"Consider Phlebas" Book Review
davidgorski.substack.com> I found the underlying philosophy of the war much more interesting than the story.
This matches my experience. The Culture is fascinating to read about independent of the books. Here's a short essay by Ian M Banks (the author of the Culture series) about the Culture:
Yeah. IME, the world (universe) of the Culture is quite interesting and thought-provoking, but the plots are kind of lame and predictable. Not terrible, but not the reason to read the books.
I really enjoy the culture novels and I agree. I feel similar about Dune. No one Dune book is all that great on its own. But the scale and world and story arch are unique enough to make the sum greater than the total of its parts.
"Player of Games" is my favourite.
While I totally understand the intent of introducing the Culture from on outside point of view.
I think "Consider Phlebas" was not as enjoyable as some of the other books.
I think this is the common take on culture novels. Most recommendations I see for reading order start with something other than Consider Phlebas. Player of Games and Use of Weapons tends to be more recommended as a first book. I adored Player of Games because the whole concept is so different than most sci-fi I've encountered. And it really examines what it means to be a citizen of The Culture.
I have a hard time reading The Culture books as anything but a satirical condemnation of the current society. Which is not at all the position that Banks, in interviews, claims to take.
I thought Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky presented a much more sympathetic picture of a cosmopolitan trading culture, in its clash (and hybridization) with a conservative warrior culture. That book did make "the liberal capitalists" sympathetic.