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The Player Of Games (The Culture) [Paperback]

Iain M. Banks (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 10 Aug 1989 | Series: The Culture

The Culture - a human/machine symbiotic society - has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh. Jernau Morat Gurgeh. The Player of Games. Master of every board, computer and strategy.

Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game ... a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game, and with it the challenge of his life - and very possibly his death.

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The Player Of Games (The Culture) + Use Of Weapons (The Culture) + Consider Phlebas: A Culture Novel (The Culture)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Orbit; New Ed edition (10 Aug 1989)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1857231465
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857231465
  • Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 2.3 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 7,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Amazon Review

In The Player of Games, Iain M. Banks presents a distant future that could almost be called the end of history. Humanity has filled the galaxy, and thanks to ultra-high technology everyone has everything they want, no one gets sick, and no one dies. It's a playground society of sports, stellar cruises, parties, and festivals. Jernau Gurgeh, a famed master game player, is looking for something more and finds it when he's invited to a game tournament at a small alien empire. Abruptly Banks veers into different territory. The Empire of Azad is exotic, sensual and vibrant. It has space battle cruisers, a glowing court-- all the stuff of good old science fiction--which appears old-fashioned in contrast to Gurgeh's home. At first it's a relief, but further exploration reveals the empire to be depraved and terrifically unjust. Its defects are gross exaggerations of our own, yet they indict us all the same. Clearly Banks is interested in the idea of a future where everyone can be mature and happy. Yet it's interesting to note that in order to give us this compelling adventure story, he has to return to a more traditional setting. Thoughtful science fiction readers will appreciate the cultural comparisons, and fans of big ideas and action will also be rewarded. -- Brooks Peck

Review

Few of us have been exposed to a talent so manifest and of such extraordinary breadth (THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF SCIENCE FICTION )

Poetic, humorous, baffling, terrifying, sexy - the books of Iain M. Banks are all these things and more (NME )

Banks is an incredibly talented writer. All his books are lively and entertaining. They are laced with a wry humour, fascinating characters and inspired plots. THE PLAYER OF GAMES, I am pleased to say is no exception... Go on, treat yourself, you won't be disappointed. (STARBURST )

In The Player of Games, Iain M. Banks presents a distant future that could almost be called the end of history. Humanity has filled the galaxy, and thanks to ultra-high technology everyone has everything they want, no one gets sick, and no one dies. It's (Brooks Peck, AMAZON.CO.UK )
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars How to let a game take over your life... 14 Mar 2003
By Dr Frazer Anderson
Format:Paperback
In "The Player Of Games", an immensely powerful but somewhat lazy and hedonistic man-machine society called the Culture plays a game against the much smaller but aggressively militaristic Empire of Azad. The Empire has as one of its key social drivers a hugely complex board game called Azad (which means Life). Successful players of Azad prosper in the Azadian society, winning promotions in the military and civil service. Every few years the society stages a major tournament at which the best Azad player becomes Emperor.

Into this milieu the Culture plays its "piece", a professional game-player called Gurgeh who has spent his entire life playing every sort of game of strategy but would probably hurt himself if he tried to use any kind of weapon. Gurgeh's attempts to compete in the Azad tournament reflect the many contrasts between the two civilisations - and also show up unexpected similarities.

This fine novel can be read in different ways. On one level, it's simply a blast - pacy, exciting, suspenseful widescreen space opera. Read it on a beach and get badly sunburnt. However, there's a lot more depth there if you want it. Banks raises a lot of interesting questions about how we set the rules of our society and how all kinds of play interact with those rules. Are cruelty and ruthlessness taught by game-play - whether in the children's playground or in multiplayer internet shoot-'em-ups - or do people's choice of games tell you about their society? Banks is a known addict of the "Civilization" series of strategy computer games, which many otherwise mild-mannered people play as brutal conquerors and commit acts which in Real Life(TM) would be war crimes. The Culture itself, of course, has gained power and stability at the expense of what one might call "soul". Most people who read this as their first Iain M novel tend to think the Culture sounds great, but on a re-read, or combined with the other novels, there are plenty of problems. The name itself is a sly joke - after all, a "culture" can mean both a human society and bacteria growing on a plate.

