false <![CDATA[The Player of Games]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166984450m/18630.jpg 18630 13 In <I>The Player of Games</I>, Iain M. Banks presents a distant future that could almost be called the end of history. Humanity has filled the galaxy, and thanks to ultra-high technology everyone has everything they want, no one gets sick, and no one dies. It's a playground society of sports, stellar cruises, parties, and festivals. 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. Abruptly Banks veers into different territory. The Empire of Azad is exotic, sensual, and vibrant. 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. At first it's a relief, but further exploration reveals the empire to be depraved and terrifically unjust. Its defects are gross exaggerations of our own, yet they indict us all the same. Clearly Banks is interested in the idea of a future where everyone can be mature and happy. 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. Thoughtful science fiction readers will appreciate the cultural comparisons, and fans of big ideas and action will also be rewarded. <I>--Brooks Peck</I> 1494157 book 1988 The Player of Games total:1566|5:531|4:674|3:302|2:52|1:7| 1566 6368 2092 125 4 7 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Fri Nov 21 05:29:59 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 25 16:01:27 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 2 4 false false Wed Jul 18 19:12:50 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 18 19:20:13 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sat May 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 12 11:56:57 -0700 2008 Sat May 10 10:43:58 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false true Sun Jan 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 26 21:42:15 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 16 00:30:00 -0800 2009 could.

The Player of Games is about a man who has devoted his life to playing
games. He plays games, studies games, writes articles about games, and
... well, that's about it. It's all about games for him.
...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Apr 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 15 10:36:54 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 26 12:09:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Oct 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 08 09:04:54 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 08 09:12:43 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Mar 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 22:49:45 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 22:55:50 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jul 03 20:23:37 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 20:30:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Apr 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 16:52:21 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 17:07:16 -0700 2009
The first book in the Culture series, a series focused on a massive post-scarcity human civilization spanning a huge chunk of the galaxy, didn't...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Mar 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 02:58:08 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 05:34:43 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat May 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 10:09:48 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 11:43:05 -0700 2009
Setting: The Culture universe is novel and interesting. Not much of it is extensively introduced and described, it is more or less expected that we're familiar with it. This is no proble...more...]]> 4 0 false true Tue Mar 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 07:09:05 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 03 12:31:43 -0800 2009
I decided to read this book after purchasing "Use of Weapons" for $1 fr...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Mar 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 28 13:57:29 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 11:35:51 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 08:19:34 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 17:47:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 09:19:19 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 20:09:08 -0700 2009 Consider Phlebas was much more of an adventure/space opera novel, while this one is a bit slower paced and the stakes aren't quite so high (at least we're lead to belive).

Jernau Morat...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 18 18:45:13 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 18:50:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jul 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 12 00:16:25 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 00:44:27 -0700 2009
The Culture, from which the main character springs, is easy for a science fiction reader to identify with: technologically advanced, socially progressive, inventive and aesthetically pleasing. ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Mar 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 25 11:32:19 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 25 11:36:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 15 22:23:53 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 23 16:22:54 -0700 2009
It's clear that Banks has been (this being his second of the Cu...more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Oct 29 00:06:27 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 29 00:06:27 -0700 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=18630