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If I was to start reading Iain Banks Culture series where should I begin? What if I could oh my read one book?

https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comment..._sequence/

If you want to ease in to the series, I suggest you start with the following in this order:

The Player of Games (most accessible culture novel tbh and a good intro)

Excession (focuses a lot on the Culture minds and their interaction with each other)

Use of Weapons (one of my personal favorites)

Anything else - if you have read the above you will have a good feel for how much you like the Culture universe.

Whilst none of the novels require that you have read a previous Culture novel, the more recent (Surface Detail, Hydrogen Sonata) sort of have a background assumption that you at least have a passing familiarity with the Culture.

I would avoid Inversions altogether (not a culture novel imo) and The State of the Art is short stories, only 2 of which are Culture stories IIRC, so only read it if you are a Culture completionist.

In order of my enjoyment of them and why:

Excession - Focuses on the Culture itself - a lot of the earlier Culture novels take place outside the Culture. We see a lot about Culture ships and Orbitals and tech.

Look to Windward - Much the same reasons as Excession - most of the story is set on an orbital. We learn a lot about how the Culture operates internally and what people in the Culture do with their time.

The Player of Games - Set mostly outside the Culture but told from the pov of a Culture citizen. We learn something of how the Culture works and how it deals with/manipulates non-Culture civs. This is also one of what I would deem - 'classic' Culture novels - written early in the series. Excession and Look to Windward are more 'mid-period'.

Most of the other stories are set outside the Culture and a couple of the later ones could plausibly be said to treat the Culture as a secondary element. They are still good, but I like the above better.

Hope this helps,

Todd

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I just downloaded The Player of Games on audible.

I'm a big fan. Consider Phlebas is a rollocking good adventure story, and Matter is a classic in the Sealed Evil in a Can genre.

I think my favourite is Excession, though. The interactions between the Interesting Times Gang are witty and cynical.

Finished, The Player of Games. It was very good, thanks for the recommendation guys.