Storyline: 5/5 
 Characters: 4/5 
 Writing Style: 3/5 
 World: 5/5 
 I ventured into the science fiction genre by first searching for some of the top books under that heading. Banks's Player of Games came up, but I learned that it was the second in the series and felt I should read them in order. I did not enjoy the series' first, Consider Phlebas, and it deterred me for a while from starting this. I've started and finished Player of Games now, and this was a truly satisfying read. I would go so far as to say it was amazing. 
 I found one of the book's primary merits to be in knowing when, where, and how to build up the science fiction world. I wanted to know more about the Culture, their politics, how things actually functioned; and Banks provided just enough to support the plot while keeping me wanting more. By centering on the games, Banks kept the story focused. I would have liked to have had more development with characters other than the protagonist, but this was a ultimately an account of his adventure. The writing fluctuated between that clunky, overly technical, and jargoned prose that scares away readers who are not science fiction enthusiasts and beautifully written game-playing scenes that serve as the primary sources of anticipation and action. The story did have an unfortunate turn in over-villifying the villain. Banks dealt with a lot of his social criticism and questions of civilization subtly, but he couldn't let the bad guy be simply stuck in a backward system or be meritorious with deep flaws - the bad guy had to be evil. 
 One final note: you do not have to read the first - Consider Phlebas - in order to read this. Technically this appears to be a sequel, but the distance in time and space between the two stories makes it so that you are not relying on any previous character or plot knowledge to understand this one. Banks does a good job of filling in and explaining the necessary lingo for you to be able to read this independently.