A Cultural Matter
Here’s a question: whose next SF novel features spaceships with the following names?
Now We Try It My Way
Experiencing a Significant Gravitas Shortfall
Subtle Shift in Emphasis
Liveware Problem
Don’t Try This At Home
You’ll Clean That Up Before You Leave
Without doubt one of the most highly anticipated SF novels to be published next year, Matter is the new novel from Iain M. Banks, the UK’s bestselling SF author. It’s a Culture novel — the first for 8 years — and Iain has just delivered the final manuscript. And I’ve just read it. And . . . WOW!!! (that’s a technical publishing term). Being a Culture novel, we’ve also got a whole heap of new Culture ship names to look forward to. My favourite today is Don’t Try This At Home. We’re scheduled to publish Matter in the UK and the US in February next year, and here’s a sneak peek of the cover:
August 17th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Love the apocalyptic cover. Who’s the artist?
August 19th, 2007 at 12:43 am
This is probably my most eagerly-awaited new novel of next year. The last Culture novel, ‘Look to Windward’, was one of Iain M. Banks’s greatest achievements in the sci-fi genre. Any plans, yet, for a signing tour?
August 31st, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Thomas: glad you like it! The illustrator is Debra Lill.
Neil: my favourite Iain M. Banks novel keeps changing. I think one of the incredible things about Iain is his ability to change styles and genres from one novel to the next - and time and again conjure up something new and exciting. He’s just written too many great books - we’re spoiled for choice!
There will definitely be signing events in the UK - we’ll post details as soon as we have them.
September 10th, 2007 at 1:04 am
i agree whit Neil…
But i have to say that i thought The Algebraist was one of the best SF books i ever…
and had no Culture in it at all…
Its nice to get some news from the Culture…again.
You just have to love the name of the ships…”GrayMatter/MeatFucker” is my personal all time hero…
November 26th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Looking forward to this one. Hope it lives up to the advance billing. His last Culture novel, Look To Windward, is one of my favorite SF books.