Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks
Posted May 8, 2012
on:Player of Games (a Culture novel) by Iain M. Banks
published in 2008
where I got it: library
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A story about a guy playing a game? Something like an overcomplicated chess tournament? sounds boring, doesn’t it? Well, this is Iain Banks, he doesn’t do boring. And Azad is far more than overcomplicated chess. Azad is quite literally the game of a lifetime.
Subtle and darkly funny are descriptors that come to mind when I think of Player of Games. It’s central conceit sounds ridiculous at first: Win a board game, become Emperor. But as I’m coming to learn, with Iain Banks nothing is simple, and nothing is ever as it seems.
thanks to a little case of blackmail, Jernau Gurgeh finds it might be best to leave the Orbital for a while. It’s with nearly perfect timing that he receives an invitation to learn a new game far from home. And not just any game, but the game that an entire empire was named for, a game whose winners shape the future of the worlds on which it is played. A famed game player, Gergeh has a record of winning nearly every game he sits down to play, and an uncanny ability to quickly learn new systems and rules. If any Culture citizen is capable of even understanding the complex game of Azad, it’s him.
The Azad Empire is as different as could be from The Culture. Rules are strict, status makes the person, ownership is a serious big deal, and decadence is celebrated. The Azadians spend lifetimes learning the game of Azad. Played over the course of days and on multiple ballroom sized boards, the winners of the game define government policy, with the ultimate winner becoming Emperor. The Game is the Empire, and the Empire is the Game.
Gurgeh isn’t really interested in winning Azad, but as unofficial Culture Ambassador to the Azadian Empire, he certainly doesn’t want to be seen as an idiot either. Besides, gaming the game has become a bit of an addiction to him. With helpful suggestions from his Ship and his translator drone, Gurgeh picks up on the subtleties of the game quicker than may be healthy. A game that at first he has trouble taking seriously soon becomes an obsession. Every empire has a dark side, and Azad is no different. And the only way to change the politics of the Empire is the win the game.
Jernau Gergeh might be complacent and nihilistic, but I adored him as a character. Not the most likeable person in the world, I was still highly entertained by his conversations with his drones and his culture shock upon entering the Azad Empire. Banks wows the reader right away with the sprawling Culture, but he excels just as well with developing the intimate details that flesh out the characters. Player of Games is quite detailed, but certainly not overly so. Except for a slowdown at the end (my only petty complain), it’s a very quick read.
Player of Games had everything I want out of a good book: Interesting characters, intelligent and funny dialog, and a science fictional plot that goes from thoughtfully playful to deadly serious and back again in the blink of an eye. Do your good deed for the day: introduce someone to Iain M. Banks.
21 Responses to "Player of Games, by Iain M. Banks"
Interesting to hear your thoughts! I’ve read four Culture novels (Consider Phlebas, Player, Use of Weapons, and Look to Windward); I disliked the first and last, and Player was the one I found most fun on a first read.
Enjoy Use of Weapons! Do you plan to review it when you’re done? If Player was the best the first time through, UoW is the one that stuck in my mind.
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1 | Snake Oil
May 8, 2012 at 8:12 am
I’ve been waiting for your review of this one! I’m really glad you enjoyed it. As a board game geek as well as a Banks fan, player of games really ticks my boxes. Such a shame Azad only exists in Banks’ mind!
Any thoughts as to where you will go next in your Banks reading?
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Redhead
May 8, 2012 at 10:12 am
I was thinking Surface Detail or maybe Use of Weapons?
“ticks my boxes”, i nearly snorted coffee all over my keyboard! I’m never going to be able to go to a gamers weekend again without thinking “Azad wouldn’t even fit in this room”.
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Stefan (Far Beyond Reality)
May 8, 2012 at 11:31 am
Use of Weapons is next in order of publication. It’s also one of the best SF novels ever. The course is clear, methinks!
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