I haven’t read all of Iain M. Banks The Culture series, but I highly recommend Use of Weapons. I’ve read it three times, and it gets better each time.
It’s not a bad introduction to The Culture, but please feel free to recommend another novel to start with, or your favourite. I’ve read this, Look to Windward, Consider Phlebas, and The Player of Games. As I recall, Look to Windward has some good descriptions of a large Culture ship.
I’d also love to hear your favourite ship name.
Edit: I see I added The to the title…
I have read them all, and find them all excellent. I wouldn’t recommend Use of Weapons as an introductory book for a new reader, though. It is rather dark, and it may put off some people. I think The Player of Games would work better, and give a new reader a better introduction of what the ethos of the Culture is, and what to expect (to some extent…) from the other books.
Unlike others, I did’t like Consider Phlebas that much, when compared with other (IMO) stronger Culture books.
I’m a bigger defender than most of Consider Phlebas than most, but it’s a product of age.
If you grew up with Star Trek and Neuromancer, the first book kind of splits those wickets on utopia/dystopia neatly in a way I don’t think holds up as well afterwards.
Player of games is a much neater intro, but the ambiguity of the first book felt intentional, and it’s always interesting to me to see peoples reactions to that called shot.
I must have read that description of ‘damage’ a dozen times.
That’s precisely the reason I liked it so much though