Consider Phlebas

By: Iain M. Banks

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

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.

Great characters. Good Story.

If you could sum up Consider Phlebas in three words, what would they be?

Are you kidding?

What other book might you compare Consider Phlebas to and why?

Similar to the Gridlinked series.

What does Peter Kenny bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great voices. Not silly. Cared about characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed. Funny.

Any additional comments?

Great series, great story.

Extraordinary detail, lots of action

Really good of its kind: a flawlessly evoked world, immersive as you are plunged in and play pickup till you learn the terms for endless new things. So you need an appetite for that.

And you need to enjoy vastly detailed drawnout scenes of fighting.

As someone who is more a lover than a fighter and who enjoys diplomacy and talk more than war—this book did not light me up.

Performance was really excellent

Starts slow and ends pretty good.

Starts kinda slow with the main characters arc being kinda confusing. Middle of the way for a culture book but a great space opera.

Interesting read

It took some time to really get into but once I did it was fantastic!

A glorious tragedy

I enjoyed the complete story line and characters development. Mr. Banks wrote a strong science fiction opera I can read over and over again. Peter Kenny is an great voice that I connected with and believe each character. A glorious tragedy for my hero, BHG!