Review of 'The Player of Games' by Iain M Banks

Set in the same universe as some of his other books, 'The Player of Games' explores the Culture (introduced in 'Consider Phlebas') but is completely accessible as a standalone novel. Jernau Gurgeh is a member of the Culture; a wide-ranging space-faring society of humans and sentient machines. There is no money, no possession as such... and people can, for the most part, do exactly what they want to do with their lives. Jernau Gurgeh chooses to spend his life playing games. He is thought to be one of the best game players in the Culture, skilled in an enormous range of games. And he is bored of winning. Then he is approached, and asked if he will play a rather different game; a game that will be more challenging than any game he has ever come across before.

This book is another classic example of Iain M Banks' talent for creating alien races that are alien, and yet accessible. His main character provides a perfect viewpoint for understanding the Culture, and for looking at the new alien race. The plot is relatively slow paced; it mirrors the games that Gurgeh plays, with slow, deliberate, almost contemplative steps, but it is punctuated by action that adds intrigue as well as urgency to the plot. Despite the occasional lack of pace, it is by no means boring. The game is slowly revealed over the course of the story, and it also becomes evident that there is more going on, and until the end you're not entirely certain what that is.

For those hoping for complete, well-described details on the nature and rules of this horribly complicated game, the book will be something of a disappointment. While the overall form of the game is well established by the end, specific details are somewhat lacking. From the point of view of the writer this is understandable: if the game is as complex as the plot requires, complete description within the confines of that plot is almost impossible. However, this makes some of the descriptions of play slightly hollow, and it is difficult to fully empathise with the Player during the games. As a whole, though, the book is well written, with the events outside of the games skillfully described and the alien race developed wonderfully (although perhaps over-emphasising the similarities between these aliens and our current society).

The Player of Games is an enjoyable read, but it is not a completely gripping thrill ride, nor a wholly thought-provoking literary masterwork. Instead, it straddles the boundary, with an interesting plot that draws the reader (more sedately) through, and some thought-provoking views of society and humanity. One thing that Banks does very well is portray the Culture ambiguously, so that the reader is left to decide for themselves whether they are the force of good or a force of evil; and the reality feels somewhere in between. I would recommend The Player of Games to people that were well-grounded readers of SF (and, perhaps, of Iain M Banks), but it is probably not appropriate for someone making their first forays into genre fiction.