Iain M. Banks books in order

Q: "What is the best order to read The Culture series?"

"The Culture novels are loosely connected and can mostly be read in any order. However, common starting points are 'Consider Phlebas' (the first published) or 'The Player of Games' (widely considered an excellent introduction)."

Q: "What is the difference between Iain Banks and Iain M. Banks?"

"Iain Banks wrote mainstream fiction under his original name, while he used the name Iain M. Banks specifically for his science fiction works, including The Culture series."

Q: "Where should I start with Iain M. Banks?"

"'The Player of Games' is the most frequently recommended starting point for new readers looking to dive into The Culture universe."

The Culture Reading Order

Title	Published	Buy on Amazon
Consider Phlebas	1987	Buy
The Player of Games	1988	Buy
Use of Weapons	1990	Buy
The State of the Art	1991	Buy
Excession	1996	Buy
Inversions	1998	Buy
Look to Windward	2000	Buy
Matter	2008	Buy
Surface Detail	2010	Buy
The Hydrogen Sonata	2012	Buy

Iain Banks (1954–2013) was a prolific Scottish author who wrote mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures in modern British literature.

His science fiction is most famous for The Culture series, a sequence of novels and short stories set in a vast, post-scarcity interstellar society. The Culture is an anarchist-socialist utopia of humans, aliens, and immensely powerful sentient machines known as Minds. The series explores complex ethical and political themes through the lens of space opera.

Banks’s writing is celebrated for its imaginative scale, dark humor, and linguistic flair. Beyond The Culture, his mainstream works include the controversial classic The Wasp Factory, The Crow Road, and Complicity. He was named one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945 by The Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best order to read The Culture series?

The Culture novels are loosely connected and can mostly be read in any order. However, common starting points are ‘Consider Phlebas’ (the first published) or ‘The Player of Games’ (widely considered an excellent introduction).

What is the difference between Iain Banks and Iain M. Banks?

Iain Banks wrote mainstream fiction under his original name, while he used the name Iain M. Banks specifically for his science fiction works, including The Culture series.

Where should I start with Iain M. Banks?

‘The Player of Games’ is the most frequently recommended starting point for new readers looking to dive into The Culture universe.

The Culture Reading Order#

Frequently Asked Questions

The Culture Reading Order