Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved Iain Banks, read Iain M. Banks's Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games and Use of Weapons, then James S.A. Corey's Leviathan Wakes, then Isaac Asimov's Foundation, and Pierce Brown's Red Rising and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. All are big, bold science fiction.
Iain M. Banks wrote the Culture series, including Consider Phlebas. These picks share his scale and wit.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consider Phlebas | Iain M. Banks | Adult | Culture start |
| The Player of Games | Iain M. Banks | Adult | game and empire |
| Use of Weapons | Iain M. Banks | Adult | twisting structure |
| Leviathan Wakes | James S.A. Corey | Adult | space politics |
| Foundation | Isaac Asimov | Adult | readers who want a grand scale |
| Red Rising | Pierce Brown | 15+ | older teens who like sci-fi epics |
| Ender's Game | Orson Scott Card | Adult | sci-fi fans |
| Rendezvous with Rama | Arthur C. Clarke | Adult | readers who like exploration |
| The Three-Body Problem | Liu Cixin | Adult | readers who like hard science fiction |
| The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet | Becky Chambers | Adult | readers who like found families |
| Gridlinked | Neal Asher | Adult | action space opera |
| The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester | Adult | readers who want pulp energy |
| Babel-17 | Samuel R. Delany | Adult | language and war |
| The Left Hand of Darkness | Ursula K. Le Guin | Adult | readers who want depth |
| The Dispossessed | Ursula K. Le Guin | Adult | readers who like ideas about society |
1. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
A mercenary takes part in a war between the Culture and the Idirans. Wide-ranging and witty.
Best for: Culture start.
2. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
A master gamer is sent to play a game that decides an empire. Often the best entry in the Culture.
Best for: game and empire.
3. Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
A mercenary agent's past is revealed in a braided narrative. Complex, dark and brilliant.
Best for: twisting structure.
4. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
A detective and a ship's officer uncover a conspiracy across the solar system. First of The Expanse.
Best for: space politics.
5. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Hari Seldon predicts the fall of a galactic empire and sets up a plan to shorten the dark age. A landmark of big-idea sci-fi.
Best for: readers who want a grand scale.
6. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Darrow, a miner on Mars, infiltrates the ruling class to overthrow it. It is violent and mature, but fast and gripping.
Best for: older teens who like sci-fi epics.
7. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Ender Wiggin is recruited to a battle school in space. A classic of young genius and manipulation.
Best for: sci-fi fans.
8. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Humans explore a mysterious alien spacecraft. Hard science and mystery.
Best for: readers who like exploration.
9. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
A secret in China's past leads to contact with an alien civilization. Big ideas and hard science.
Best for: readers who like hard science fiction.
10. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
A crew of misfits travels through space on a tunneling ship. Warm, kind and character-driven.
Best for: readers who like found families.
11. Gridlinked by Neal Asher
An agent is pursued by a murderous machine. Fast and violent.
Best for: action space opera.
12. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
A man seeks revenge in a future where people can teleport. Fast and wild.
Best for: readers who want pulp energy.
13. Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany
A poet decodes an enemy language. Fast and daring.
Best for: language and war.
14. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
An envoy visits a world where people have no fixed gender. A classic of social science fiction.
Best for: readers who want depth.
15. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
A physicist travels between a utopian anarchist moon and its wealthy neighbor. Political and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like ideas about society.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Iain Banks: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Iain Banks. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For Culture-style sci-fi, read The Player of Games. For space opera, try Leviathan Wakes. For ideas, pick Foundation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Iain Banks?
A Scottish author who wrote as Iain M. Banks for science fiction.
What is the Culture?
A post-scarcity civilisation in his novels.
Where do I start?
With The Player of Games.
Which book here is best for readers who like ideas about society?
Try The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin, which suits readers looking for readers who like ideas about society.
Which book here is best for readers who want depth?
Try The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, which suits readers looking for readers who want depth.
Which book here is best for language and war?
Try Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany, which suits readers looking for language and war.