Iain M. Banks

Book 2 of the 'Culture' series

The Player of Games

£110

Illustrated by Dániel Taylor

Following science-fiction landmark Consider Phlebas, Folio continues Iain M. Banks’s 'Culture' novels with The Player of Games, featuring mesmerising original artwork by series artist Dániel Taylor.

The Player of Games

£110

Book Details

Presentation Box & BindingBound in cloth, foil blocked in red and gold
Blocked slipcase with secret printed lining

Dimensions9 ½ inches x 6 ¼ inches

FontSet in Garamond with Scene as display

Pages376 pages

AuthorIain M. Banks

Illustrated byDániel Taylor

IllustrationFrontispiece plus 6 full-page colour illustrations

Publication Date07/05/2024

Editor's Notes

Folio presents The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks, the second book in the acclaimed Culture series and the first ever illustrated edition, featuring brooding cinematic artwork by sci-fi artist Dániel Taylor. The Player of Games offers a view inside Culture itself – in this far-future utopia, there is no money, no scarcity, even death is uncommon, while society itself is automated by seemingly benevolent AI known as Minds. Bound in sumptuous maroon cloth, star-speckled and foil-blocked in gold and blood-red, this exclusive slipcased edition is a crucial volume in the library of any sci-fi connoisseur.

Though part of a sequence that broadened the intellectual scope of science-fiction literature, The Player of Games remains a mesmeric standalone read, an idea supernova that combines the surreal concepts of Philip K. Dick with the world-building of Frank Herbert’s Dune novels and the intellectual rigour of Asimov. Iain M. Banks has influenced a host of writers and artists, from Irvine Welsh to experimental pop star Grimes, while The Player of Games showcases precisely why The Times named him one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Dániel Taylor

Dániel Taylor is an artist and graphic designer from Budapest who has been a full-time professional illustrator since 2015. His work, produced digitally, is inspired by 20th century Surrealism, science-fiction and comic-book art; it has been commissioned by clients including Marvel, Playboy, Disney, Adobe and New Scientist. Dániel has illustrated Consider Phlebas (1987, Folio 2023), The Player of Games (1988, Folio 2024) and Use of Weapons (1990, Folio 2025) and has exhibited his art in London, Paris and Munich.

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Dániel Taylor

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Dániel Taylor

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Dániel Taylor

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Dániel Taylor

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Dániel Taylor

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About the Author

Iain M. Banks (1954–2013) was a Scottish novelist educated on both the East and West coasts of Scotland. 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’ first novel, The Wasp Factory, was published in 1984 to widespread controversy. Declared a work of ‘unparalleled depravity’ by one newspaper, the book made Banks’s name as an exceptional new talent and has since been acclaimed as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. 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).  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. The first of these, Consider Phlebas(1987, Folio 2023), launched the Culture series of space operas for which Banks is best known today. The Folio series continued with The Player of Games (1988, Folio 2024). He also wrote short stories, poetry and a travelogue, Raw Spirit.  His final novel, The Quarry, was published shortly after his death in 2013.

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