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. The story is an early venture into the "complex and unusual and very distant" setting of the Culture, which Banks would further develop through various of full length novels, stories, and his essay "A Few Notes on the Culture".
Iain Banks
After the publication and success of "The Wasp Factory" (1984), Banks began to write on a full-time basis. His first science fiction book, "Consider Phlebas", was released in 1987, marking the start of the Culture series. His books have been adapted for theatre, radio and television. In 2008, "The Times" named Banks in their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". In April 2013, Banks announced that he had inoperable cancer and was unlikely to live beyond a year. He died on 9 June 2013.