[segphault]

Your comment makes me wonder if I should give the series another chance. I only read Consider Phlebas and didn't continue with the series because I found the book so frustrating. It felt like there was a ton of context missing. I kept expecting it to provide some details about the culture that would justify the protagonist's antipathy towards it, but a coherent explanation for his world view never materialized.

[JonChesterfield]

Excession is spectacular. The focus is on the machine intelligence as opposed to the people.

[jimjimjim]

Totally. I've re-read excession multiple times and it's still my favorite.

[stcroixx]

That’s where I started and it’s still my favorite. Hooked me hard.

[empedocles]

That was my experience, but I am glad that I tried again. Player of Games is much more explicit in the world building (almost too much), and then a good balance is found in Use of Weapons. So I always recommend reading those two first before circling back to really understand the value of Consider Phlebas as an outside view on the Culture (and really, The West).

[agentwiggles]

Please do - Consider Phlebas is good in its own way, but it's a lot different from the rest of the series.

Player of Games is a great entry point, but I think Surface Detail might be my favorite. It might be my favorite sci-fi book I've ever read, in fact.

[jaqalopes]

I hope you will try other entries in the series! Player of Games and Excession are big favorites of mine, but they're quick reads and if you have the time I would really encourage all of them in order of release!

[TrevorJ]

Yeah, I would pick up another book in the series. Consider Phlebas is set in the same universe but almost seems like a different genre.