Favorite Sci-Fi Books - or "Why This Book Rocks"

[BR48]

[color=#000000ost_uid0]I know this is a pretty old thread now, but I don't check this forum very often. However, I can never pass up a favorite book thread.

My favorite SF novel is, by far, The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks. Its an extremely thought provoking book with great characters and a great storyline. The book follows Morat Gurgeh, the Culture's greatest organic game player, as he travels to the Empire of Azad for a chance to play the ultimate game. While there, he sees first hand the dark side of a society that presents a facade of a somewhat eccentric, but unexceptional civilization. Facing threats to his life, Gurgeh refuses to surrender, and in the process learns what it really means to be a part of the Culture.

In this, and his other Culture-related novels, Banks paints a picture of a utopian society known as the Culture. Its a civilization with no poverty and little crime, with sophisticated AI's acting as leaders and caretakers, though the Culture has no formal government. Reading this, I don't doubt that you're skeptical about such a society, but the novels may just change your mind. After all, they made me believe in the Culture.[/colorost_uid0]