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Consider Phlebas
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.
The Culture Series
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
The State of the Art
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
More Books from Iain M. Banks
Reviews
Reread it three times. Always tear up at the end. The best Culture novel to read, and the first.
By Milhouse77BS
Forced & clumsy drama. House of pain style of writing (jump around)
By aolmsted
The story and characters were interesting, but I found the level of gore and violence quite unnecessary, so I quit about halfway through as I don’t enjoy this in my sci fi.
By JeffR.
Been on a sci fi kick. But many books are so full of pretentious lumbering prose and slow time murdering pages. Was not expecting this book to be so direct, clear, yet evocative, action packed and fun. Can’t believe my luck that this isn’t even his best book and I have so many more to go. Very very puzzled about the bad reviews I’ve seen but ok…to each their own. Cheers Mr Banks. Freaking love your stuff.
By CLos80DDS
Overly long, with plodding chapters that don’t build on the story. What you hope is groundwork being laid simply leads to nothing and is not paid off later on. The book doesn’t really move until the final chapters, and the final chapters don’t feel like they cap off the book. A collection of disjointed scenes loosely linked together with rambling asides signifying nothing, this book is not worth your time or money. I paid 99¢ for it 10 years ago and still want my money back.
By Matador nel Hatador