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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Iain Banks is one of my favourite authors and this year I’m re-reading all his science fiction novels for the first time in about 30 years. This was my fifth read, the second in the Culture series.
The story revolves around Jernau Morat Gurgeh, an expert game-player. Driven by boredom and the antics of a deliciously psychopathic drone, Mawhrin-Skel, Gurgeh leaves the Culture for the distant Empire of Azad. The Azadians have conceived a fabulously complex game that is entwined with their very way of life, and Gurgeh wants to see how well he can play it. However all is not what it seems, both in Azad itself and in the Culture’s reasons for agreeing to send him there…
The Player of Games is probably the best of the novels I’ve read so far. It’s relatively short, and moves the plot along briskly with none of the filler found in some of Banks’ other novels. It’s also a great insight into the Culture, and especially the meddling that Contact and Special Circumstances like to perform in other cultures.
Even better the second time around
I have a dim memory of my first reading if this book and it was swiftly replaced by this second go. The Player of Games is a layered, intricate story that hooked me from the start and kept me engrossed until the end. It is a remarkable story that reaffirms why Banks is possibly my favourite author.
I have a dim memory of my first reading if this book and it was swiftly replaced by this second go. The Player of Games is a layered, intricate story that hooked me from the start and kept me engrossed until the end. It is a remarkable story that reaffirms why Banks is possibly my favourite author.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another opportunity to escape into the world of the Culture. I like the way the. Culture novels can be read in any order. It’s an attractive world. One possible downside for some readers is the lack of jeopardy, the Culture is so advanced that you know they will keep their agents safe.
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture