The Culture Novels
Banks creates a vision of a galaxy-spanning post-scarcity future that is
unique, hopeful and somehow very comforting in its humanity. I was
hooked in the early chapters of Consider Phlebas, though lots
of folks in r/printSF seem
lukewarm on this one. The Player of Games and Use of
Weapons are probably better and more accessible starting places.
For me, Look to Windward best captures the heart and soul of
the Culture.
-
Consider
Phlebas, ✓
-
The Player
of Games, ✓
-
Use of
Weapons, ✓
-
The State
of the Art (collection), ✓
-
Excession,
✓
-
Inversions,
✓
-
Look to
Windward, ✓
-
Matter,
✓
-
Surface
Detail, ✓
-
The
Hydrogen Sonata, ✓