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Consider Phlebas Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Iain M. Banks (Author), Peter Kenny (Narrator), Hachette Audio (Publisher)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 12,079 ratings
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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.

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  1. Book 1 of 9
    Culture
  2. Listening Length
    16 hours and 26 minutes
  3. Author
    Iain M. Banks
  4. Narrator
    Peter Kenny
  5. Audible release date
    May 6, 2011
  6. Language
    English
  7. Publisher
    Hachette Audio
  8. ASIN
    B004ZN7WCM
  9. Version
    Unabridged
  10. Program Type
    Audiobook
  11. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 16 hours and 26 minutes
Author Iain M. Banks
Narrator Peter Kenny
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date May 06, 2011
Publisher Hachette Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B004ZN7WCM
Best Sellers Rank #3,398 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#36 in Hard Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#73 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
#86 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
12,079 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story compelling and interesting. They describe the book as an entertaining read suitable for late teens. The worldbuilding is praised as good and thought-provoking, providing a good introduction to the Culture. However, opinions differ on the pacing - some find it engaging, while others find it tedious. There are mixed reviews regarding the character development - some find them fascinating and unpredictable, while others feel they lack development and don't grow.

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Story qualityReadabilityConceptIntroduction to culturePacingCharacter developmentWriting qualityViolence level
260 customers mention "Story quality"195 positive65 negative

Customers enjoy the compelling plot and interesting ideas in the book. They find it challenging and exciting, with several action sequences. The story provides food for thought and is an engaging cat-and-mouse tale. Readers appreciate the hard-hitting adventure and epilogue that wraps up a few threads.

"...The other thing he makes seem simple is worldbuilding. What a job that is - and yet what a stellar job he does...." Read more

"...Although it's a straight-forward book, so that it would, with the rich combination of science fiction themes, make this a good book for readers in..." Read more

"...On the positive side, the prose was excellent and there were some imaginative ideas, even if they weren’t as explored as they could have been...." Read more

"...of this novel are challenging and definitely provide food for thought amongst the action...." Read more

216 customers mention "Readability"174 positive42 negative

Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable. They say it's a good read for late teens with fiction themes. Readers are excited to read the next book. The depth of thought is remarkable and worth contemplating.

"...I can hear them come alive in my head just that way. This book is a mind feast...." Read more

"...combination of science fiction themes, make this a good book for readers in their late teens...." Read more

"...The book also had enough drive to keep me reading it, which is worth something. However, overall Consider Phlebas just felt dull...." Read more

"...and is probably the most reader friendly...." Read more

125 customers mention "Concept"114 positive11 negative

Customers find the worldbuilding fascinating and good. They appreciate the depth of thought lavished on the civilization. The action sequences, clever ideas, and new tech are described well. Overall, readers describe the book as megalomaniac, spectacular, and violent.

"...his sentence structure are so finely generated that they perfectly get the meaning across, and also work absolutely for any master storyteller for..." Read more

"...In general, the world building was quite good. The book also had enough drive to keep me reading it, which is worth something...." Read more

"...Culture and the Idirans, it takes the big picture and describes strategy and space battles with all the epic flair of George Lucas but it also goes..." Read more

"...It's megalomaniac, spectacular, bombastic and very violent. It's not Banks, it's frigging Wagner in space...." Read more

66 customers mention "Introduction to culture"58 positive8 negative

Customers find the book an engaging introduction to the culture. They describe it as creative and intelligent, with a fine introduction to concepts. The book provides valuable background information about the galaxy and is a good starting point for exploring the Culture series.

"...The moral and philosophical aspects of this novel are challenging and definitely provide food for thought amongst the action...." Read more

"...less experienced authorship, but I found it to be a fine introduction to the concepts involved so far...." Read more

"...the best one of the series in my opinion, however it gives you an introduction to the Culture and the events which shape discussion throughout the..." Read more

"...It introduces the reader to the Culture, largely from the outside; it also gives a glimpse of Banks's expansive galaxy...." Read more

153 customers mention "Pacing"49 positive104 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it well-paced and engaging, with exciting prologues. Others feel it gets tedious and difficult to finish, with too many extended action scenes and an unclear ending.

