My point has always been that, ever since the Industrial Revolution, science fiction has been the most important genre there is. – Iain Banks

I think a lot of people are frightened of technology and frightened of change, and the way to deal with something youre frightened of is to make fun of it. Thats why science fiction fans are dismissed as geeks and nerds. – Iain Banks

A lot of what the Culture is about is a reaction to all the science fiction I was reading in my very early teens. – Iain Banks