Mostly conflicts between the Culture and other civilizations. In The Player of Games, for example, the Culture finds itself trying to put an end to a fascist space empire without militarily occupying them.
Since the Culture is post-scarcity, conflicts aren't really driven by resources, but are more ideological or philosophical. So, Surface Detail is about the Culture competing with another society to determine whether they should be allowed to place people in simulated hells as punishment for religious transgressions.
The two traditional starting points are either The Player of Games or Consider Phlebas, with CP being the actual first book, but it's told entirely through the perspective of someone who is actively engaged in a war on the Culture and also hates it, so you don't really get an internal Culture perspective.
The Player of Games is more friendly that way since it lays out what the Culture is like and how it interacts with others.
Not OP, but while I'm not sure I'd consider one of them to be "better" I'd definitely say that Player of Games is a better intro to the setting, as you get to see the Culture proper and how they interact with both themselves and the rest of the universe.
Mostly conflicts between the Culture and other civilizations. In The Player of Games, for example, the Culture finds itself trying to put an end to a fascist space empire without militarily occupying them.
Since the Culture is post-scarcity, conflicts aren't really driven by resources, but are more ideological or philosophical. So, Surface Detail is about the Culture competing with another society to determine whether they should be allowed to place people in simulated hells as punishment for religious transgressions.
That sounds dope. I need to read it.
The two traditional starting points are either The Player of Games or Consider Phlebas, with CP being the actual first book, but it's told entirely through the perspective of someone who is actively engaged in a war on the Culture and also hates it, so you don't really get an internal Culture perspective.
The Player of Games is more friendly that way since it lays out what the Culture is like and how it interacts with others.
Is one considered better?
Not OP, but while I'm not sure I'd consider one of them to be "better" I'd definitely say that Player of Games is a better intro to the setting, as you get to see the Culture proper and how they interact with both themselves and the rest of the universe.