Billy answers “Is it important to read the first 4 books...”

Daniel Astacio asked this question about Excession (Culture #5):

Is it important to read the first 4 books in the culture series before reading Excession ? I've never read any Iain M. Banks books before but would like to read this one.

Billy You will appreciate it more if you do read the first four books first. The reasons for this are because the world of the Culture is built up over thes…moreYou will appreciate it more if you do read the first four books first. The reasons for this are because the world of the Culture is built up over these novels- you are introduced to a major war in the first novel, and the ramifications of events in Excession relate to that war in a kind of way. Ships, droids, habitats and worlds become more complex as the novels progress and Banks' imagination deepens. Also, as the novels progress, more philosophical elements come across the page. Excession is filled with philosophical science fiction ideas, more so than the previous novels. His characters are familiar across the novels yet in Excession their stories are a little less deep, presumably in order to make room for other parts of the story. You will appreciate the characters stories more if you have already read the stories of Horza Gorbuchul from Consider Phlebas, Cheradinine from Use Of Weapons (the novel in which he really manages to meld science fiction with emotive drama).(less)

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