Consider Phlebas
Culture Series, Book 1
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Consider Phlebas
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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.
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anthony
- 07-04-13
Phlebas Considered
I'll confess up front that I'm a huge admirer of Iain Banks' science fiction. Banks has created an epic utopia/dystopia that is utterly involving, thought provoking and rewarding.
Peter Kenny is a brilliant narrator and brings life to the many characters that are introduced throughout this first 'Culture' novel.
Highly recommend this and the series as a whole.
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5 people 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
- andrew elder
- 21-01-19
one of the best books ever fore.
if you love space opera, and haven't yet come across the culture novels, welcome to the new standard and I envy for for the joy they are about to bring. Can't wait for the TV series. RIP Iain M Banks.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ken Featley
- 10-03-17
Brilliant writing.
A fantastic novel and a great performance. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and recommend it to those who are interested in science fiction.
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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
- Shamanic
- 28-04-21
Phenomenal
Peter Kennys narration on this one is stellar and Banks writing as always is astounding
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jakob
- 13-12-14
Not what I expected
What did you like most about Consider Phlebas?
Peter Kenny's narration
Would you be willing to try another book from Iain M. Banks? Why or why not?
Possibly, he has an unusual writing style.
Have you listened to any of Peter Kenny’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Very well. The same brilliant performance as always.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Neaer the end several characters undergo some very interesting transformations.
Any additional comments?
This is a book where the story is much more important than individual characters, and characters are important only in so far as they contribute to the story. If the character must die to advance the story, he will. Unpredictable to the end.
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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
- Riveru
- 22-08-17
Fantastic book and performance
Tried reading this years ago and struggled as I am not much of a scifi fan. The performance was amazing... Making this awesome story accessible at last. Will go on with the series.
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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
- Kamal
- 02-06-17
Really enjoyed this
I was looking for a good in-depth / complex sifi book and I've found it in this one.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Would recommend to people who really like Star Trek and Farscape and other large galaxy Sifi subject
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Hugo
- 10-08-16
banks being banks
long and winding, like many Ian M banks books. he's done better he has done worse. definitely shows the futility of self importance.
is this book just a massive science fiction parody?
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- R. Maines
- 13-02-17
Hmmm
First culture book but not the best. Still it's a well written space opera and enjoyable enough. Didn't like the ending..
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Steve
- 19-02-15
Good start, it gets better
Would you consider the audio edition of Consider Phlebas to be better than the print version?
It's a difficult one to gauge. I do find that the names are more difficult to associate to characters simply because I've not seen them written down and they are so alien in nature.
If you’ve listened to books by Iain M. Banks before, how does this one compare?
I listened to this book first and have subsequently listened to others by Iain M. Banks so I'd agree with comments made by other reviewers in that it's a touch disjointed and more a series of incidents rather than a full narrative.
Have you listened to any of Peter Kenny’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Again, I've heard Peter Kenny perform on several audiobooks and feel his performances are superb. He gives characters familiar (to the British ear) accents to allow us to distinguish who is speaking and the quality of narrative is first class.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I do love the way Mr Banks likes to throw in the occasional human reaction or consideration into a scene. I tend to laugh out loud at such things when comparing them to the futuristic science fiction backdrop.
Any additional comments?
A good start to the series that does improve. The biggest problem is grasping the concepts of things like minds, glanding, etc. which are not really very well explained but do click into place as you read more books in the series. The text is written as if such things are every day which is fine once it's clicked conceptually but confusing initially.
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