{"product_id":"9781476620404","title":"The Culture Series of Iain M. Banks: A Critical Introduction","description":"This critical history of Iain M. Banks’ Culture novels covers the series from its inception in the 1970s to the \u003ci\u003eThe Hydrogen Sonata\u003c\/i\u003e (2012), published less than a year before Banks’ death. It considers Banks’ origins as a writer, the development of his politics and ethics, his struggles to become a published author, his eventual success with \u003ci\u003eThe Wasp Factory\u003c\/i\u003e (1984) and the publication of the first Culture novel, \u003ci\u003eConsider Phlebas\u003c\/i\u003e (1987). His 1994 essay “A Few Notes on the Culture” is included, along with a range of critical responses to the 10 Culture books he published in his lifetime and a discussion of the series’ status as utopian literature.    Banks was a complex man, both in his everyday life and on the page. This work aims at understanding the Culture series not only as a fundamental contribution to science fiction but also as a product of its creator’s responses to the turbulent times he lived in.","brand":"McFarland \u0026 Company, Incorporated Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47141718163696,"sku":"9781476620404","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781476620404_p0.jpg?v=1763608473","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781476620404","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}