"...While the ending was sad, even in the appendices, Banks did stop and make you think about the motives of governments in everything that they do...." Read more

"...'s Code of the Lifemaker, are probably the two most ecstasy endorphin producing prologue's I may ever have read...." Read more

"...Instead, it describes one of the nastiest execution methods I have ever read, being performed on one of the Culture's enemies by the leaders of an..." Read more

"...There are too many extended intense action/destruction scenes. I didn't totally hate it (else I'd give 1 star)...." Read more

104 customers mention "Character development"60 positive44 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development. Some find the characters fascinating, unpredictable, and engaging. They say the author is merciless with them and the book is entertaining. Others feel the main character doesn't satisfy them, the characters don't learn anything, and they die without any real reason to be attached to them. They also mention that the character names are a bit dodgy and there is no real interesting story or character drama.

"...The characterization in this novel is so stellar that few could do it better...." Read more

"...scene with what were _supposed_ to be allies - and no real interesting story or character drama...." Read more

"...So far, so good - a likable character set into a series of adventures in the line of duty that put him in far flung, exotic locations with..." Read more

"...Characters die (that the reader is given no reason to be attached to), Horza gets himself into tough situations, he gets out - but the plot doesn't..." Read more

97 customers mention "Writing quality"50 positive47 negative

Customers have different views on the writing quality. Some find it well-written with finely crafted sentences that convey meaning effectively. Others feel the story is too descriptive, with major points being obscured by excessive prose.

"...The cadences of his sentence structure are so finely generated that they perfectly get the meaning across, and also work absolutely for any master..." Read more

"...The book also lacks a certain amount of sophistication...." Read more

"...On the positive side, the prose was excellent and there were some imaginative ideas, even if they weren’t as explored as they could have been...." Read more

"Consider Phlebas has a compelling plot, but is a bit wordy in places...." Read more

34 customers mention "Violence level"14 positive20 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's violence level. Some find it funny and entertaining with natural wit. Others find it depressing, punishing, and difficult to read through due to excessive violence and clichéd fight scenes.

"...However, overall Consider Phlebas just felt dull. When I finished, I wondered why I’d read it...." Read more

"...It wraps up a couple of threads and provides a chuckle." Read more

"...For me, the book’s biggest problem is Foley’s writing, which feels a tad dull and workaday...." Read more

"...Consider Phlebas" is an intergalactic satire done seriously...." Read more

jacket summary
5 out of 5 stars
jacket summary
from the back cover of the October 1991 Bantam paperback editionBora Horza Gobuchul is a Changer, one of a near-extinct race who alters cell structure to become anyone they want - the most feared and sought-after spies in the universe. Horza fights on the side of the Idirans in a religious crusade against the smug, sterile machine worshippers of the Culture. Now he wants his freedom.But first he must hazard one final mission. He'll engage in a shoot-out in a giant crystal temple. Encounter a grossly obese cannibal determined to eat him alive. And witness a deadly game of Damage on a vast space habitat about to be blown to bits...
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Top reviews from the United States

  • icdbeez
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is One of Bank's Best!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I absolutely loved this book, but that is not surprising, because Banks as an author is simply a master. The cadences of his sentence structure are so finely generated that they perfectly get the meaning across, and also work absolutely for any master storyteller for reading out load. As an example, take the first page of Consider Phlebas. Any storyteller worth their salt could read that page and easily know where to add pauses and inflection, slowing and lowering of voice to make those words come alive. I can hear them come alive in my head just that way. This book is a mind feast. Along with Use of Weapons and Player of Games this has gone on my short list of favorite Banks books.

