The Player of Games (Culture, #2)

by Iain M. Banks

The better I do the worse things get because the more I have to lose.”

“What are they called?” “The Of Course I Still Love You and the Just Read the Instructions.” “They’re not warships?” “With names like that? They’re GCUs; what else?”

“Could I not buy a fleet of warships?” “All our ships are sentient. You could certainly try telling a ship what to do… but I don’t think you’d get very far.”