Banks 4. The Player of Games is a sci-fi triumph, a political thriller and a classic adventure rolled into one, with enough tabletop action to tantalize any board-game enthusiast. Banks 4.28 68,609 Ratings 3,122 Reviews published 1988 70 editions The Culture - a humanoid/machine symbiotic society Want to Read Rate it: Book 3 Use of Weapons by Iain M. From a friendly Contact drone, Gurgeh learns of the. Surrounded by deception and a hostile culture, Gurgeh must play for the highest possible stakes: his life.īanks was an intelligent and witty writer, and his fish-out-of-water protagonist is by turns brilliant, exasperating and sympathetic. Jernau Gurgeh is an expert player of games he rarely loses in competition, yet feels somehow unfulfilled. That is, until political intrigue lures him away from his cozy existence to the Empire of Azad, a distant kingdom where all society is based on mastery of one intricate and deadly board game. Jernau Gurgeh is a man of his time: a professional game player and galactic celebrity with nothing to live for but the next match. In the distant future of the novel, humankind has no material needs beyond the pursuit of pleasure. Banks was a master of speculative fiction, and there’s no better entry point to his award-winning Culture novels than The Player of Games. 'About this title' may belong to another edition of this title.With the holidays over and the depths of winter ahead, reading escapist fiction feels more appealing than ever, and what better place to escape to than the farthest future? The late Scottish author Iain M. Thoughtful science fiction readers will appreciate the cultural comparisons, and fans of big ideas and action will also be rewarded. 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. Clearly Banks is interested in the idea of a future where everyone can be mature and happy. Banks 309 pages first pub 1988 ( editions) fiction science fiction adventurous challenging slow-paced Description The Culture - a human/machine symbiotic society - has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh. Its defects are gross exaggerations of our own, yet they indict us all the same. At first it's a relief, but further exploration reveals the empire to be depraved and terrifically unjust. 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.

The Empire of Azad is exotic, sensual, and vibrant. Abruptly Banks veers into different territory. 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. It's a playground society of sports, stellar cruises, parties, and festivals.

Humanity has filled the galaxy, and thanks to ultra-high technology everyone has everything they want, no one gets sick, and no one dies. Banks presents a distant future that could almost be called the end of history.

The player of games by iain m banks