Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
Yes, they are a series and at least one book is missing from the list. Have a look at Fantastic Fiction. Excession is only available in the UK. So those outside the UK cannot get a complete series.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/iain-m-banks/ |
As others have pointed out, eh, not really a series. They're all set in the Culture universe, but there are few repeating characters and there's no continuity between books. (My boyfriend adds that later books are a bit more connected.) The Culture is so big that he can write about world-changing events in one book that have no perceived impact on characters in another book set in a different place. I've read (in this order) Player of Games, Inversions, Use of Weapons, and Matter (on the recommendation of my Banks-o-phile boyfriend). I certainly didn't miss any of the ones I "skipped" while I was reading. The books are well enough written that the important premises of the Culture can be explained in each book without getting repetitive. Plus, Inversions is barely a Culture book. It could plausibly be read as a non-Culture book, and is certainly not integral to the continuity of the universe.