Check and mate?

I skipped the first book because of recommendations, maybe I'll go back at another time but this was my first Culture snapshot and I wasn't disappointed. I came into the title not knowing a lick of anything, hadn't ready the synopsis so deep dive into a people who have conquered the human condition it seems. A few millennia will do that for you I suppose.

A minor delve into myself; I love games. Mainly digital but I have no problem pulling out a board game or joining in the fray of an epic battle spanning someone's basement as well. When I was in a heavy MTG (Magic-the-Gathering) phase I played so much that my choices out of game started looking like choices in-game. If I tap work, tap sleep, tap resource--win! Weird times so when I read this book about a penultimate gamer of the times diving so deep into the focus of a game that the world looks game board like. I related.

This was an interesting science fiction read since it didn't for all intents and purposes wrap your head wild with future tech. It was really about man, moral dilemmas, politics, and choices. Wrapped in a Summer Roll like paper of science fiction. Now I know this is a long series and it might have a runway that takes you into further mind blowing arenas but here and now, I'd say it is pretty approachable.

Are we the player or are we the pawn? To which meta-level do we play for? How does our psychology change as we delve into the semantics of our problems?

Many things to ponder and this book provides some provocations set against the backdrop of an ancient future humanity driven civilization and an Empire with a culture at odds with our own.

Have fun!