Key Facts and Insights
- The Culture - A post-scarcity, anarchist, and highly advanced society that is a recurring theme in Banks' novels.
- Gurgeh - The main character, Jernau Morat Gurgeh, a master game player in the Culture.
- Azad - An intricate and complex game in the Empire of Azad, reflecting its social and political structure.
- The Empire of Azad - A hierarchical and tyrannical society contrasting the Culture.
- Special Circumstances - A division of the Culture's Contact group, dealing with civilizations that require intervention.
- Artificial Intelligence - Ubiquitous in the Culture, and embodied in drones, spaceships, and even the...