CULTURE: WTF.

[Evil Sadistic Bastard]

Sooo what is the culture? More imprtantly, what kinds of military tech does it have?

[Stormbringer]

Sooo what is the culture? More imprtantly, what kinds of military tech does it have?

Oh fuck. Not another one.

http://www.mattstan.pwp.blueyonder.co.u ... refaq.html

[Admiral Valdemar]

Lol, it's worse than SB.

If you have any real questions just PM me.

[SirNitram]

Here's a real question.

Why the FUCK do the only Ian M. Banks books I find always turn out to be Look To Windward and Excession? I want to start the series.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Here's a real question.

Why the FUCK do the only Ian M. Banks books I find always turn out to be Look To Windward and Excession? I want to start the series.

Do you live in the US?

If so, his publishers there don't have the full grasp of what publishing entails, that is, printing all his books. They rarely seem to have them in print over the pond, but here and Commonwealth nations have them everywhere.

[XaLEv]

Here's a real question.

Why the FUCK do the only Ian M. Banks books I find always turn out to be Look To Windward and Excession? I want to start the series.

Excession and LtW are the newest ones. I'm sure you could find the others somewhere.

[Slartibartfast]

So what's fun about the Culture?

[Shinova]

So what's fun about the Culture?

How would you like to have sex, take harmless drugs, and in general party for centuries??

[Admiral Valdemar]

So what's fun about the Culture?

This question is like asking if sex is mildly pleasurable.

[Slartibartfast]

So what's fun about the Culture?

How would you like to have sex, take harmless drugs, and in general party for centuries??

Ok let me rephrase, what's fun about reading about the Culture?

[Admiral Valdemar]

So what's fun about the Culture?

How would you like to have sex, take harmless drugs, and in general party for centuries??

Ok let me rephrase, what's fun about reading about the Culture?

Iain M. Banks is a damn good storyteller, more so than Lucas only in a written medium (yes, I know SW was a book too).

People complain about the uber tech, but we aren't reading a story about people who are debating whether their cannons are 200GT or not.

[XaLEv]

Ok let me rephrase, what's fun about reading about the Culture?

Quality of the writing, character development, the usual.

[Raxmei]

Here's a real question.

Why the FUCK do the only Ian M. Banks books I find always turn out to be Look To Windward and Excession? I want to start the series.

The Culture really isn't a linear series. There isn't a continuous plot that requires you to read the books in order. As long as you don't start with Excession or Look to Windward you'll be fine.

[XaLEv]

The Culture really isn't a linear series. There isn't a continuous plot that requires you to read the books in order. As long as you don't start with Excession or Look to Windward you'll be fine.

I started with Excession and I'm alright. Gonna read LtW next. Any reason I shouldn't?

[Raxmei]

The Culture really isn't a linear series. There isn't a continuous plot that requires you to read the books in order. As long as you don't start with Excession or Look to Windward you'll be fine.

I started with Excession and I'm alright. Gonna read LtW next. Any reason I shouldn't?

Excession and LTW assume you know a bit more about the Culture than the earlier books do. There isn't much of a problem, though. Look to Windward's plot depends heavily on the Idiran War from Consider Phlebas, but Banks probably included some explanation for the benefit of new readers. No reason to delay for that. Consider Phlebas is almost impossible to find in this country so you can't really be expected to delay on its account.

[Admiral Valdemar]

The Culture really isn't a linear series. There isn't a continuous plot that requires you to read the books in order. As long as you don't start with Excession or Look to Windward you'll be fine.

I started with Excession and I'm alright. Gonna read LtW next. Any reason I shouldn't?

Excession and LTW assume you know a bit more about the Culture than the earlier books do. There isn't much of a problem, though. Look to Windward's plot depends heavily on the Idiran War from Consider Phlebas, but Banks probably included some explanation for the benefit of new readers. No reason to delay for that. Consider Phlebas is almost impossible to find in this country so you can't really be expected to delay on its account.

Import it from Amazon.co.uk or whsmith.co.uk or waterstones.co.uk

[Shinova]

The Culture really isn't a linear series. There isn't a continuous plot that requires you to read the books in order. As long as you don't start with Excession or Look to Windward you'll be fine.

