Iain M. Bank's Culture Books

Iain Banks sadly died in 2013, so his Culture SF books are complete. These books don't actually need to be read in order, and while there is an internal chronology, it is generally recommended to simply read them (a) in the order they were published, or (b) any order you fancy. For those who want to read them 'in order' the publication sequence is given here. These are terrific books, and though I've not read them all, I've read enough to know they are superior books in the genre, by a writer of considerable skill and flair. Bank's non-genre books (such as The Wasp Factory and The Crow Road) are also highly recommended.

1.   Consider Phlebas (1987) - excellent place to start
2.   The Player of Games (1988) - superb story
3.   Use of Weapons (1990) - darker in tone
4.   The State of the Art (1991) - short stories with titular novella
5.   Excession (1996)
6.   Inversions (1998)
7.   Look to Windward (2000) - My feelings of this book were more mixed than some
8.   Matter (2008)
9.   Surface Detail (2010)
10. The Hydrogen Sonata (2012)