25 September, 2009

The Concern

As anyone familiar with his work will know, Iain Banks has two parallel careers, publishing 'non-genre' novels as 'Iain Banks' and sci-fi as 'Iain M. Banks'.  Several readers like only one or the other, so it's a useful distinction.

However, the latest novel by 'Iain Banks', 'Transition', is being marketed in the USA under the name 'Iain M. Banks', simply for reasons of greater name recognition. If you read a review, be aware which variant is being discussed: though it apparently has a 'parallel universes' theme, it's a 'No-M' book, and is sold as such in, say, the UK.