Consider Phlebas

Today, I’m going to talk about Ian M. Banks’ first science fiction novel, Consider Phlebas.

The story is set in the midst of a war between two societies: the human ‘Culture’ and the alien ‘Idirans’. Banks draws the reader in from the very start with the fast paced first chapter describing how a sentient Culture computer crash lands on a desolate planet, Schar’s World, after managing to escape an Idiran attack. This is one of the best introductions I’ve ever seen in a book, introducing readers to a rich and detailed universe and leaving them hungry for more.

The story follows Culture agent Perosteck Balveda and Bora Horza Gobuchul, a human working for the Idirans, as they struggle to find a computer, whose advanced design could greatly help whichever side found it. The book’s middle section is probably its weakest part. Separated from the Idiran fleet, Horza is forced to join up with a group of pirates to get to his goal and has to help out with a number of their illegal raids. While each of the set pieces in this part of the book are certainly diverting, overall, they are somewhat forgettable and seem to lack focus. The group’s incompetence quickly gets annoying and apart from the admittedly brilliant character development this section adds very little to the overarching story.

The novel really picks up again when Balveda and Horza finally make it to Schar’s World. The conclusion was very surprising, not because of how unbelievable it was but rather the opposite. I hadn’t expected a book like this to have such a bleak and yet truly great finale: a gripping and poignant examination of the horrors of war and how very little individual people can matter in the grand scheme of things. This is where all the character development really pays off, the ending being far more powerful for us having grown to care for Horza in the previous chapters.

While certainly not for those who like happy endings, and though much of its middle is needless filler which could easily have been removed, this is a must read book. It forms the perfect introduction to Bank’s brilliant series of Culture novels and I guarantee that the final chapters will move you like few other novels could.