    The plot of the book has been gone done at least 136 times before by the people who have reviewed the book ahead of me. The real reason behind the book was to examine the rationale of country's that go to war and what it does to the people directly fighting in them. From that standpoint it succeeded. Neither the Culture nor the Idrians expected a full scale war, or one that lasted as long, or had so many casualties. There any number of twists and turns in the plot, and many times when you are on the edge of your seat, drawn into the action; literally flying through the pages dying to know what will happen to Bora Horza and his shipmates.

    The characterization in this novel is so stellar that few could do it better. While we're not talking a cast of thousands, we are talking about creating many different off-world people,each with their own physical and mental characteristics. That is a tall order, and yet Banks makes it seem simple. The other thing he makes seem simple is worldbuilding. What a job that is - and yet what a stellar job he does. Whether it is the three legged, religious, insectoid Idrians and their Battlecruisers , the Culture and their Orbitals, or Shar's World, a planet of the Dead. Even the forest of Black Holes is so amazingly written. You can see all of it in detail in your minds eye because his prose is so masterfully constructed, so wordsmithed that you can't help yourself.

    The pacing in the book was not swift all the way through. It had slower bits where you were learning with the characters, or the characters were resting or traveling. Then there bits of great excitement or terror, or a build up to even greater terror and then back to the slower bits. I figure this pace is more like real life and less like life for the attention deficit generation who need Dan Brown type of stimulation of "always on" to be entertained.

    While the ending was sad, even in the appendices, Banks did stop and make you think about the motives of governments in everything that they do. Especially the price they pay for the decisions they make - when those decisions cost Billions of human lives. Because of this book, I'm still thinking about that question, and probably will be for a long time yet.

    I would whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi, or just a thumping good read. It is so absolutely, positively one of the most wonderfully written books ever! I can't help myself from gushing about it. Have yourself a mind feast today. Go ahead - just buy it!
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Antinomian
    4.0 out of 5 stars An Amalgamation of All The Great Aspects of Sci-Fi Up Until 1987, 497 Pages, Publ 1987, 3-1/2 Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    Reading the prologue of this book is like enjoying steaming hot delicious fresh lobster dripping in dipped butter, surrounded by a thick layer of luxurious, creamy ice cream, with that surrounded by a layer of delicious dark chocolate. This novel's prologue, and that of James Hogan's Code of the Lifemaker, are probably the two most ecstasy endorphin producing prologue's I may ever have read. However, as in the case of eating something delicious, there's some measure of guilt afterwards. The prologue is everything the Science Fiction Writer's of America (SFWA) have been warning for decades. They even sponsor the derogatory phrase `space opera' for this type of science fiction. The word `opera' used in conjunction with any other term usually doesn't evoke any positive visions. Does anyone think positively of `soap operas'? When I read the term `space opera' I think of some large, massively built woman, wearing some viking hat with horns singing Battle of the Valkries in a piercing voice, although perhaps instead, to keep it in a sci-fi vein, with a horseshoe-crab-like forehead singing a Klingon Death Song ending in "Ka-Plah!". (Although the SFWA somehow despises the term `sci-fi' which to me rhymes with hi-fi which means high-fidelity which brings visions of $20,000 stereo speakers taller than you are tweaked by a team of experts connected to a multi-thousand dollar amplifier, so go figure.) Members of the SFWA have been worried about this type of space adventure/space war type of novel detracting from what they consider cutting-edge SF, such as magical amulets, colored auras, female middle-age angst, faery handbags, lesbianism (no joke!), etc.

