The State of the Art

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.

Iain Banks came to 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. He is now widely acclaimed as one of the most powerful, innovative and exciting writers of his generation.