The Player of Games

The Player of Games
by Iain M. Banks

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Book Summary Information

Author: Iain M. Banks
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-03-26
ISBN: 0316005401
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Orbit
Product features:

ISBN13: 9780316005401
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Book Reviews of The Player of Games

Book Review: Not the best, sorry.
Summary: 3 Stars

Maybe I need to read this again, but it seemed kind of formulaic to me.

Or maybe not formulaic. Maybe just after a certain period of time you simply expected the player's victory to be inevitable, and it was all yawns thereafter.

Sure, it gets a little tense towards the end, but a large Greek Chorus of Dei ex Machina(e) handle the loose ends.

It was one of those OK books to read. Certainly not at all in the same league as "Use of Weapons," or jeez! "Matter." Now, *that*'s quite the book.

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Summary of The Player of Games

The Culture - a human/machine symbiotic society - has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh. Jernau Morat Gurgeh. The Player of Games. Master of every board, computer and strategy. Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game...a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game, and with it the challenge of his life - and very possibly his death.

Praise for Iain M. Banks:

"Poetic, humorous, baffling, terrifying, sexy -- the books of Iain M. Banks are all these things and more" -- NME

"An exquisitely riotous tour de force of the imagination which writes its own rules simply for the pleasure of breaking them." -- Time Out

In The Player of Games, 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. --Brooks Peck

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