Reading order · 10 books · 1987 to 2012 · Set in space
The Culture Books in Order
The Culture is a vast, anarchic, post-scarcity civilisation run by witty, enormously intelligent starship Minds, where no one needs to work. The novels usually follow people at its edges, especially Special Circumstances, the shadowy section that meddles in other societies for their own good.
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Series facts
- Books
- 10
- Published
- 1987 to 2012
- First book
- Consider Phlebas
- Latest
- The Hydrogen Sonata (2012)
- Setting
- Set in space
The reading order
Every The Culture book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
10 books · Set in space
- 1Consider Phlebas1987With Bora Horza GobuchulDuring the war between the Culture and the religious Idiran empire, Bora Horza Gobuchul, a shape-shifter working for the Idirans, is sent to capture a Culture Mind hiding on a forbidden planet.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Player of Games1988With Jernau Morat GurgehJernau Morat Gurgeh, one of the Culture’s greatest game players, is sent to the brutal Empire of Azad, where a fiendishly complex game decides who rules.Buy on Amazon
- 3Use of Weapons1990With Cheradenine ZakalweCheradenine Zakalwe, a mercenary used by the Culture to fight its battles in other civilisations, is recruited for one more job.Buy on Amazon
- 4The State of the Art1991With Diziet SmaShort stories, including a novella in which a Culture ship visits Earth in 1977.Buy on Amazon
- 5Excession1996With Byr Genar-HofoenA mysterious object appears at the edge of the galaxy, beyond anything the Culture has ever seen, and the Minds begin to scheme.Buy on Amazon
- 6Inversions1998In a medieval world, a mysterious doctor serves a king, and a bodyguard protects a ruler, in two stories that may have something to do with the Culture.Buy on Amazon
- 7Look to Windward2000With QuilanA Chelgrian envoy comes to a Culture world, ostensibly to visit a composer, years after the Culture’s meddling led to a civil war in his society.Buy on Amazon
- 8Matter2008With Djan Seriy AnaplianDjan Seriy Anaplian, a princess from a medieval society on an artificial world, now an agent of the Culture, returns home after her father is murdered.Buy on Amazon
- 9Surface Detail2010With Lededje Y'breqLededje Y’breq, a young woman murdered by the man who owned her, wakes up on a Culture ship, while a war rages over virtual hells.Buy on Amazon
- 10The Hydrogen Sonata2012With Vyr CossontThe Gzilt civilisation is preparing to leave the material universe, when a secret about its origins threatens everything, and a musician sets out to find the truth.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Each novel stands alone and can be read in any order. The Player of Games is often recommended as a first read; Consider Phlebas was the first published.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Diziet Sma | Bora Horza Gobuchul | Jernau Morat Gurgeh | Cheradenine Zakalwe | Byr Genar-Hofoen | Quilan | Djan Seriy Anaplian | Lededje Y'breq |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Consider Phlebas | LLead | |||||||
| 2 The Player of Games | LLead | |||||||
| 3 Use of Weapons | MMajor | LLead | ||||||
| 4 The State of the Art | LLead | |||||||
| 5 Excession | LLead | |||||||
| 6 Inversions | ||||||||
| 7 Look to Windward | LLead | |||||||
| 8 Matter | LLead | |||||||
| 9 Surface Detail | LLead | |||||||
| 10 The Hydrogen Sonata |
Characters in the The Culture books
10 characters from Iain M. Banks’s chart, with the number of The Culture books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Diziet SmaSpecial Circumstances agent | 2 | Use of Weapons 1990 |
| Bora Horza GobuchulShape-changer fighting against the Culture | 1 | Consider Phlebas 1987 |
| Jernau Morat GurgehMaster game player | 1 | The Player of Games 1988 |
| Cheradenine ZakalweMercenary used by Special Circumstances | 1 | Use of Weapons 1990 |
| Byr Genar-HofoenCulture envoy to the Affront | 1 | Excession 1996 |
| QuilanChelgrian major on a secret mission | 1 | Look to Windward 2000 |
| Djan Seriy AnaplianPrincess turned Special Circumstances agent | 1 | Matter 2008 |
| Lededje Y'breqIndentured woman seeking revenge | 1 | Surface Detail 2010 |
| Vyr CossontMusician of the Gzilt | 1 | The Hydrogen Sonata 2012 |
| Skaffen-AmtiskawSardonic drone | 2 | Use of Weapons 1990 |