IJCH - Inside JaiChai's Head
(Meaning: My Warped, Personal Opinions and Musings)
From the Author:
Salutations.
I am JaiChai.
And if I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance now.
I invite you to interact with everyone, learn, and have as much fun as possible!
For my returning online friends, "It's always great to see you again!"
Iain M. Banks is one of my favorite Science Fiction authors. His hallmark "Culture Series" is replete with sentient machines (e.g., drones, ships, weapons, etc.), alien species of all kinds and a plethora of civilizations going through differing stages of development - or towards destruction.
Most of all, Banks injects his brand of sardonic humor; never shying away from discussing (in detail) the quirky, interchangeable, multi-gender, alien sexuality and accompanying species' specific anatomy and physiology.
For example, can you imagine a species that can breathe through their penii ("penii" is plural for penis, the other accepted word being "penes").
BTW, I was introduced to Iain M. Bank's novels via Elon Musk's most favorite books list.
A Little About Ian M. Banks -
Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author. He wrote mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies.
After the publication and success of The Wasp Factory (1984), Banks began to write on a full-time basis. His first science fiction book, Consider Phlebas, was released in 1987, marking the start of the Culture series.
His books have been adapted for theatre, radio and television. In 2008, The Times named Banks in their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
In April 2013, Banks announced that he had inoperable cancer and was unlikely to live beyond a year. He died on 9 June 2013.
For Gamers of All Types - Book Recommendation: "The Player of Games" by Iain M Banks
Jernau Morat Gurgeh, a famously skillful player of board games and other similar contests, lives on Chiark Orbital, and is bored with his successful life.
The Culture's Special Circumstances inquires about his willingness to participate in a long journey, though won't explain further unless Gurgeh agrees to participate.
[After being blackmailed by a drone, Gurgeh decides to go on the Culture's SC mission].
Gurgeh spends the next two years travelling to the Empire of Azad in the Small Magellanic Cloud, where a complex game (also named Azad) is used to determine social rank and political status.
The game itself is sufficiently subtle and complex that a player's tactics reflect their own political and philosophical outlook.
If you are a Gamer of any type, I suspect that you will enjoy this entertaining book.
I mean, can you imagine a whole civilization - its beliefs, its hierarchy, its laws, its punishments, etc. - based on a globally accepted game?
By JaiChai
Really Appreciate You Stopping By.
Truly hope to see you again!
About the Author
Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an AA, BS and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic.
In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he performed high altitude, free-fall parachute jumps and hazardous diving ops in deep, open ocean water.
After 24 years of active duty, he retired in Asia.
Since then, he's been a full-time, single papa and actively pursuing his varied passions (Writing, Disruptive Technology, Computer Science and Cryptocurrency - plus more hobbies too boring or bizarre for most folk).
He lives on an island paradise with his teenage daughter, long term girlfriend and three dogs.
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