A : [[book]]
Author : [[Iain M. Banks]]
Just finished The Player of Games (Iain M Banks) β also really enjoyable. Less cinematic than [[Consider Phlebas]] (though still nicely paced), and a bit more to chew on philosophically. The contrast of the [[hierarchical]] Azadian empire and the egalitarian Culture is interesting. Gurgeh, the main character, from the Culture, finds some appeal in the way things work in Azad. Azad feels like a caricature of Western society as it is today β superficially advanced and urbane, but with some real darkness hidden away, out of sight.
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