BANKS, Iain M. ~ The Hydrogen Sonata. Signed by the author.

FIRST UK PRINTING. Orbit, London: 2012.

Large thick 8vo., black publisher's boards, lettered in gilt to spine with device to foot; together in the unclipped printed dustwrapper (£20.00 to front flap) featuring a design by Lauren Panepinto; grey endpapers; THE BOOK a little bumped at spine tips, and one small dent to upper edge of upper board, but otherwise fine; THE WRAPPER fine. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First UK edition. This copy signed by the author in blue ink to the title page. 'The Hydrogen Sonata' is Banks' final book in his famous 'Culture' series, which had begun with 'Consider Phlebas' as far back as 1987. The publication of this work marked 25 years since the beginning of the series, and was to be Banks' final science fiction novel - he passed away in 2013, just one year after its publication. Each of the nine plotlines in the series focus on 'The Culture', a utopian, post-scarcity society comprised of humanoid aliens and advanced superintelligent AI living in artificial habitats spread across the Milky Way galaxy. This novel focuses on the Gzilt civilisation, who helped to set up 'The Culture' ten thousand years previously, but now is in its final days. When the Regimental High Command is destroyed one soldier - Vyr Cossont - must find the oldest person in the Culture, a man over nine thousand years old, in order to discover what has happened. The title of the book refers to a piece of music, woven into the plotline, which must be played on a stringed instrument which requires the player to sit in it like a chair. In fact the reader discovers that the protagonist has undergone body enhancement to grow the two extra arms needed to play it. Scarce signed.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine
JACKET: Fine