Ahoy there mateys!

Several years ago, I was deeply lamenting the fact that there were no standalone books that were somehow intertwined within one universe or world. My brain is usually like a sieve, and the long time gaps between books in trilogies and such mean that I often lose details and sometimes even have to start the series over from the beginning. I craved the effect of extreme world building with a neatly tied-up story in each book.

The First Mate then suggested the Culture “series” in which every book is set in the same universe but can all be read as standalones and in any order. And it's sci-fi to boot! Arrrr! So I began with the novel "Consider Phlebas" which was Bank's first Culture novel. I have read it twice now and loved it even more the second time around. Eventually, I bought this book which was Bank's second written Culture Novel and the First Mate's favorite.

I adored this book and the world Banks has constructed so very much. The game player in this book is named Jernau Morat Gurgeh. He is regarded as one of the best game players in the galaxy. Through a series of circumstances, he is recruited/forced to play a top-secret high-stakes game in another star system, Azad. However, the “game” he is playing is far from just for fun. The planet's society, politics, religion, and very existence hinge on the outcome of the conclusion of the tournament.

What I found utterly fascinating about this novel is that the tone is extremely different from the other Culture novel that I read. That one was filled with action, multiple settings, and a dare-devil protagonist. In this one, Gurgeh is a thinker and philosopher of games. He likes his routine and current lifestyle. He is an unwilling game participant at first but becomes engrossed as he gets more and more involved in the life and game of Azad. Yet, the background of the Culture makes this book just as compelling as the first novel, in spite or maybe because of these differences.

I am not a huge game theory fan, so the game itself did not always hold my full focus. But what certainly did were the politics and interactions of the characters. The Culture world has a “humanoid/machine symbiotic society.” Yet Azad is more primitive. I loved Gurgeh and his attitude of almost nonchalance towards everyone else. The game is the only thing that matters to him.

I also adored his robot friend, Chamlis, who is crazy old and endearing for a machine. Gurgeh's machine ambassador, Flere-Imsaho, was also a hoot. He spends his free time bird watching and the remainder of the time trying to prevent Gurgeh from making political and social blunders. He also has to hide what he is, and his complaints made me laugh. I love the spaceship, Limiting Factor. Basically, all the machines in this novel have fantastic and distinct personalities. They were nice contrasts to Gurgeh's own personality.

There is no major way to explain the plot any further due to its complexity. This book was a fast read, and I think the writing is superb. Needless to say, I recommend the two Culture novels I have read so far, and I certainly shall be reading more in the series.

Apparently, there are 10 books in total. Only 8 to go. But I shall take my time with them to savor the Culture flavor.

Side note: Apparently, Mr. Banks passed away in 2013 from cancer. Boo-hiss! Cancer sucks. But I am grateful he left behind a whole world for me to explore.

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It is truly a challenging task to figure out what to say without divulging some of the gradually unfolding story.

Here we have just a game player from Culture who is setting off to engage in a much larger game.

The narrative is captivating and engaging, and I found myself completely immersed in it, reading through it in just one afternoon.

The story seems to hold many secrets and mysteries that are being slowly revealed, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

As the game player embarks on this new adventure, one can't help but wonder what awaits them and how they will fare in this larger and more complex game.

It's a story that leaves you with a sense of anticipation and curiosity, eager to discover what lies ahead.

Overall, it's a fascinating read that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an exciting and thought-provoking story.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped or expected to.

I did appreciate getting to know the unique culture and the humorous elements that were scattered throughout, along with the cute drone voices in the audio version. However, I didn't have much interest in the main character, Gurgeh. Frankly, the idea of him being so completely engrossed in various games seemed rather silly to me, even though I myself enjoy playing games. Perhaps it was because it seemed like that was all he did and he took it all so seriously.

Setting that aside, I found the majority of the book that focused on Gurgeh's actual gaming to be extremely boring. The details of who was playing whom, how many games they had won, and which pieces were being moved on the board (when I didn't even understand how a particular game was played) just went on and on. I think this was when I first started to reduce my rating by a star or two.

The next time I lowered the rating was when the descriptions of torture and sex appeared. It was simply too much for my taste. (And again, I'm not sure why in this case since I recently read McCarthy's Blood Meridian and enjoyed that book.)

Finally, I felt that the book was too similar to Ender's Game in that, in the end, it was a surprise that Gurgeh was playing for real and for high stakes even though he didn't know it. There may have been details near the end of the book that I missed, but by the time I reached the last 50 pages or so, I was already mentally done with the book.

I did like the breaks in the novel where we heard from an unknown narrator (revealed at the end of the book). I thought the observations were quite funny.

