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The Culture · Iain M. Banks
The Culture books in order
There are 10 books in The Culture. The latest, The Hydrogen Sonata, came out in 2012, and Iain M. Banks hasn't announced another one yet.
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Release information last checked 24 October 2026.
The Culture books in order
1987Book 1Consider Phlebas
1988Book 2The Player of Games
1990Book 3Use of Weapons
1989Book 4The State of the Art
1996Book 5Excession
1998Book 6Inversions
2000Book 7Look to Windward
2008Book 8Matter
2010Book 9Surface Detail
2012Book 10The Hydrogen Sonata
What The Culture is about
From the description of Consider Phlebas, the first book.
The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, faced destruction, cold-blooded, brutal, and worse, random. The Idirans fought for their Faith; the Culture for its moral right to exist. Principles were at stake. There could be no surrender. Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.
The Culture at a glance
- Author
- Iain M. Banks
- Books published
- 10
- Still to come
- None announced yet
- First book published
- 1987
Questions readers ask
Is there going to be another Culture book?
Iain M. Banks hasn't announced one yet. If a new Culture book is announced, AuthorPing will let you know.
How many books are in The Culture?
10 books have been published in The Culture so far.
What order should I read The Culture in?
Read the main books in order: 1. Consider Phlebas, 2. The Player of Games, 3. Use of Weapons, 4. The State of the Art, 5. Excession, 6. Inversions, 7. Look to Windward, 8. Matter, 9. Surface Detail, 10. The Hydrogen Sonata.
Is The Culture finished?
Iain M. Banks hasn't announced another Culture book, so it may be finished. Series do come back, though, and AuthorPing will let you know if a new one is announced.
How will I know when the next Culture book is announced?
Follow The Culture in AuthorPing, a free app for iPhone and Android. AuthorPing notifies you when a series or author you love has a new book coming out and shows a countdown to every release.
More from Iain M. Banks
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Coming very soon to iPhone and Android.