A review by ronpayne
The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A far future sci-fi in which Gurgheh, the ultimate game player from the utopian post-scarcity Culture travels to Azad, a hierarchical space empire to play the incredibly complex game used to choose their Emperor. Extremely readable and surprisingly modern feeling for a book written in 1989, it uses character and the game to give a nuanced contrast between the societies and examine the potential cost of conflict. I found it a great reading experience.