The State of the Art
Encyclopedia
The State of the Art is a short story collection
by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1991. The collection includes some stories originally published under his other byline
, Iain Banks as well as the title novella
and others set in Banks' Culture
fictional universe
.
At 100 pages long, the title novella makes up the bulk of the book. The novella chronicles a Culture
mission to Earth
in the late Seventies, and also serves as a prequel
of sorts to Use of Weapons
by featuring one of that novel's characters, Diziet Sma
. Here, Sma argues for contact with Earth, to try to fix the mess the human
species has made of it; another Culture citizen, Linter, goes native, choosing to renounce his Culture body enhancements so as to be more like the locals; and Li, who is a Star Trek
fan, argues that the whole "incontestably neurotic and clinically insane species" should be eradicated with a micro black hole
. The ship Arbitrary has ideas, and a sense of humour, of its own.
The collection was published in the US in 2004 by Night Shade Books
, in hardback (ISBN 1-892389-38-X) and limited editions (ISBN 1-892389-99-1). The limited edition contains work by Banks not found in the UK version.
The non-SF stories in the collection are the only ones he has published under his Iain M. Banks name, which is only usually used for his science fiction.
The State of the Art was adapted by Paul Cornell
for the Afternoon Play slot on BBC Radio 4
and broadcast on 5 March 2009. The adaptation was directed by Nadia Molinari and the main cast was:
In late 2009 it was announced that the story A Gift From the Culture
was in the early stages of being adapted for the cinema by Dominic Murphy, the director of White Lightnin'
.
Short story collection
A short story collection is a book of short stories by a single author, as distinguished by an anthology of fiction by more than one author. The stories in a collection can share a theme, setting, or characters and sometimes can also include work of poetry. Notable collections include Nine Stories...
by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1991. The collection includes some stories originally published under his other byline
Byline
The byline on a newspaper or magazine article gives the name, and often the position, of the writer of the article. Bylines are traditionally placed between the headline and the text of the article, although some magazines place bylines at the bottom of the page, to leave more room for graphical...
, Iain Banks as well as the title novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
and others set in Banks' Culture
The Culture
The Culture is a fictional interstellar anarchist, socialist, and utopian society created by the Scottish writer Iain M. Banks which features in a number of science fiction novels and works of short fiction by him, collectively called the Culture series....
fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
.
Summary
- Road of Skulls
- A Gift from the CultureA Gift From The CultureA Gift from the Culture, published in 1987, is a short work of space opera, by the Scottish science fiction author Iain M. Banks...
- Odd Attachment
- Descendant
- Cleaning Up
- Piece
- The State of the Art
At 100 pages long, the title novella makes up the bulk of the book. The novella chronicles a Culture
The Culture
The Culture is a fictional interstellar anarchist, socialist, and utopian society created by the Scottish writer Iain M. Banks which features in a number of science fiction novels and works of short fiction by him, collectively called the Culture series....
mission to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in the late Seventies, and also serves as a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
of sorts to Use of Weapons
Use of Weapons
Use of Weapons is a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1990 as the third novel in the Culture series.-Plot introduction:...
by featuring one of that novel's characters, Diziet Sma
Diziet Sma
Rasd-Codurersa Diziet Embless Sma da' Marenhide, or Diziet Sma, is a fictional character. She is a citizen of The Culture in the novel Use of Weapons, the novella The State of the Art, and is hinted at in the novel Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks...
. Here, Sma argues for contact with Earth, to try to fix the mess the human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
species has made of it; another Culture citizen, Linter, goes native, choosing to renounce his Culture body enhancements so as to be more like the locals; and Li, who is a Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fan, argues that the whole "incontestably neurotic and clinically insane species" should be eradicated with a micro black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
. The ship Arbitrary has ideas, and a sense of humour, of its own.
'Also while I'd been away, the ship had sent a request on a postcard to the BBC's World Service, asking for 'Mr David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's "Space Oddity" for the good ship Arbitrary and all who sail in her.' (This from a machine that could have swamped Earth's entire electro-magnetic spectrumElectromagnetic spectrumThe electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
with whatever the hell it wanted from somewhere beyond BetelgeuseBetelgeuseBetelgeuse, also known by its Bayer designation Alpha Orionis , is the eighth brightest star in the night sky and second brightest star in the constellation of Orion, outshining its neighbour Rigel only rarely...
.) It didn't get the request played. The ship thought this was hilarious.'
- Scratch (or: The Present and Future of Species HS (sic) Considered as The Contents of a Contemporary Popular Record (qv))
Original publication and variant editions
- "Road of Skulls" - originally published in the anthologyAnthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
20 under 35, Peter Straus (ed.) 1988, Sceptre, ISBN 0-340-48637-6. - "A Gift from the Culture" - originally published in InterzoneInterzone (magazine)Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
#20, Summer 1987 with illustrations by SMSSMS (comics)SMS is a Lancashire-based artist known for his award-winning covers for science-fiction magazine, Interzone, and for his work for British anthology magazine 2000 AD.-Biography:...
. - "Odd Attachment" - originally published in the anthologyAnthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Arrows of Eros, Alex Stewart (ed.) 1989, New English Library, ISBN 0-450-50249-X. - "Descendant" - originally published in the anthologyAnthologyAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
Tales from the Forbidden Planet, Roz KaveneyRoz KaveneyRoz Kaveney is a British writer of both fiction and non-fiction, and editor. She was born male but changed to and thereafter has lived as a female...
(ed.) 1987, Titan Books, ISBN 1-85286-004-9. - "Cleaning Up" - originally published in a limited editionLimited edition booksA limited edition book is a description of a book which is released in a limited print run quantity, usually much smaller than publishing industry standards, and connotes a level of scarcity or exclusivity...
of 500 by Birmingham Science Fiction Group as the Souvenir Book for NovaconNovaconNovacon is an annual science fiction convention, usually held each November in the West Midlands, UK. It is now the annual convention of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group.-History:...
17 (1987) when Banks was Guest of Honour. - "Piece" - originally published in The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
Magazine on 13 August 1989 with illustrations by Peter Knock. - The State Of The Art - An original edition appeared as a separate book (Mark V. ZiesingMark V. ZiesingMark V. Ziesing is a small press publisher and bookseller. Active as a bookseller from 1972 to present, Ziesing was active in publishing from the mid-1980s into the late 1990s. The Ziesing publishing imprint specialized in science fiction, horror, and other forms of speculative fiction...
, ISBN 0-929480-06-6). The cover art was by Arnie Fenner, and a limited edition of 400 books in a slipcase appeared, signed by both artist and author. - "Scratch" - originally published in The Fiction Magazine vol. 6, No. 6, Jul/Aug 1987.
The collection was published in the US in 2004 by Night Shade Books
Night Shade Books
Night Shade Books is an independent publishing company based in San Francisco, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was started in 1997 by Jason Williams, with Jeremy Lassen coming on board as a partner shortly after the company's founding...
, in hardback (ISBN 1-892389-38-X) and limited editions (ISBN 1-892389-99-1). The limited edition contains work by Banks not found in the UK version.
The non-SF stories in the collection are the only ones he has published under his Iain M. Banks name, which is only usually used for his science fiction.
Adaptations
Piece was adapted by Craig Warner for BBC Radio 5 and broadcast on 6 June 1991. It was directed by John York. The cast included:- Munro - Bill PatersonBill PatersonBill Paterson is a Scottish stage, film and television actor.-Early years:Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Paterson spent three years as a quantity surveyor's apprentice, before attending the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama...
- Jack - Harry Jones
- Eve/Voice - Susan SheridanSusan SheridanSusan Sheridan is a British actress. Her voice acting roles include Noddy in the Cosgrove Hall/BBC Television series Noddy's Toyland Adventures, Trillian in the radio series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Princess Eilonwy in the animated film The Black Cauldron.She has also provided...
The State of the Art was adapted by Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
for the Afternoon Play slot on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
and broadcast on 5 March 2009. The adaptation was directed by Nadia Molinari and the main cast was:
- The Ship - Antony SherAntony SherSir Antony Sher, KBE is a double Olivier Award winning South African-born British actor, writer, theatre director and painter.- Early years :...
- Diziet Sma - Nina SosanyaNina SosanyaNina Sosanya is an English actress. She was born in London and her father is Nigerian. She trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, gaining A-Levels in Performing Arts....
- Dervley Linter - Paterson JosephPaterson Joseph-Career:Born in London. Attended Cardinal Hinsley R.C High School in North West London. Joseph first trained at the Studio '68 of Theatre Arts, London – 1983–85 with Robert Henderson, then at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art . In recent years he has had a high number of roles in...
- Li - Graeme HawleyGraeme HawleyGraeme Hawley is an English actor known for his role as John Stape in the British soap Coronation Street.-Career:He graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a degree in Drama before beginning his acting career in the theatre.He started his career off by performing on stage at...
- Tel - Brigit ForsythBrigit ForsythBrigit Forsyth is a British actress, who is best known for her roles as Thelma Ferris in the BBC comedy Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? and Helen Yeldham in the hit ITV drama/modern-day western Boon....
- Sodel - Conrad Nelson
In late 2009 it was announced that the story A Gift From the Culture
A Gift From The Culture
A Gift from the Culture, published in 1987, is a short work of space opera, by the Scottish science fiction author Iain M. Banks...
was in the early stages of being adapted for the cinema by Dominic Murphy, the director of White Lightnin'
White Lightnin'
White Lightnin' is a 2009 dramatic thriller film directed by Dominic Murphy and written by Eddy Moretti and Shane Smith.White Lightnin' was inspired by the life of Jesco White, an Appalachian mountain dancer. It was shown at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.-Plot:Jesco White is the last of the West...
.