Consider Phlebas
Culture Series, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Peter Kenny
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By:
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Iain M. Banks
About this listen
The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. His Culture books combine breathtaking imagination with exceptional storytelling, and have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.
'Banks is a phenomenon' William Gibson
War rages across the galaxy. Billions have died, billions more are doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, face cold-blooded, brutal destruction. The Idirans fight for their Faith; the Culture for its moral right to exist. Principles are at stake. There can be no surrender.
Within this cosmic conflict, a crucial battle of wits is waged. Deep within a fabled labyrinth, on a Planet of the Dead forbidden to mortals, lies a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans desperately seek it. It is the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, to actually find it - and with it their own destruction.
The Culture series:
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
The State of the Art
Other books by Iain M. Banks:
Against a Dark Background
Feersum Endjinn
The Algebraist
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Critic reviews
'Banks is a phenomenon' William Gibson
What listeners say about Consider Phlebas
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- scotty
- 09-04-12
A Truly Great Sci-Fi Novel
Consider Phlebas (CP) is without doubt a conceptually stunning piece. The breadth and depth of the concepts and constructs is breath-taking. There are throw-away ideas in CP that would be an entire book for another author.
OK, CP is a linear tale lacking some of the structural fun and games of the later novels and character names can be a bit of a challenge, remembering who's who, but all credit to the narrator for helping out with strong vocal work. Seriously, have you ever tried to narrate even a chapter of a book? Creating, remembering and switching voice personas is extremely challenging, so a quick round of applause for Mr Kenny.
Banks' style is engaging and the action or fight scenes are incredible but without doubt the single most captivating aspect of the book is The Culture and the Minds that enable it. All of the incredible robotic menace of the Matrix or Terminator genres is tossed on its head by the super-artificial intelligences that provide for the needs of every citizen... Because the AI's seem to want to keep people around and happy. Is it symbiosis? No, what do organics add to the AI's? Interest and entertainment certainly but it does seem to be an almost 'master-pet' or 'farm' relationship except there seems to be no negativity.
I digress. Stunning concepts. Intelligent prose. Challenging ideas. Gripping action.
What more do you want?
Seriously, I'd give it 5 stars but I know what's coming later in the series and if you think this one is good, the later novels will knock your socks off!
Enjoy!
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70 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Tamlin
- 31-03-11
The First Culture Novel
I'm a fan of science fiction but quite hard to please- I want a book that is well plotted, with believable characters and plenty of action as well as new ideas to stimulate the imagination. So far only Alaistair Reynolds and E.M.Banks have impressed me as first class in the field of Space Opera. This is the first "Culture" novel and a good place to start if you are new to Banks although some of the later works are even better.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alexander Torres
- 18-07-17
Well worth the listen
Great book, a fantastic view on the future of humanity, as well as a gripping and well-rounded story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Paul J
- 08-08-16
Ah youth
The story was not as good as I remembered it when I read the paper version. Performance was very good, but story was just a little too thin. Steven Erickson has spoilt me.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 17-10-19
must read for sci fi fans
This is the perfect start to an epic series of books, and it is performed very well. I highly recommend, but it is not an uplifting story!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mae
- 08-07-18
Consider Phlebas
A good story. A little difficult to follow at times. The narration was very good
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- N Cowan
- 11-04-13
Good, not fantastic
I used to love sci fi, and Iain Banks is a new author to me. Some of his ideas in this book are brilliant, and the characterisation is great, however, there's a certain je ne se quio missing that doesn't hook me, which I'm upset about, as I really hoped to find an author and series I could get lost in for a while. I'm currently trying out another of his books, as this led me to believe that he could do great things - I just don't feel that Consider Phlebas is great. Worth a go, though.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- A. J. Richardson
- 04-06-15
Worth a listen
Good intellectual syfi book. Good narration. The characters and the way they are portrayed really added to the experience.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- William
- 26-01-17
Great the second and third time of reading
If you could sum up Consider Phlebas in three words, what would they be?
Jolly good read.
Exercise in futility
What was one of the most memorable moments of Consider Phlebas?
When he came to terms with what he is doing.
Have you listened to any of Peter Kenny’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Peter Kenny is the voice of the Culture (series). I cannot separate his voice from activities and characters set in the Culture. This is as good as the others.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Going to war can be dangerous
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ian
- 02-07-17
A modern sci-fi classic...
This was my second listen through to the full audiobook and still a great listen.
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