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The Player of Games

Front Cover
59 Reviews
Little, Brown Book Group, Sep 4, 2008 - Fiction - 320 pages
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.

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A science fiction novel with an interesting premise. - Goodreads
The ending, in my opinion, was an absolute trainwreck. - Goodreads
The action scenes were good, I guess. - Goodreads
A mediocre novel by a good writer. - Goodreads
Banks is an interesting but flawed writer. - Goodreads
I feel cheated out of a good ending. - Goodreads

Review: The Player of Games (Culture #2)

User Review  - Richard - Goodreads

I'm angry at this book. I feel cheated out of a good ending. The concept was fantastic. The sci-fi ideas were interesting and subtly woven into a cool story. And the author laid the groundwork for a ... Read full review

Review: The Player of Games (Culture #2)

User Review  - Jack - Goodreads

I always have a hard time picking up a series in the middle, even when they're like the Culture series and each novel doesn't have an interconnected plot line. I just find that there are concepts ... Read full review

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About the author (2008)

Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY, in 1984. He has since gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels.

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