At journey's end we can look back and discuss the costs of victory and defeat.
Welcome to the start of The Culture Books Club, a read-along exploration of Iain M. Banks Culture novels. In this episode some special guests give us a taste of things to come and we try and unpack the dizzying first few pages of the book that started it all; "Consider Phlebas". Special thanks to The War Nerd himself, Gary Brecher AKA John Dolan, and Mel Bicket of the Podmoot - Enteresting Tales from Tolkien podcast.
In which we meet Horza, get our first glimpse of the culture, form views about the Gerontocracy of Sorpen, and become acquainted with Idirans. A short chapter, but a key one for getting this story on the road.
In this chapter we get to know the Idirans, big conversations are had, and Horza steps outside for a long walk!
Horza, floating in deep space, is found, and fights for his life. Is this an allegory for patriarchal capitalism? And who is Yalson?
Things go as you might expect for Kraiklyn's Free Company in combat. And we finally get a look at the Culture on its own turf.
In the staggering vastness of the Vavatch Orbital Kraiklyn's Free Company try their hands at maritime salvage. But what is this Damage game Kraiklyn's really thinking about?
Horza goes to a very bad place... some might say he's lucky to escape...
How much damage can a game do? We finally see the game up close and very personal, Horza and Kraiklyn settle their scores, and the scale and glory of a General Systems Vehicle is revealed.
A madcap escape, the arsenal of the end of the universe, a plucky drone, and the immense drag of being a galactic warlord with a young dude hitting on you.
The KFC on the CAT finally makes it to Schar's World and Horza's misspent youth catches up with him.
The KFC ventures deep under Schar's World, while through Fal's musings we learn the history of the Culture.
The drone makes some jokes, the Idirans are mean, and Yalson has a big surprise!
We get to learn a lot more about Idirans, and trains, in a chapter that spends a lot of time setting up the finale!
It's a big episode with a big body count! But finally we finish up in these goddamn tunnels!
We come to an end of the journey for the first of The Culture books. Fear not we shall return soon for The Player of Games.
The Player of Games begins as we talk about the first chapter of this remarkable book and consider what games are really being played.
Getting deep and dirty into The Player of Games and really wondering what Elon Musk gets into in this tale of cruelty and perversion. Chapter 2, Imperium asks a lot of questions and we do our best to answer them.
With apologies for the delay we are back with the third chapter of The Player of Games where we get to see just what rat bastards The Culture can be when they get going.
We wrap up Elon Musk's favourite book with a short chapter that ties up a couple of loose ends and really gets into non-binary love.