The Player Of Games (Culture, #2)

by Iain M. Banks

[pamela]

The Player of Games is one of the most brilliant sci-fi works it's been my pleasure to read. Every part of it was well thought out, and not a single word felt out of place. It offered a stark analysis of humanity in a way that was both familiar and alien, and I loved every word.

The book managed to shine a light on humanity in a way that was both familiar and alien. It feels very much like The Culture represents the best of humanity and the Azad Empire the worst of it - a democratic socialist utopia vs rampant late-stage capitalism. The game of Azad showed how both those ideals are essentially incompatible, and one must consume the other in order the thrive. But it also shows how easy it is for freedom and self-expression to be consumed if one is unaware of it being threatened.

Iain M. Banks is a master of pace and worldbuilding. In The Player of Games, he gives just enough detail to make the world feel complete without bogging the narrative down in excessive explanation. The games the protagonist, Jurneau Morat Gurgeh, plays are never explained in enough detail to replicate them, but they are presented in a way that makes them *feel* real and playable. There was enough intrigue, mystery, and action to keep the plot moving, with moments of reflection thrown in when they would have the most effect on the reader. It was plotting at its finest.

The character of Gurgeh himself was not entirely likeable, but he goes through realistic changes to his character as he immerses himself further into the culture of the empire and begins communicating primarily in their language. Banks toys briefly with the idea of linguistic relativity, which worked really well within the novel's scope and showed just how much Gurgeh's character could be manipulated and shaped by his environment. Gurgeh is not just the player of games; he himself is a pawn in a much larger game.

The Player of Games was science fiction at it's best. It read like a much more modern novel than it is, which is kind of sad seeing how little humanity has grown in the decades since it first hit the shelves. Still, as long as writers are thinking about these things and embedding those thoughts into our popular culture, I hold out hope that we'll learn and grow.

This was my first Culture novel, and I'm glad it was. It made me want to learn more about The Culture and the universe that Banks has created. I can't recommend The Player of Games highly enough.