Finally, some reviewers have commented that the book's ending seems a little flat after the immersive, sweaty-palms roller-coaster of what comes before; I feel that Banks has perfectly captured the slight feeling of anticlimax when one finishes a particularly intense game of Civilization!

Among Banks' output, this is the easiest of the "Iain M" books to get into and one of the most enjoyable of all his novels. Intelligent, gripping science fiction with a literary edge - warmly recommended.

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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars How to like this book... 31 Jan 2007
By William K. James
Format:Paperback
This is not a book for purists (Iain Banks or Sci Fi). This is the most Culture-d(imho) of Banks' books. All the amusing ship names and foul mouthed witty droids are here, plus excellent alien races and sly and not so sly reference to modern popular culture. There are some great themes about boredom, cheating, redemption and the glory of untamed cultures with primaeval urges and how attractive that can be. The Culture does not come out of this one unscathed; but the rationale for its power and success is evident.

Banks continues a theme started in Consider Phlebas about the importance of games in a society where much of the danger, and therefore excitement has been diluted by obsessive and overbearing technology - people cannot even die decently and eventually get bored and order themselves to be destroyed; it seems that immortality will eventually suck.

The visceral thrill that the protagonist feels when he realises that his entire reputation is on the line because he has cheated is relevant to how we currently live today, fairly insulated from excitement or having hygiencally cleansed experiences like bungy jumping to try and reconnect with our limbic system and some more basic pleasures like, fear, lust and anger.

If you like the Culture element of Banks' books then this is the one to read and if you like a bit of redemption and thoughtfullness then go for it!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Layers of Games 4 July 2006
By Beryllium Urchin
Format:Paperback
Shifting between lives that mirror games, games that control lives, with confusion between reality, gameplay, and subterfuge, The Player of Games is a truly splendid novel. The story expands (along with Gurgeh's horizons) as homely Chiark is left far behind en route to play the Game, but the full stream of the narrative (and Banks' frankly mind-boggling imagination) really switches on when he reaches Azad.

A fantastic and deeply realised, well-characterised story. Beats me what the negative reviewers have been reading.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Sci-fi
Great story leading the reader further into the mind of The Culture. Space Opera at its finest. Read it and enjoy.
Published 4 days ago by D. C. Horne
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Enjoyed it
Still enjoying Culture novels... this is the 3rd one I've read. Probably manage a couple more before getting fed-up of them.

How's that for literary criticism!
Published 1 month ago by Peter Montgomery
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Culture Novel
This is a 5 star book ( for me at least) which I enjoyed as much as 'Use of Wespons', and that's a high benchmark for a y novel.
Published 1 month ago by Buzzgroove
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
How on earth is a story about board games so engaging. Loved the interplay between game player Gurgeh and the drone Flere-Insaho.
Published 1 month ago by Justine
5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite book
I have read many many books, particularly sci-fi, and in my opinion this is by far my favourite ever. Read more
Published 2 months ago by DW
4.0 out of 5 stars A sci-fi look at games that doesn't leave you feeling played
Although always in awe of his imagination, I find myself having widely differing reactions to Banks' abilities as a storyteller, specifically, his ability to suck me in to the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Allen Baird
5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite culture novel
This is my favorite culture novel - not by far you understand, there are others that come close, but this is good.
Published 3 months ago by Stu
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
Stayed up all night finishing this book, only regret was finishing it too quickly I guess, very similar to our lead's problem no less. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Elliot
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Banks
Great read, Banks at his brilliant best. One of those books you just don't put down!! Worth every penny. Great.
Published 5 months ago by Callum Hanratty
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh not bad at all
I liked this very much maybe not the best Iain Banks but very well written and all the usual good stuff you expect very enjoyable
Published 5 months ago by A. S. Fraser
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