Iain M. Banks' The PLayer of Games

[Questionauthority]

Has anyone else read Ian M Bank's The player of Games, it is the best introduction to his society: The Culture.
The Culture is a type of anarchistic society that has flourished due to technology, there are no laws, currency and people have enough of what they need. Idealistic yes but perhaps with increasing technology that is one of the ways forward. Look at how the internet has spread the cause of anti globalisation. So anyone who has read this book or his other sci-fi Culture books please post what you think of it!

[redstar2000]

It is quite good for exploring the ways that people might think in advanced communist society.

Essentially, there are low-intelligence robots that do all the shit work that humans don't wish to be bothered with. There are also robots that are just as intelligent as humans and who are free citizens who also do only the work that interests them.

Oddest of all are the "super-intelligent" computers, hundreds of times more intelligent that humans...they are the "government" such as it is. Mostly, they leave people alone -- but they are not above cleverly manipulating a particular human into doing something that they think needs to be done...which is what happens to the "player of games".

Banks has written a number of novels set in the "Culture"...but The Player of Games is probably the best one that I've read so far.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/brows...6938244-2267132 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/14733/ref=br_bx_c_1_8/104-6938244-2267132)

:redstar2000:

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