He also wrote short stories, poetry and a travelogue, Raw Spirit. The first of these, Consider Phlebas, launched the ‘Culture’ series of space operas for which Banks is best known today. Alternating between these genres, Banks wrote 14 literary novels including The Crow Road, which was adapted for television by the BBC, and ten science-fiction novels. Banks saw himself as a science-fiction writer but was encouraged by his then-editor to make a clear distinction between his literary and science-fiction by the simple addition or omission of his middle initial, M (the family name of Menzies).

Declared a work of ‘unparalleled depravity’ by one newspaper, the book made Banks’ name as an exceptional new talent and has since been acclaimed as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. Banks’ first novel, The Wasp Factory, was published in 1984 to widespread controversy. He studied at the University of Stirling, gaining a degree in English with Philosophy and Psychology and, while there, appearing as an extra in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Banks (1954–2013) was a Scottish novelist educated on both the East and West coasts of Scotland. The binding is blocked in blue and orange foils, with a field of burning stars continuing onto the exterior of the slipcase a spectacular finishing touch on an unmissable collectors’ edition.

For this special illustrated edition, artist Dániel Taylor has created a breath-taking collection of images capturing the exotic thrills of a modern science-fiction classic, including a special hidden illustration printed on the inside of the slipcase. With an imagination as vast as the Culture itself, Banks was one of the true innovators of the genre, and Consider Phlebas is an electrifying first step into a remarkable universe. From Horza’s last-minute escape, that starts the book with a literal bang, to the space pirates, orbital stations, deadly games and vast icebergs that populate this epic space opera, Banks barely gives the reader a moment to catch their breath. Banks’ first science-fiction novel introduces one of the most iconic creations in speculative literature: the Culture, a far future interstellar civilization populated by humans and sophisticated artificial intelligences.

Banks consider phlebas