So this is my second foray into the Culture books by Banks. It's definitely an easier read than my first (Consider Phlebas), which I slogged my way through. After reading this book, I appreciate the first more, because I feel like I had a much more solid ground for understanding the Culture. I...
The story itself is a typical Federation v.s. Empire, but the idea of Culture as a post-scarcity, super-liberal utopia is interesting and overall it's an entertaining, humorous story with some nice insights on politics.
The first Culture book I've read - read the last page, turned the last page, and there were no more pages. Very much a '... that's it?' book, to me. A look of build up to a wanting anti-climax which may have been less of one if I had more Culture context and background. Perhaps it's a little piece o...
You are playing a game. In adjournment you are offered a cast iron safe opportunity to cheat. It won’t affect the outcome of the game, you are going to win anyway. But it may change how you win. So what do you do?The world is divided into two. Game players. Those who are not. If you are the latter, ...
an often brilliant allegory. it is interesting to compare the rather spare quality of this novel with the more luxurious expansiveness of the rest of the Culture novels... almost as if it is Iain without-the-M Banks writing about the Culture this time. and the themes are very much in line with banks...
In 1938, Yasunari Kawabata, a future Nobel Prize winner, was assigned by the Mainichi newspaper to cover a Go match between Honinbo Shusai, the top player, and his challenger Kitani Minoru. Go has an importance in Japanese culture that is hard for a Westerner to understand, and was one of the four t...
I am really loving these Culture novels by Banks. His imagery is great, and he manages to give the various AI beings some interesting character! In fact, my only complaint would be that they seem a lot more filled out than some of the people!This novel follows Gurgeh, the Culture's ultimate 'Player...
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