Last Thursday I went to see Iain M. Banks at Waterstones. He read from his new book, The Algebraist, then took an hour or so of questions from the audience. I guess I should write up my experience for the benefit of fans who are unable to attend any of the locations on his UK signing tour.

It was the first time I’ve ever seen him, or any other author. Beforehand, I was deeply worried that I’d be surrounded by hardcore geeks, but then I realised that I’m probably a hardcore geek too so it wouldn’t be so bad. As it turned out, it was lots of fun. The guy is a bundle of laughs and a great entertainer. He’s clearly highly intelligent and literate.

He opened with a quick introduction and a crack at the war in Iraq, then read from the middle of the new book, after a brief outline of the setting. I enjoyed this for the novelty of seeing someone read a book out loud for the first time since I was in middle school.

After some applause, he announced that it was the time when we got to ask him questions. Here are a few that I can remember. This is all from memory, so I’m paraphrasing. I’ve ventured to place the passages which I’m more certain of in real quotes. Please don’t take them as bona-fide Banks quotes though; my memory is far from perfect, and I could be making them all up for all you know.

“That scene at the end of Look to Windward where the Culture is looked back on from the far future as a race that’s been and gone… does that mean the Culture is over, or you intend it to be over?”

“Hmmm, well,… hmmm, naaaah, that’s just basically me fuckin’ with your head.” Banks does not intend to ever write a series-ender since the whole point of the Culture is that it’s not the kind of thing that just keels over and dies. It may change, but change is a way of life for the Culture.

“Were you thinking of ‘mould’ when you came up with the name ‘Culture’?”

“No. Actually I think I was thinking of what Goebbels said: ‘When I hear the word culture I reach for my gun’. So I was like Fuck you ya’ Nazi bastard! (Audience says it was Goering) Oh, it was Goering was it? Ah well, you know, all-purpose Nazi dictator beginning with a G.”

“Your books deal with some pretty dark themes, for example pretty inventive torture methods. Does that ever spill over into the real world?”

(Much laughter from everyone)

“I should bloody well hope not!” Then a little story about how he once started shooting pigeons with an airgun in order to keep them away from some other birds (i.e. there was a reasonably humane reason why he was doing it) but then had to stop because he was starting to enjoy it.

“Have you got a new passport yet?”

“No.” This is in reference to a passage in Raw Spirit where he tells of how he cut up his passport and mailed it to 10 Downing Street as a response to the Iraq war, saying he “felt ashamed to be British”. He apparently received a letter saying “Thankyou, we have received your passport.”

He says he won’t be getting another one “until one of the fuckers is gone” (meaning either Bush or Blair), adding that he realises “this could be another 4 years”.

(Some question about GSV names which I get the feeling has been asked before)

He said the warships were easier to name.

(Someone comments that he has a big list of GSV names)

“Yes I have about 40 pages of them! In fact, I suppose an inspiration for writing the Culture books is to use up some of these damn names.”

“Is the decision to make an SF book a Culture book an early one?”

Yes.

“Do you approve of people selling your books second-hand on ebay?”

He said he essentially has no problem with it. Lucky authors generally get their salaries up front, and it’s a long long time before they start seeing royalties anyway.

What do you read?

Favourite authors are Jane Austen and Tolstoy. He said he reads pretty much what he writes.

Inspiration?

Lots of things. Arthur C. Clarke and the Foundation books surprisingly little. Culture created as a response to the “Capitalism has made it to space! Hurrah!” books. “It’s ludicrious to think that we’ve reached the peak of economic science - ludicrous!”.

“Do you have two different locations - like two different sheds perhaps - one where you write mainstream and the other where you write SF?”

No. He said that he tends to write books all in one go, so he finishes one before starting another. He said that if he overlapped them then perhaps he would require two sheds.

“Have you ever thought about Wasp Factory meets Culture?”

“Whuh, what the, huh? What?” He thought this was a pretty insane idea and has absolutely no intention of writing a Culture story about a Mind who goes fucked up, since the whole point of the Culture is that they have evolved past that sort of thing.

Are you going to do any more TV stuff?

No. He said there was an offer of a TV series of Raw Spirit with him as the presenter, but he turned that down.

Are you going to do any more non-fiction?

No. He feels that he isn’t enough of an expert to do any more things like Raw Spirit.

“Why is the cover not in the same style as your previous SF books?”

“Basically because the first one that came back was rubbish!” He said he then told them what he wanted, and pretty much got it. He’s very pleased with the final design. It is indeed an amazing picture, made all the more amazing by the fact that it’s a real photograph.

I also learned that:

• “mores”, as in social mores, is pronounced “more-rays”.
• He said he felt at one point about 4 years ago that he was finding it harder to come up with new SF ideas. Now, upon writing The Algebraist, he says he’s discovered that he can make up new ideas on demand, and is rather pleased by this.
• Finally, the next book will be mainstream fiction, then the one after that will “with 99% certainty” be a Culture book, but that will most likely be in about 4 years time. Yay anyway!

Afterwards, everyone queued up to have books signed, and Mr Banks kindly cooperated, with the help of a glass of wine.