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Our verdict on The Player of Games: Iain M. Banks is still a master

2 January 2026

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Book Club has just finished our December read, Iain M. Banks's sci-fi novel The Player of Games - and most of us were fans of this big-thinking Culture tale

We reveal our favourite 33 books, films, games and TV to escape with

9 December 2025

Â鶹´«Ã½ writers and contributors have chosen their top science-y books, films, TV shows, music, video games and board games, an eclectic mix which ranges from Dobble to The Creator

Read an extract from The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks

28 November 2025

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Book Club is currently reading Iain M. Banks's classic sci-fi novel The Player of Games. In this extract, we meet protagonist Gurgeh for the first time

Easter Island statues may have been built by small independent groups

26 November 2025

Mapping of the main quarry on Easter Island where giant statues were carved has uncovered evidence that the monuments may not have been created under the direction of a single chief

What is cloud seeding and could it end the drought in Iran?

18 November 2025

Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best

Here's one solution for satellite pollution

12 November 2025

Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheet

10 November 2025

Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax

How tomorrow’s technologies are changing the battlespace

28 August 2025

The future of warfare is being forged in labs, at tech companies and on battlefields. These changes, and the emerging technologies driving them, are set to profoundly influence military thinking, industrial strategy and society more broadly, say experts

Da Vinci's flying machine has already taken to the air

23 July 2025

Is this the raciest conference invite ever?

9 July 2025

Feedback has been invited to an event next year in Shaoxing, China. It's an academic conference promising "revolutionary thinkers who are redefining human intimacy through cutting-edge robotics and AI"