I always knew that Consider Phlebas was an early work, but I read an interview a few days back where he said he had to go back and revise in order to move on with fresh stuff, so in that respect is does feel like an intro to a series, in the same way The Magician's Nephew is an intro to The Chronicles of Narnia. I'll give The Player of Games a look in the next few weeks to see how it differs - a hell of a lot shorter for a start!