Two and a half millennia ago, the artifact appeared in a remote corner of space, beside a trillion-year-old dying sun from a different universe. It was a perfect black-body sphere, and it did nothing. Then it disappeared. Now it is back. 'Banks is a phenomenon ... wildly successful, fearlessly creative' William Gibson 'Thrilling, affecting and comic ... probably the finest science fiction he has written to date' New Scientist 'Banks has rewritten the libretto for the whole space-opera genre' The Times
I. M. Banks Book order (chronological)
Iain M. Banks, who also wrote as Iain Banks, was a Scottish author whose works delved into profound themes of human society and the future. Under the pseudonym Iain M. Banks, he crafted expansive and ambitious science fiction, often set within intricately detailed universes that explored complex political and philosophical underpinnings. His writing style was characterized by sharp wit, incisive social commentary, and a fascination with technological advancement and its impact on humanity. His narratives frequently reflected his left-leaning political views and an intellectual curiosity about utopian and anarchistic societal structures.
Look to Windward
- 357 pages
- 13 hours of reading
It was one of the less glorious incidents of the Idiran wars that led to the destruction of two suns and the billions of lives they supported. Now, eight hundred years later, the light from the first of those ancient deaths has reached the Culture's Masaq' Orbital. For the Hub Mind, overseer of the massive bracelet world, its arrival is particularly poignant. But it may still be eclipsed by events from the Culture's more recent past. When the Chelgrian Ziller, a composer of great renown now living in self-imposed exile, learns that an emissary from his home world is being sent to Masaq' Orbital, he fears the worst: that the Chelgrians want him to return. A considerable debt is owed to the Chelgrians, but Ziller is an honoured guest on their world and the Culture would not force him to leave.They know that they are facing a slight diplomatic problem. However, Ziller is not the only thing on the Chelgrian emissary's mind. If his mission is successful, it illuminate the Culture's future as well as its past. Look out for more information on this book and others on the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk