Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial acclaim with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY, in 1984. However, it was his 1987 novel CONSIDER PHLEBAS which introduced his remarkable talent to the SF community, and also saw the addition of the 'M' to his name - an addition which remains a distinguishing feature of his SF work. He has since written a further 5 SF novels, and a collection of SF short stories, THE STATE OF THE ART, all published by Orbit. Described by William Gibson as 'a phenomenon ... wildly successful, fearlessly creative', he was acknowledged as one of the Best of Young British Writers in 1993, and lives in Fife, Scotland.