I started with Excession and I'm alright. Gonna read LtW next. Any reason I shouldn't?

Excession and LTW assume you know a bit more about the Culture than the earlier books do. There isn't much of a problem, though. Look to Windward's plot depends heavily on the Idiran War from Consider Phlebas, but Banks probably included some explanation for the benefit of new readers. No reason to delay for that. Consider Phlebas is almost impossible to find in this country so you can't really be expected to delay on its account.

I find Consider Phlebas and all the other older books at my nearest Borders and Barnes and Noble all the time.

[SirNitram]

Here's a real question.

Why the FUCK do the only Ian M. Banks books I find always turn out to be Look To Windward and Excession? I want to start the series.

Do you live in the US?

If so, his publishers there don't have the full grasp of what publishing entails, that is, printing all his books. They rarely seem to have them in print over the pond, but here and Commonwealth nations have them everywhere.

Not only do I live in the US, I reside in West Virginia... Well, I'll let you figure it out for yourself.

Thanks for the advice. I'll see about finding earlier books, but if not, just take a hack at Excession. I mean, I have a decent grounding, from all the debating I've seen.

[XaLEv]

I found a copy of Consider Phlebas. It's on it's way. As well as the collection-version of State of the Art.

Should have them in a month at the latest.

[XaLEv]

I find Consider Phlebas and all the other older books at my nearest Borders and Barnes and Noble all the time.

Hmmm. The B&N here can't even get anything other than Excession.

[ViciousMink]

I've found the Culture novels to be excellent storytelling. There's an incredible amount of high-tech there, but it's subtle; Banks doesn't spend pages expousing technology. His characters are intriguing and interesting. For this, I highly recommend 'The Player of Games,' though there's one paragraph towards the end that's incredibly disturbing. However, it is but one paragraph, and is important for showing the change that the main character undergoes.

I don't think I'd personally like to live in the Culture. Then again, if I was living in the Culture, I'd have a much different outlook on things.

[consequences]

Living in the Culture would be a little to much like Doc Smith's Civilisation from Lensman, too nice, and with all of the important shit taken out of your hands by uberbeings.

[Uraniun235]

Ok let me rephrase, what's fun about reading about the Culture?

From an uninformed person's point of view, Star Wars is similarly insanely powerful; 200 gigatons for a medium cannon on a gigantic mile-long ship that there are thousands upon thousands of? Crossing the galaxy in mere days or even hours? Annihilating an entire planet?

But the story is still fun to read and to watch. No reason you can't do the same with the Culture.

[Slartibartfast]

Ok let me rephrase, what's fun about reading about the Culture?

From an uninformed person's point of view, Star Wars is similarly insanely powerful; 200 gigatons for a medium cannon on a gigantic mile-long ship that there are thousands upon thousands of? Crossing the galaxy in mere days or even hours? Annihilating an entire planet?

But the story is still fun to read and to watch. No reason you can't do the same with the Culture.

The power levels don't make it insanely powerful, in the end you have little difference between Star Wars space battles and World War II battles, with the power to obliterate an entire city.

The Culture, on the other hand, appears to be an absolute utopia, with godly powers and wars that take place in microseconds. Is there a challenge at all, or simply lots of self-indulgment and hundred-year old orgies?

[gravity]

The Culture, on the other hand, appears to be an absolute utopia, with godly powers and wars that take place in microseconds. Is there a challenge at all, or simply lots of self-indulgment and hundred-year old orgies?

That's partly what the books are about; how to maintain a purpose for a near-perfect society to prevent its degeneration into self-indulgence.

Basically, some Culture citizens are pretty air-headed, but others dedicate themselves to artistic and semi-artisic pursuits such as game-playing and lanscape creation, where the Minds generally leave them to themselves. In this way, they can challenge themselves without ever being forced to work if they don't want to. Of course, they can always try to join the Contact section (basically the Culture's diplomatic corps) and take a much more active role in things, or dedicate themselves to learning and education, or whatever.

Also, apart from in Excession, the military power of the Culture is barely mentioned in the books. The focus is on individuals on the periphery of the Culture, and how they react and interact with both it and the larger galactic society. They're very good, well written books that I highly reccomend.