If you're new to the Culture series by Banks and are wondering where to start, I'd suggest not to start with the first book, "Consider Phlebas". Instead, I'd s

If you're new to the Culture series by Banks and are wondering where to start, I'd suggest not to start with the first book, "Consider Phlebas". Instead, I'd strongly recommend to pick up the second one, "The Player of Games" — this thrilling book is a love letter to board games. It's beautifully executed and an incredibly absorbing book for a newcomer. Then you can pick up "Consider Phlebas". I'm glad I did my research and didn't start with this. It has its many brilliant moments, but I had to show significantly more patience to finish it. I'm now currently working my way through the fifth book in the series, "Excession". It's living up to the hype. (Two years ago, a Scottish man sitting next to me on a plane just wouldn't stop talking about it when he saw me reading "The Player of Games". I'm glad he badgered me to pick it up.)