Reviews

Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

the_pale_woman's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

3.5

I was a little surprised how comedic this was. Not that it was a comedy but it uses humor enough to balance the tense plot line. There's one moment between Horza and the AI of a shuttle craft that I especially enjoyed. I wouldn't describe this as absurd sci-fi but I think its close to the border. 

I know now that this series is a bunch of individual stories revolving around a dominant civilization in this universe, the Culture. I have a feeling this series is going to have a lot of political and cultural themes decorated with lots of wacky space adventures. Awesome. 

cunningba's review

3.0

It moves along at a breakneck pace, so it is engaging from that point of view. But, in the end, everybody gets killed off. Ultimately, it just seemed like a tremendous waste of time.
Started Master of Games, but gave it up about 20% of the way into it. It seemed like it was starting to head off into the weeds and I was starting not to care about the characters.

brenna_kcw's review against another edition

My dad loves this series, if you like sci-fi books with complex political issues etc, it’d be a great book just not my cup of tea. 

chutten's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

3.5

tarnop's review against another edition

4.0

I never finished the Culture series so I've decided to read the whole thing from the start. So the this is a re-read. The rating would probably be slightly lower if this was a first time read and my first exposure to this series. It's a good space opera but I don't think it's the best intro to the Culture. Reading it again with a better understanding improved the experience a lot. Still not up there with the best of the series but a great read nonetheless

samants's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A bit of a slog at times, and I didn't really know what was going on a lot of the time, but I was hooked in the last 20% of the book. The drama!

Everyone dies??

It feels like this book wrapped up so tidily that I have no idea where the rest of the series goes. Worth muddling through and I plan to continue the series.

georgethom's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

mcr314's review against another edition

4.0

The various battles seem unconnected.
Like they were just things thrown together for the character to do.
Few seem to actually matter to advancing the plot.

11corvus11's review against another edition

Mostly note to self. Was going to audiobook this, but can already tell that I will have to read it in print if I do at all. Grabbed it because I saw it compared to the revelation space series, but I am not sure that's apt.

cthulhucore's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

This was my introduction to The Culture, and what an introduction it was! A good starting point. It's a shame he can't write women because the universe is otherwise so fascinating