Jernau Morat Gurgeh is an outstanding "Player of Games." In fact, he is so highly skilled that he is growing tired and cynical. His achievements enable him to lead an idyllic life, surrounded by friends and admirers. Just like a mountain climber who has reached the summit of Everest, what else is there left to conquer? Then comes a series of events that will lead him to a hidden empire - The Empire of Azad. This entire culture is centered around a game - a game so intricate that the winner becomes the emperor.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel mainly because of its refreshing and unique storyline. I suppose the only thing that comes close in my reading experience was "Ender's Game." You can sense the clarity of the plot that Banks had in his mind when he wrote this, which makes it an accessible and captivating tale. Additionally, the Culture universe is complex and sophisticated, filled with cool space megastructures, amazing ships, and interesting AI self-aware minds and drones. This is my second reading in the Culture universe, and it's a fun place to explore.

Regarding the drawbacks, my main disappointment was with the Empire of Azad itself. I liked the ambiguity in "Consider Phlebas," where it was often challenging to decide who to support. In that story, the main character saw flaws in both the Idirans and the Culture, which added subtleties and a realistic texture. In this book, while there are still flaws in the Culture's approach, once the underside of the Empire of Azad is exposed, there is no longer any doubt about who to favor, and in my opinion, this weakens the plot. At that moment, you know how the book must end. I also felt that Gurgeh accepted some plot points far too easily, which contradicted his previously established character and values. Unfortunately, I can't explain this in-depth without revealing spoilers. None of this spoiled the novel, but ultimately, it significantly diminished the ending in my view.

Four puzzle-pieced stars for this wildly imaginative, energetically paced, and intellectually constructed space opera entry into the Culture universe. You'll want to dust off your Risk Shadow Forces board game (or any sci-fi related complex strategy game) after you've read the last word.

Sometimes an author pens a novel of such extraordinary magnitude that as you are engrossed in its pages, you come to the realization that you are not merely holding an outstanding book, but rather the promise of a plethora of other remarkable stories yet to unfold.

The Player of Games is precisely one of those novels - the kind that bestows upon you that rare and delectable premonition of a future brimming with countless hours of unadulterated reading bliss.

This novel is the second installment in Iain M. Banks' Culture series. While Consider Phlebas initiated Banks' renowned universe, it is The Player of Games that firmly establishes its entry into the hallowed ranks of the all-time greatest science fiction scenarios.

This is a novel that is a veritable riot of fascinating imagination.

The protagonist, Jernau Gurgeh, is a citizen of the post-scarcity, AI/human civilization known as The Culture. Spanning a vast expanse of ringworlds, planets, and moon-sized starships, The Culture is a utopia where its people are at liberty to pursue whatever interest or obsession that captures their fancy. Be it sport, learning, sex, or whatever else - one can push the boundaries to the fullest extent of one's heart (and other organs'!).

Gurgeh has capitalized on this freedom to become an obsessive, devoting his life to playing and mastering all forms of games. He is renowned for this and held in high regard. It is fair to assert that playing games lies at the core of his being. However, this seemingly innocuous hobby has attracted the attention of some of The Culture's more shadowy citizens.

For The Culture, as friendly and utopian as it may be, has a penchant for meddling in the fates of more barbarous civilizations through its covert-ops division, Special Circumstances. SC has taken an interest in Gurgeh and, by exploiting his obsession with winning, they are able to blackmail him into agreeing to undertake a task for them.

Gurgeh is coerced into traveling to a distant empire, a society far less utopian than The Culture, which employs a series of games - where the stakes can be life and death - to determine their next leader. Gurgeh is to enter these games as a Culture observer, under the close protection of his Special Circumstances AI drone. But of course, his role may prove to be a little more significant than he anticipates...

I shall refrain from divulging any more, as I would abhor spoiling your reading pleasure, and what pleasure awaits you! Bank's wit, so uncommon in an SF writer and likely to make you laugh out loud, is palpable here, along with his gift for pulse-racing action sequences, combined with an enviable skill for constructing completely plausible and immersive worlds.

This is a truly fantastic novel that had me daydreaming about The Culture for weeks. Read it, and prepare to seclude yourself in a room with the brilliant series of books that followed. Seriously, if you have a passion for SF and you haven't read The Player of Games, stop whatever you are doing, ignore your friends and family, and make your way to a bookstore posthaste.

My only regret in having read the entire Culture series is that, like a glutton, I voraciously devoured them too quickly, saving none to be savored at a later time.

With Banks' passing, the Culture series has come to a premature end. This is a tragic loss, but in my estimation, we are extremely fortunate to have what he had the time to write.

This was my first foray into Iain M. Banks' sprawling Culture series. Lately, I've been devouring a great deal of sci-fi and fantasy. For some reason, these genres are the only ones that pique my interest. However, I must admit that it can be rather exasperating to know that every book I pick up is the first in a series.

