spirit (2003) (a travelogue of Scotland and its whisky distilleries)