
'Consider Phlebas' by Iain M. Banks is a space opera set in a universe where different civilizations clash and complex political intrigues unfold. The story follows a shapechanging agent named Horza who embarks on a dangerous mission to find a fugitive machine that could change the course of a galactic conflict. The narrative is filled with immense world-building, multi-civilization history, and philosophical elements, creating a rich backdrop for the action-packed plot. explores themes of war, politics, religion, and the struggle for power, all set against a grandiose sci-fi setting.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include graphic violence, torture, cannibalism, and themes of existential dread.
From The Publisher:
The first book in Iain M. Banks's seminal science fiction series, The Culture. Consider Phlebas introduces readers to the utopian conglomeration of human and alien races that explores the nature of war, morality, and the limitless bounds of mankind's imagination.
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.
Ratings (56)
Incredible (11) | |
Loved It (16) | |
Liked It (13) | |
It Was OK (9) | |
Did Not Like (5) | |
Hated It (2) |
Reader Stats (146):
Read It (54) | |
Currently Reading (2) | |
Want To Read (73) | |
Did Not Finish (3) | |
Not Interested (14) |
3 comment(s)
I hate the author’s take on utopia. The culture is despotic and forcefully imposes their views on others (outside of the culture). The minds are the ultimate evil, to outsiders.
Too violent
I read this after
reddit's scifi book survey results.
And by favorites. I didn't expect The Culture Series to score so high, or be so loved. After the first few hundred pages though, I can see the appeal.
The writing style's great, and the whole story is cinematic. The main characters are, well, not exactly likable. The story sets up the universe for the rest of the saga, though I wish it had been written from another perspective.
About the Author:
Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY, in 1984. He gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels. Iain Banks died in June 2013.
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