I've been slowly working my way through Iain Banks' Culture novels. I read Matter a long time ago and finally decided to go through them in publishing order.

Just finished Excession and I really enjoy how much it delves into the behavior and personalities of the Culture's Minds.

#books #bookstodon #IainBanks #TheCulture #excession #ConsiderPhlebas #scifi

@dschier @bookstodon

Try #IainMBanks #books for #scifi. The series on #TheCulture are very good - first one #ConsiderPhlebas. Banks also writes as #IainBanks which are also very good - #TheWaspFactory was his first.

We are only 1/2 thru the book. Definitely a must read. We are personally frustrated that a “self-consciously rational society” is portrayed so negatively where even the sentient AI are more human than the people themselves. Even the enemy warrior race of aliens are portrayed as more human despite being very non-humanoid. Fascinating and we are eager to explore the universe of #ConsiderPhlebas and #IanMBanks further. #ScienceFiction #books #SciFi @JonSparks thanks for the recommendation!

@bookstodon
“A small, short war that rarely extended throughout more than .02% of the galaxy by volume and .01% by stellar population…”
#ScienceFiction #IainMBanks #ConsiderPhlebas

The only good culture war is the Culture–Idiran War
#ScienceFiction #IainMBanks #ConsiderPhlebas
@bookstodon

#considerphlebas 's ending had me pondering what I thought about Horza's Bizarre Adventure, whereas The Player of Games (PoG!) had me hooting and cheering at the final ending.

BTW, if you listen to the audiobook, the narrator makes sure the characters all have distinct voices so that last bit? *chef kiss*

#theplayerofgames #TheCultureSeries #TheCulture

So I finished #considerphlebas over a week ago, and I finally looked up what others thought about it. It really seems a lot of folks were way more confused about it than I was, but I got some good insights. Like it's either a black comedy, a tragedy, andor a satire of space operas.

The more confused takes couldn't understand that the protagonist can be a walking disaster that sides with the baddies most of the story.

#TheCultureSeries #TheCulture

#considerphlebas is basically a comedy of errors, only it's taken extremely seriously by everyone involved.

Horza could at any moment (except very early on), just choose to abandon his crusade against #TheCulture and AI in general, but he'd rather ally with a genocidal bucket of religious murdernuts. Folks around him die absurd deaths due to very specific decisions he makes. He trips over analogy after analogy and ignores them.

It's great.

#TheCultureSeries #iainmbanks

#considerphlebas is basically a comedy of errors, only it's taken extremely seriously by everyone involved.

Horza could at any moment (except very early on), just choose to abandon his crusade against #TheCulture and AI in general, but he'd rather ally with a genocidal bucket of religious murdernuts. Folks around him die absurd deaths due to very specific decisions he makes. He trips over analogy after analogy and ignores them.

It's great.

#TheCultureSeries #iainmbanks

Treated myself to an early Christmas present. 2 books I’ve been meaning to read and a game that will emotionally destroy me by the end, again.

It’s a good day.
#books #BookStadon #scifi #game #ps5 #finalfantasy #CrisisCore #snowcrash #nealstephenson #iainmbanks #considerphlebas

I like how #TheCulture spends vast resources to essentially prank a single man.
Like, it's a beautiful tactic, but it's like ship are laughing as they pull it off.

#considerphlebas #TheCultureSeries

I like how #TheCulture spends vast resources to essentially prank a single man.
Like, it's a beautiful tactic, but it's like ship are laughing as they pull it off.

#considerphlebas #TheCultureSeries

Horza: Yeah, these unhinged cannibals are totally like how The Culture sees religious folks, but here's why my support of expansionist Space Racists in opposition to the generally chill freedom lovers is totally different. What are analogies?
#considerphlebas #theculture #TheCultureSeries

Horza: Yeah, these unhinged cannibals are totally like how The Culture sees religious folks, but here's why my support of expansionist Space Racists in opposition to the generally chill freedom lovers is totally different. What are analogies?
#considerphlebas #theculture #TheCultureSeries

So enemies of #TheCulture include: weird anti machine fanatics, space racists on an eternal expansionist Holy war, and Actual Cannibals.

Good company, eh?
#considerphlebas #TheCultureSeries

So enemies of #TheCulture include: weird anti machine fanatics, space racists on an eternal expansionist Holy war, and Actual Cannibals.

Good company, eh?
#considerphlebas #TheCultureSeries

What kind of asshole, upon finding out that a ship coming to save him is chipper and sapient, decides to murder it?

#considerphlebas #TheCultureSeries #TheCulture

What kind of asshole, upon finding out that a ship coming to save him is chipper and sapient, decides to murder it?

#considerphlebas #TheCultureSeries #TheCulture

I recently finished book one of #TheCultureSeries, #ConsiderPhlebas by #IanMBanks and now I've started #ChildrenOfTime by #AdrianTchaikovsky.

I'm still evaluating Consider Phlebas. It's amazing world building and a rather intense plot, but it kinda lacks both philosophical and psychological depth IMHO. (The ending, though, is heart-rending to me.) But I do have book 2 coming and will continue the series.

Children of Time is starting out very interesting. Perhaps a bit more my taste. We'll see.

What kind of loser joins sides with an alien species that doesn't even think you're a person, lol.

#considerphlebas #TheCultureSeries #TheCulture