Hacker News Reader

> So I'm much more thrilled about Amazon developing a series based on Banks' "Consider Phlebas"...

Wow that is big news, I did not know that! That book is so cinematic already, it leaps off the page. Should translate to the screen very well. Hope they do "Use of Weapons" and "Player of Games" also, in fact the entire Culture series is an amazing opportunity for TV conversion.

View on HN

I agree that the Culture series would be perfect for TV. Banks is incredible with characters and dialogue, so I think the screenplay pretty much writes itself. His world-building is spectacular and would be a field day for any special effects studio: the orbitals, the "fire planet"... I would pay lots of money to see those on screen.

I don't see how the TV series will avoid the same problem as the books: the Culture is virtually omnipotent. Threats aren't exciting because, there is not threat (certainly none to the Culture and, as it turns out, very little to individual meat bags either).

Excession stood out in this regard, until it didn't.

(Consider Phlebas also stands out, but it's a unique culture book by a mile)

> Threats aren't exciting because, there is not threat

Thats because it's not primarily about the action but about the technological, social and societal issues and conflicts. For me at least.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com