Questions about the Culture novels

PTME

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I really want to read Iain M. Banks' culture novels.

Are they worth the hassle?
Should I start with Consider Phlebas?
What's the correct order to read them?
If I only read one which one shall it be?

Thanks!
 
The first one is mental. The writing style isn't amazing, and seemingly trivial things take a long time to go over. In one particular battle the same thing is mentioned over and over again, and it takes a long time to actually occur, when it could have just been mentioned once and then happened. If you are likely to struggle with a book your not 100% committed too, then the first one is a pain. After that they become much easier to read, and the second one is much easier.

I haven't read that many of them though.
 
I've read 3 of them including Consider Phlebas and personally I'd recommend starting with The player of games? Very accessible introduction I'd say though Consider is pretty good as well.
 
I have them all and a few are a little more difficult to get into compared to the rest as has been mentioned above but they are worth reading. Use of weapons would be another worth looking at to read either first or second if you decide to read the culture series.
 
Snow said:
What is this and why isn't it clear on what book to start?
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Some of the books are stand alone in the culture universe and are easier to read than the first book based in this universe. So you can get into the way he is setting the overall themes of the culture inspired universe and not feel like it is a struggle as Consider Phlebas can be for some. Hence the 2 recommendations of best ones to start out with in the thread.


rcoobc said:
If you like them though, I recommend the Night Dawn Trilogy (actually I have only read the first one) The Night's Dawn Trilogy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Very good, and very similar (perhaps too similar in some ways).
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Again these are good series of books and well worth reading the rest of them, i have these and his other series which are cracking reads. Just finished the Void trilogy of books and gone back to the 2 books in the same timeline set before the events of these books. He has just finished a stand alone book recently and this is due for release hopefully later this year.
 
Use of Weapons is one of the top five books I've read.

I'd read them in the order they were published as there is the odd reference to other books or at least the time period they represent in later works.

I wish I could go back in time and read them all again for the first time. Enjoy.
 
I've read Inversions which was pretty much stand alone but set in the Culture universe. It didn't do much for me. Not terrible but it didn't give me much incentive to try another.
 
I don't think Inversions is a novel you could fully appreciate if you'd not read any other Culture novels to be honest. Especially Use of Weapons which is very Special Circumstances based and would give you an idea of what the Doctor may be capable of. I'd thoroughly recommend that book or Player of Games to anyone. Different gear to the one you read.
 
The first bit sounds about right. It not being flagged as a Culture novel doesn't help.
 
Nearco said:
Use of Weapons is one of the top five books I've read.

I'd read them in the order they were published as there is the odd reference to other books or at least the time period they represent in later works.

I wish I could go back in time and read them all again for the first time. Enjoy.
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Some high praise (if you've actually read more than five books) indeed.

Just finishing the Patrick Rothfuss novel and then I'll start exploring the Culture...
 
I just noticed on the Iain M Banks website that The Player of Games has been selected for this years free book night. So might be worth as many of us registering as we can to give the book away free to others in April if we get selected as one of the 20,000 volunteers.
 
Currently reading the Culture series and I'm on Look to Windward now. Really enjoyable and I don't think it really matters which order you read them.

I first read Consider Phlebas and didn't bother after that until recently.
 
Stemmy said:
Currently reading the Culture series and I'm on Look to Windward now. Really enjoyable and I don't think it really matters which order you read them.
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To a certain extent. But the later ones are better appreciated if you've read the early ones. That especially goes for Surface Detail
which has a mind blowing ending you won't get unless you've read one of the earlier novels
 
Still don't know whether to start with Player Of Games, Consider Phlebas or Use Of Weapons...
 
Consider Phlebas.

Time wise it's set at the earliest point of the Culture civilisation from the point of view of his novels and the war it covers is referenced from time to time in his other books.
 
Player of Games, if your likely to get bored of a "hard to read" book.
 
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