Usually, that blank is filled with "trilogy," except when it isn't (or it really isn't). And while there are numerous Culture books, they are all standalone stories with a distinct beginning and end. You could read one published in 1987 and another in 2010, and it wouldn't matter. This is extremely comforting to my nerves.

The Culture is a society governed by sentient artificial intelligences. Instead of following the violent path of Skynet, they have decided that humans aren't so bad after all. In this society, the machines take care of everything. No human goes hungry, and disease and famine are things of the past. Sci-fi enthusiasts refer to this as a post-scarcity society, which essentially means that people don't have to do anything to survive. They don't even need to work since money is unnecessary in a society with no wants.

So, because you still need to do something with your existence, the human citizens of the Culture dedicate themselves to creative pursuits such as art, repeatedly undergoing sex changes, or, like Gurgeh, playing games. Gurgeh is, in fact, the best Player of Games in the entire Culture. We're talking about board games here, not sports. For this, he is extremely famous and frequently hosts parties, writes papers, and speaks at symposiums. It's like if the nerds who play Magic: The Gathering were as idolized as Magic: The Johnson.

But Gurgeh is so proficient at all the existing games that he eagerly seizes the opportunity to travel to a newly discovered alien society known as The Empire (subtle, right?) and play the game called Azad. This game is so complex and revered that it has become the foundation of the Empire's power structure. Meaning it would probably upset some people if a foreigner came along and casually won, thus destroying the very basis of their entire society.

That's a really good setup, I think. I enjoy stories about games, and this one is no exception. Even though Banks doesn't really explain Azad to us (which is probably just as well since it takes Gurgeh over a year of dedicated study to begin to understand the rules), the loosely sketched matches still make for exciting reading. The comparisons between the refined politeness of the Culture and the raw barbarism of the Empire, as well as the musings on the morality of state-building, add depth to the story.

But what truly made the book enjoyable for me were the trappings of the Culture itself. The concept of a post-scarcity society is fascinating, and Banks has crafted a great one. There are many fun examples of how humanity has dealt with its status as a largely extraneous life form in the grand scheme of galaxy-spanning sentient worldships. The AIs themselves are my favorite characters, from the massive spaceships controlled by robotic hive minds to the small drones that follow humans around and make fun of them (and swear).

Despite my initial stress about series, I am definitely going to read more Culture novels. I can't wait to explore this unique and captivating world further.

Facebook 30 Day Book Challenge Day 5: Book you wish you could live in.

This is yet another instance of a popular sci-fi that I simply cannot abide.

I compelled myself to plow through hundreds of pages, hoping that it might improve as I progressed, but I abandoned it halfway through, precisely at the moment when some alien females were depicted as donning jewels.

I'm truly sorry, but I am unable to accept the naïve attribution of human-like qualities to alien entities. It ranks among my most significant pet peeves.

This is yet another one of those sci-fi works that is essentially a vanilla story that just so happens to occur in the future. It prioritizes being a story over being a sci-fi, and I prefer my books to be the other way around.

I deliberated between awarding it a 2/5 or a 1/5, but I loathed the sheer naivety and childish "little green men on Mars"-like concepts in the book to such an extent that I've decided to go with a 1/5.

I think I've discovered a new author who has quickly become one of my favorites! Banks' book truly made an impact on me. In certain aspects, it reminded me of Le Guin's The Dispossessed. Both works explore a philosophical clash that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. The concept of a character being a "fish out of water" is also present in Banks' book, adding an extra layer of interest. Moreover, the technology described in the book is simply incredible. It is so imaginative and well-developed that it makes the story even more captivating. I am certain that I shall be revisiting the Culture novels. They have left such a lasting impression on me that I can't wait to immerse myself in that world again. I highly recommend Banks' works to anyone who enjoys thought-provoking science fiction.

Gurgeh is a renowned game player in the Culture, a vast post-scarcity federation across the galaxy, unified by AI Minds. Despite having all he could desire, his life lacks a certain thrill. Then, he is lured into a poor decision. To safeguard his reputation and self-esteem from public exposure, he accepts a challenge from Contact - to learn and play an alien empire's game.

The Azad Empire is so deeply intertwined with the gameplay of Azad that it pervades every aspect of their society, from family formation to waging war. Gurgeh is quickly captivated by the game and dedicates himself to learning it during the two-year voyage to the Empire.

Gurgeh has lived his entire life in the comfort and care of the Culture. Suddenly finding himself in an empire based on hierarchy, capitalism, and aggressive dominance completely throws him off balance. He is allowed to enter the Azad contest as a curiosity, a mere diplomatic gesture. After all, how could an alien understand, let alone master, a game that most spend over 100 years learning?

To everyone's astonishment, Gurgeh progresses further and further in the contest, making the imperial PR team increasingly nervous.

