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The Player of Games

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Check link for latest rating. ( 81,482 ratings, 4,067 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Player of Games by Iain M Banks follows a master gamer from the Culture, a highly advanced and utopian society, as he is drawn into a complex and dangerous game. Invited to play in a distant, hierarchical empire where the stakes are political power and possibly his life, his skills are pushed to their limits. The narrative explores themes of power, competition, and cultural differences in a thrilling and immersive setting.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$5300

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are intrigued by a gripping story set in a sophisticated and imaginative universe. It cleverly intertwines science fiction with a tense thriller narrative, focusing on themes of political intrigue and personal ambition. If you appreciate complex characters and rich world-building, this adventure might be perfect for you.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A seminal novel in Banks's acclaimed series about the universe of the Culture. Gurgeh is the best, the champion of the ancient, all-embracing Culture in which there is no disease or disaster, only the endless games. Then he accepts the challenge from the Empire of Azad--and finds out what the Game is really all about.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Culture - a human/machine symbiotic society - has produced 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

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks is often praised for its intricate world-building and sophisticated narrative. Readers frequently highlight the book's exploration of themes such as power, politics, and the nature of competition, wrapped in a thrilling and cerebral storyline. The character development and Banks's imaginative depiction of a complex society receive commendation, with many noting how the author's sharp prose keeps the pace engaging and thought-provoking.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780316005401

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 March 2008

Country: United States

Imprint: Little, Brown & Company

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 34.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 370g

Pages: 416

Collections

Crime & Thriller Fiction General Fiction Sci-Fi & Fantasy Science Fiction

About the Author

Iain Banks came to controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY, in 1984. CONSIDER PHLEBAS, his first science fiction novel, was published under the name Iain M. Banks in 1987. He is now widely acclaimed as one of the most powerful, innovative and exciting writers of his generation. Iain Banks lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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