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The Player of Games (The Culture)
 
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The Player of Games (The Culture) (Paperback)
by Iain M. Banks (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  (35 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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60 used & new available from £1.12
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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: 19.6 x 12.6 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,012 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #3 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > B > Banks, Iain
    #61 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

    (Publishers and authors: Improve Your Sales)
  • Other Editions: Hardcover  |  Paperback  |  All Editions


Product Description
Amazon.co.uk 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

Synopsis
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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