In what order should you read Iain M. Banks’ Culture series? – Destructoid

If you’re considering diving deeper into Iain M. Banks’ Culture series, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of works and deciding which order to read the books in. Thankfully, this is largely a matter of personal preference, so here’s mine.

In what order should you read the Culture series?

When I first read these books, I took them more or less in the order they were published and read them that way. Now, I want to preface this article by saying that that is perfectly fine. But looking back, I might have done it a little differently. There are good works and great works, and some strange ones too. This means that it is possible to get from your first reading of the Culture Series if you choose a different order.

#1 Player of the Games

Although this is the second published work by Iain M. Banks in Culture Series, I would put it first in the reading order. The world of Player of the Games perfectly guides the reader into the Culture series without being boring. It also really shows the magnitude and brilliance of what is to come in the rest of the books.

Player of the Games showcases Banks’ wonderful imagination for adventure and inventiveness. The human mind is tested to its limits in wacky and wonderful situations while sentient AIs look on in benevolent glory. Player of the Games is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.

#2 Use of weapons

This is a great second book in the order of Culture series due to the portrayal of the creativity that Iain M. Banks is capable of. The book is divided into two opposing narratives, with each chapter focusing on an alternate timeline. One moves backwards chronologically and the other moves forwards.

Aside from the wonderful storytelling and Banks’ ability to write wars of such galactic proportions, this is just a taste of what is to come. Culture The series includes several books whose narrative style is somewhat unusual. This makes the series one of the best of all time. Use of weapons is an exciting and easily accessible introduction to this topic.

#3 Consider Phlebas

This book has a bad reputation, but it’s the book I started with because it was the first one published. It’s often been blamed for people not picking up a second book. Culture Novel after the first: some find it boring. It focuses on an episode of a galactic war, told from different perspectives.

Although it is creative and, I think, wonderful to read, it does not really show what the Culture series is all about that. If you take this book as the third, the references to the Idiran War in the later books are still relevant. At this point, however, you will be more willing to give Banks at least one slow book. Canonically, it is important to keep the events in Consider Phlebasbut it is not his most exciting work.

#4 Exceedance

To finish things off after the slow but still wonderful Consider Phelbesyou should consider transgression. This book is a wonderful example of how Iain M. Banks can tackle such large and complex topics as interdimensional superstructures while also telling a truly gripping love story about gender fluidity and birth.

This book is a true immersion into the weird and wonderful mind of Iain M. Banks as he is granted the freedom of true science fiction.

#5 View to Windward

View to Windward is a fantastic insight into some of the many diverse and resourceful races that exist within the culture. Look to Windward is a perfect intermediate novel to read in order of Culture series for several reasons. At this point, we as readers are familiar with the AI ​​and its different, eccentric personalities. This is strongly reflected in View to Windwardwhere true humanity and the relationship to physical beings are adequately explored.

#6 Matter

Object is no joke and could compromise the structural integrity of any shelf it sits on. The book itself is a monster and should not be attempted by anyone who is not already into the Culture series. I personally consider it one of my favorite series due to its complexity, enormous scope and exciting narrative, but I was already deeply immersed in Banks’ universe.

Object is a monster, but it rarely feels like a chore. If you are already familiar with the world of Culturethen this book is for you. It is a true epic in the series and a delight on every page.

#7 Surface details

Iain M. Banks plays with many interesting concepts in Surface detail. The idea of ​​man-made hells, capitalism, man’s control over his own afterlife and the threat of binding contracts are all covered in this book. Wild, frightening, often gruesome and complex in its various ramifications, it is a real moral exercise.

As a standalone book, this is a wonderful choice. It clearly shows Iain M. Banks’ ability to get the best out of the science fiction genre. It can be read in any order. Culture Series or outside of it altogether.

#8 The Hydrogen Sonata

I remember finishing this book and then doing what I always do: I immediately went to my local bookstore to pick up the next book in the series. When I found out this was the last one, it left a gaping hole in my literary heart. It was like saying goodbye to a friend, not knowing it would be the last time we spoke.

The Hydrogen Sonata is a fitting conclusion to what I consider to be the core Culture Novels in the order you can read them. It deals with the idea of ​​death and endings, with Banks giving his readers a race of sentient beings as a final farewell. It is deep and complex, and delves into the complexity of “The End” and what it all means.

#9 Reversals

Banks has described this as an “attempt to write a culture novel that wasn’t one,” and that sums it up pretty well. In this entry on Culture In this series, we say goodbye to AI-controlled megaships and the comforts of a world of excess and abundance and are instead taken to a planet that represents medieval Europe. Reversalsalthough it is a Culture Novel, is an unusual one in the series, but one that I love nonetheless. A good book after the madness of the intergalactic adventure.

#10 The state of the art

This collection of short stories is a wonderful way to Culture Series at the end of the reading list. These short stories expand on the Culture’s relationship with the Earth and introduce some interesting characters and concepts. This collection of stories is a typical example of Banks’ creative muscle flexing. As a book, it can easily be picked up and put down again once you have completed the list of Culture books as you read them. They’re a nice way to spice up one of the best science fiction series of all time.