Amazon.com info for 'The Player of Games'

---

Back to reviews and details of The Player of Games

Amazon.com reviews:

Rating: 4 Summary: Detailed & pitfall-ridden games, lacking tech.
Comment Very original idea- games of an alien culture and games of the future human society. The depth and rules of the alien game are hugely captivating, as is the plot involving human/alien relationships. Twists and turns in the plot provide entertainment outside of the entertainment of the game itself (not that the game would be fun for the loser). Player of Games is amongst the best of what Banks' offers, yet there's a lack of technology which is predominent in early Banks' novels, such as Consider Phlebas and Use of Weapons. Satisfied to a high degree, yet expectation was met short considering technology.

Rating: 5 Summary: Best of Banks, ONe of the best Scifi I've read
Comment Of all the Iain Banks scifi books I found this one of the most compelling. There was a sense of deep irony throughout the book as the master game player pits himself against a game that has consequences for an Empire. How he emerged from a low point of ennui, when he felt the the need to cheat in a board game to a master player in terms of life and death stakes was well drawn. The need to find a new sense of meaning was strongly presented here. I have read about 8 of Iain Banks scifi books and i felt this was his best, along with Use of Weapons.
I judge a good scifi book by how it makes me feel and think, and Player of Games gave me much to think about, that is why i rate it as one of the best i havev read.

Rating: 5 Summary: Got me hooked on Banks
Comment This was the first book by Banks that I read; and it was absolutely fantastic. I regularly lend this book out to every sci-fi fan that I meet and can not recommend it highly enough.

In terms of Bank's overall works; I believe this is the best one to start with. Also, I generally recommend that people not touch any of the Iain Banks (no M) stuff. I remember that one of blurbs printed in the Wasp Factory was something like "Stay seriously away from this book."

The story line involves an alien sent to an even more alien world to play a game. The nesting of the games and the immediate immersion in this far future universe as well as brilliant writing make this my favorite book of all time.

Rating: 5 Summary: Compelling and sad
Comment With the possible exception of Excession, this remains my favorite title by my favorite SF author. Part of the reason is that the narrative shares the structure of the underlying contest; this makes the book's structure more linear than many of Banks' Culture offerings. The other part of the reason is the vividness of all the characters, which are perhaps somewhat more extreme and colorful than Banks usually allows himself.

Rating: 4 Summary: Not Free SF Reader
Comment A good Culture novel. The protagonist is a chess master on steroids, basically. An expert at all sorts of games, and what he does for money.

A bunch of those sneaky Culture AI types recruit him to take part in a game that enthralls a whole planet a long way away, as part of what is basically a political and espionage plot, as said planet's rulers are not nice people, to put it mildly.

The artifical companions are again wonderfully snarky (think K.I.T.T., that sort of thing, if you need a tv reference, or occasionally, O.R.A.C.)