Even though I didn't truly like Gurgeh or any of the other characters, this book held my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat. I actually had to put it down several times due to the tension while reading. The climax had me almost breathless with anticipation.

As Gurgeh realizes that his opponent's gameplay style is a microcosm of the Empire and his own must be that of the Culture - but how to win the game with the cooperative mindset he grew up with? I wasn't overly interested in the second-to-last chapter, where Gurgeh returns home and the person he had a crush on in the first half finally shows interest in him. However, I did like the revelation of the Culture's overall strategy towards the Empire - I thought it was an intriguingly pragmatic and cold-blooded strategy for a group of AIs often regarded as coddling fools.

I haven't read anything else by Banks yet, but looking into the future, I assume this is not the best book of a very talented author.

Talent is felt at every step. "The Player" is like a very... neutral, isn't it, science fiction: there is no misanthropy of Watts, no religious themes of Dick, no fears of Lem, no weirdness of Igan or Stevenson, no polysemy of Melville. It seems to be just a fiction in which there are philosophical and social themes, but they do not outweigh the plot. And at the same time, "The Player" seems miraculously free from clichés. The small aspects of the setting give it its own face: the names of the heroes sound specific and strange, but not as if the author was specifically hitting his head on the keyboard; the rational ships have very strange and a little funny names (they are all called something like Unfortunate Conflict Of Evidence, Of Course I Still Love You or Just Read The Instructions); the Culture has its own characteristics (for example, people often change gender and control internal secretion, and the drones express their mood with the color of the fields), but they are not so crazy that they have to devote infodumps to them. In some places, Banks even completely refuses all kinds of complex questions, for example, populating his galaxy simply with different humanoids who all look like people, but so what. (It seems to be implied that they all came from people.)

The plot is simple and interesting: the main character - a professional player - gets into a cruel and authoritarian society, all built around a super-complex game, and gets a chance to participate in it. Further, in theory, we watch how from a liberal representative of a developed civilization he gradually becomes more and more tough, prone to domination, similar to the locals, but... I would say that this transformation is somehow not fully written. All the most painful changes of Gorgi we see from the outside, which is a very interesting technique, but his actions also do not clearly say that he has changed. (The hero is not at all obliged to change, but here, it seems, the plot was still conceived about this.) And the ending, to my taste, was a bit weak, very anime-like.

Nevertheless, it is interesting to read. It is written very vigorously, without hesitation, although the book is not at all action-packed. The very final with a small twist is quite good and in the end leaves a cool impression.

I will go and look for a more masterful masterpiece by Banks.

The Culture Novels are, without a shadow of a doubt, the most imaginative and innovative science fiction works crafted by any British author since the great H. G. Wells. There, I've said it. And I truly wept when I learned of Iain M. Banks' passing a couple of years ago.

Imagine my astonishment when I discovered that I had somehow overlooked reading the second book in the series, "The Player of Games." It encompasses everything that I adore about the Culture. I find it difficult to describe it, as it might sound absurd.

This much I can say, Banks had conjured up a world that is so distant, both in space and in the future, a world that is so dreamlike and yet, at times, shockingly violent. It's a world that I wish truly existed.

The detailed descriptions and the complex characters in the novel draw the reader in and make them long for more. The concept of the Culture, with its advanced technology and unique social structure, is both fascinating and thought-provoking. It makes one wonder what our own future might hold.

I highly recommend "The Player of Games" to all science fiction enthusiasts. It's a must-read that will transport you to a world beyond your wildest imagination.

I found this book to be extremely confusing. I had expected a plethora of machinations, reversals, and unexpected reveals, a tightly plotted story revolving around a master games player engaged in the game of his life. However, to my disappointment, everything was completely straightforward, and nothing unexpected occurred throughout (except for a final reveal at the end, which was so blatantly obvious that I can't fathom even the most inept game player in the universe not seeing it coming).

Moreover, the entire narrative seemed to hinge on a single moment early on when the main character decided to cheat at a game. But this moment was completely senseless, lacking any motivation or believability. Why on earth would he do that? It was very strange. Beyond that, there was a complete absence of conflict. I mean, sure, he was supposed to win this game, and the opponents didn't want him to succeed, but that was about it. We never even learned anything substantial about the game itself. All we knew was that it had a large board and was difficult to play. But the main character himself was never conflicted about anything. He simply went to the designated place, played the game, and did reasonably well, as one might anticipate.

On the positive side, Banks, of course, writes proficiently (his book The Wasp Factory being one of my favorites). The world he creates feels authentic and believable, and you can envision the entire story unfolding before your eyes. The characters are interesting, if not overly complicated, especially the drones, and it does make you think about our society to some extent, I suppose.

But still, considering all the hype these Culture books receive, I was anticipating a great deal more. This book basically felt like a Star Trek episode, and not a particularly outstanding one at that.