General / Off-Topic 'Culture' novels

[Dominic Corner]

Consider phlebas is good, but I usually recommend Player of Games as the starting point to my friends.

It gives a good introduction to the Culture, has games as a familiar touchstone, and is overall one of my favourite books in the series anyway.

The series is mostly fine to read entirely out of order, though, which is fairly impressive just a literary feat. It does make references and callbacks with some frequency but mostly it's not anything that you would have needed to know about, you'd just have a ittle more context available to you.

Part of why I specifically wouldn't suggest Consider Phlebas to start is that it has a much more different feel to the other books. Being hundreds of years in the past of basically every other book and having very little actual Culture involvement makes it seem very disconnected to me.

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

Definitely go with them in order, so CP first, then PoG, then Excession. Excession takes place a considerable amount of time after CP. It's also generally considered to be a bit of a difficult book - don't expect to 'get it' at first. However, it's also one of those books that benefits hugely from re-reading. Also, you'll find out how I got my handle

Hehe.

It has to be said - of all the futuristic societies in science fiction (Star Trek's Federation, Asimov's Foundation, Peter F. Hamilton's Commonwealth) if I could pick one to live in it'd be the Culture. Without hesitation.

I started off with Excession, absolutely loved it, then went on to read every other Culture novel. They're just all brilliant and Iain M. Banks is my benchmark author whom I measure up all other sci-fi authors against, and mostly find those wanting.

Also, agreed - if there was any futuristic society I'd rather be in, it'd be the Culture, without a doubt.

And yes, you'll find out how I got my handle after reading Excession

 

[wstephenson]

I'm still holding out for someone implementing the video game 'Despot' out of 'Complicity'. Something like an open world Civ, but including manipulating society's factions. My teenage self was very impressed by the idea of making the courtiers in compliant by introducing drug dealers to court. I suppose Reigns is an abstraction of that idea.

It's not Culture, but Feersum Endjinn is amazing too, for the scope of its imagination.

Having said that, would it be heretical to suggest that too many Culture novels fall back on the tropes of kick- female protagonist, drone as flying KITT, feudal yet technologically advanced background society, and Ships/Minds as deus ex machina? I had the feeling for the last few (and I started reading them in 1987) that Banks was just cranking them out to this formula.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

I started off with Excession, absolutely loved it, then went on to read every other Culture novel. They're just all brilliant and Iain M. Banks is my benchmark author whom I measure up all other sci-fi authors against, and mostly find those wanting.

Also, agreed - if there was any futuristic society I'd rather be in, it'd be the Culture, without a doubt.

And yes, you'll find out how I got my handle after reading Excession

Oh, I got that ages ago...something of an Affront...

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Consider phlebas is good, but I usually recommend Player of Games as the starting point to my friends.

It gives a good introduction to the Culture, has games as a familiar touchstone, and is overall one of my favourite books in the series anyway.

The series is mostly fine to read entirely out of order, though, which is fairly impressive just a literary feat. It does make references and callbacks with some frequency but mostly it's not anything that you would have needed to know about, you'd just have a ittle more context available to you.

Part of why I specifically wouldn't suggest Consider Phlebas to start is that it has a much more different feel to the other books. Being hundreds of years in the past of basically every other book and having very little actual Culture involvement makes it seem very disconnected to me.

Mostly agree - I consider PoG to be the first 'typically' Culture novel, although it's a mistake to write CP off - there's a fair bit of Culture involvement towards the end. Having said that, I do tend to regard it as a book that takes place in the Culture universe, as opposed to an actual Culture novel. If you see what I mean.

Oddly I consider Use Of Weapons to be similar, even though it's utterly awesome.

 

[Dominic Corner]

Mostly agree - I consider PoG to be the first 'typically' Culture novel, although it's a mistake to write CP off

Certainly. I still think you should read Consider Phlebas. It's a great book and shows some of the strange and interesting things which happen in the Culture universe.

I'd probably say it's good to read before/after (some time around) some of the other books which refer to the Idiran war (Look to Windward is a good one, also the Hydrogen Sonata) for context.

 

[GreyAreaUK]

Certainly. I still think you should read Consider Phlebas. It's a great book and shows some of the strange and interesting things which happen in the Culture universe.

I'd probably say it's good to read before/after (some time around) some of the other books which mention the Idiran war for context.

*nod* Look To Windward springs to mind.

 

[Nagual]

Iain M Banks did not die.

He simply Sublimed.

 

[Bill Clement]

Don't just restrict yourself to the Culture series. Feersum Endjinn is an astonishingly good read. Completely left field, a real change of pace from the usual Banks novels- if there ever was a 'usual', that is.

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

Oh, I got that ages ago...something of an Affront...

Honestly, the Genar-Hofoen character is me in some other life. Never before had I identified with a character in some story. Now, if only I had the chance to do the equivalent of what Genar did in that book (and I'm not talking about the travelling in the Culture or Affront ships stuff, just his general attitude and what he was doing before he eventually met up with another key character).

Alas today's contemporary life happenings are utterly mundane compared to his universe - and that includes my existence, life experience, and happenstance