Iain Banks was a Scottish author. He wrote mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies. The Algebraist, like much of Banks's sci-fi, is a dense character-driven epic complete with alien races, warring cultures, interstellar travel, and humour. The novel takes place in 4034. With the assistance of oth... Read More