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Thursday, December 3, 2015

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
293 pages, Paperback
First published August 1988, Harper Prism

I really love the diversity of books we read in my book group. This was chosen by our lone male at the moment. Science Fiction is not a genre I usually read. There have been some I have read and enjoyed on recommendation by the hubby but I don't usually read them on my own. Glad to have read this one, too.

It's an interesting premise. A master game player, Jernau Gurgeh,  is recruited to travel to the Empire of Azad to play the ultimate in games- the game of Azad. The winner becomes Emperor. What is the point of Gurgeh going and participating? Is it for his entertainment, a mission by The Culture to infiltrate Azad? It is hard to know when everyone is playing a game.

This book had me so enthralled. I listened to it in the car and read my copy when I was home. So much going on behind the scenes of such a quiet book. I never knew who to trust, or who was who. I will be reading more of Banks' Culture series. 

December/January Book Choice: Dead Mountain by Donnie Eicher


Happy Reading!
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2 comments:

  1. This sounds like a twisted game of the unexpected. I'm always amazed by those who can write like that.

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    Replies
    1. Yes. Where do they get their ideas from? :)

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