    So, OK, after the sheer enjoyment after reading the prologue, I started out with giving this book 4 stars, not wanting to give it too high a rating too soon, dropped it a 1/2 star during the middle of the novel and then another 1/2 star towards the end. One problem is that the book is too long, the episodes too drawn out. The other is that it's too derivative. Being derivative isn't necessarily bad, it's difficult to write something new and unique, often it's taking a theme and making something new out of it. But in this books case it feels derivative. I read aspects of a multitude of past science fiction books and movies here, such as EE Smith's Lensman series, Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination, Larry Niven's Ringworld, Asimov's Foundation series, the original Star Wars, the movie Alien, and others. This though I suppose could be considered a strength for newer readers of science fiction; that one can read this book and get caught up to date (publ date, 1987 in this case) to science fiction without having to read or watch other science fiction books or movies. The book also lacks a certain amount of sophistication. Although it's a straight-forward book, so that it would, with the rich combination of science fiction themes, make this a good book for readers in their late teens.

    This book was recommended to me by someone who considered this the greatest science fiction book written, even better than Orson Scott Card's Enders Game. I think many readers of science fiction would argue that, considering that Enders Game swept both the Nebula and Hugo awards for the year of its publication. Not only did Consider Phelbas not win any of those awards, it wasn't even nominated as a finalist for either of them. Now from 1987 onward, this doesn't mean much for the Nebula considering what the SFWA have given the award to, however for the Hugo award, which are voted on by the fans, these awards tend to be bestowed to really great science fiction including those novels that would be considered `fun', which Consider Phelbas could certainly be categorized as.

    I increased my final rating by 1/2 star by recognizing that the final hero of the story may appeal to certain readers that don't always see this type of hero in science fiction.

    The main protagonist of the story is certainly nebulous when it comes to morality. There are certain situations that he's placed into that are not directly his fault, such as arriving on a pirate ship into a `me-vs.-him' situation. A definition of love could be described as a feeling for someone that you would be willing to die for them. However, would you be willing to die for someone you're not in love in, or even someone that's not a scientific genius, a great artist, president, or some other high-level official? How about dying for someone you don't even know? Would you be willing now to kill, in order not be killed... literally with a gun pointed to your head? Could you live with it... because if you can't, you won't. So there's some ambiguity of one's actions, including the protagonists, in such a situation. However, as the story progresses, the main protagonist shows a continuous disregard for sentient beings.

    To some reviewers it was difficult to understand the motivation of the main protagonist, Horza. Like a previous reviewer suggested, the main protagonist picking one of the two sides at war is like someone joining the Communists in order to fight the Nazis. Or one could say joining the Nazis to fight the Communists. Now if you have a different emotion reaction to these two statements, considering there are library shelves filled with the atrocities committed by Communists; filled with tortures committed by the Communists, tortures to the eyes, to reproductive organs, with `interrogation' rooms with gullies for the rivulets of blood, so as not to cause an inconvenient trip hazard to the `workers', with triangular shaped knives that would cause wounds that won't heal so to keep the torturers from taking additional time from their busy schedules to have to re-stab their victims. That the Communists, as well as the Nazis, maybe didn't cause deaths in the Megamillions as in the novel, but did butcher people in the Deca-millions. Now if an organization brutally murders people in the DECA-millions and all you get is a shrug, a blasé tone of voice, and a "ech, whatcha gonna do", then you know something is seriously screwed up. So it's *easy* then to understand how Horza is able to justify his positions, and then it becomes easy to understand how Horza picks his side.
    39 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Laichmoray Loon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sadly missed
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I've read all his SF (and most of his other books) many times. Just a great writer with truly interesting ideas and very easy to read.
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  • Jesus Mario
    3.0 out of 5 stars Más largo de lo necesario
    Reviewed in Mexico on September 20, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Esta bueno pero esta mucho más largo de lo que debería de estar
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  • jose Mohamed
    4.0 out of 5 stars lo que esperaba
    Reviewed in Spain on September 11, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    lo que esperaba
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  • Cliente Kindle
    3.0 out of 5 stars just normal
    Reviewed in Brazil on March 7, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    it's ok. nothing more, nothing less.
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  • Tim Frost
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly imagined.
    Reviewed in Australia on August 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    One of the best science fiction writers of all time. This was his first Culture novel and it is a tour de force. Highly recommended.
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