Iain M Banks - where to start with Culture series

KiLLiNG-TiME

On the whole no but !!! but as mentioned by the forum members in this thread there are events & people later mentioned that if you haven't read in order may seem a little strange at the time.
(not to mention tracking the minds ) so like most here i would say read in order if you can.

See Post 11 by Alan CD sum's it up well

& yes his fiction is very different but both equally excellent IMHO.

lucasisking

Wow- Sold!

This is what attracts me to Bank's writing (apart from your recommendation as I recall).  Stuff about advanced civilisations, megastructures, vast empires and hyper-technology.  Fantastic

I'm not sure Killing-time, but was it you that said about Excession, if it were ever made into a film, would trounce any modern sci-fi film out there?

KiLLiNG-TiME

Yes it would trounce any modern sci-fi film in my view ( & dare i say it even some older well known ones would get a wobble at the top spot) but be warned many complained the book was quite complex (personally i don't know whats wrong with them ) so for most I guess it wouldn't be the best place to start in movie terms with the culture but for me hell yeah bring it on.

It deals with some complex issues "Outside Context Problem" but throughout the book there is also a genuinely moving story of love loss & unresolved issue's both human & mind. We get to see a very different side to some of the minds including the Zetetic Elench & not to mention you get to meet the GCU Grey Area (i won't say what the other minds call it) & the GSV Sleeper Service & as ever SC (Special Circumstances) are there pulling the strings & then there's the Affront & yes indeed they are that well named.

But on the whole a film of this scope would require you to have quite a bit of knowledge of the Culture & the universe they are in so I guess the film will just have to stay in my head for now.

lucasisking

I'm only halfway through Consider Phlebas but I'm already convinced that it would make an immense movie.  With modern special effects, nothing described in the book is 'unfilmable'.   I simply think its too radical for hollywood to currently handle- which is tragic!

Also is it me or is there a whiff of Douglas Adams about some of Banks' ideas?  I'm mainly talking about some of the whimsical, tongue-in-cheek concepts such as the ship names.

EarthRod

After reading a few books all will become clearer regarding ships' Minds and the Culture in general.

Don't want to discuss names at this point because there are a few posters who have ships' names!

EarthRod

Found this useful page about the Culture in wikipedia:

The Culture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good read but gives nothing away regarding individual books.

lucasisking

Yeah great resource. I read that before even starting on 'Phlebas. I found the background info really helps one get established in the culture universe.

Interesting also that the tone of Consider Phlebas (from horza's pov) is distinctly anti-culture! (so far at least)

EarthRod

Yes - there are several civilisations (and individuals like Horza) who are anti-AI and therefore anti-Culture.

IMO (but I might be wrong!) one of Banks's's's's's' foibles is he doesn't like big, butch, red-blooded males who are the driving force in a civilisation - they tend to be the baddies.

Females and, more especially, androgynous beings meet with his general approval. Of course there are exceptions!

I have a suspicion, Banks has built the Culture based on machine intelligence because they are androgynous!

KiLLiNG-TiME

Ship avatars are intresting..

EarthRod

Ah, but the avatars are there purely to interact with natural species (flesh & blood). So the Minds can 'play' using their avatars.

I forget which book it is, but the city of robots (only robots) interests me. I won't go into any detail but some of the robots seem...   attractive.

Hehe