The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 10 books · 1987 to 2012

Iain M. Banks

Science fictionSpace opera

Iain M. Banks's Culture novels are set in a post-scarcity, anarchic civilisation run by vast, witty starship Minds, and usually follow the people who work at its edges, meddling in other societies for their own good.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. Each Culture novel stands alone with its own cast. Banks also wrote mainstream novels as Iain Banks.

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Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Iain M. Banks books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

The Culture

10 books · Set in spaceSpace opera
  1. 1Consider Phlebas1987With Bora Horza GobuchulBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Player of Games1988With Jernau Morat GurgehBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Use of Weapons1990With Cheradenine ZakalweBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The State of the Art1991With Diziet SmaBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Excession1996With Byr Genar-HofoenBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Inversions1998Buy on Amazon
  7. 7Look to Windward2000With QuilanBuy on Amazon
  8. 8Matter2008With Djan Seriy AnaplianBuy on Amazon
  9. 9Surface Detail2010With Lededje Y'breqBuy on Amazon
  10. 10The Hydrogen Sonata2012With Vyr CossontBuy on Amazon

Characters

10 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

The Culture