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
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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lesley
- 29-12-2017
Disappointing ending
I loved the journey and the characters, the places and people/situations encountered it was entertaining and interesting. Peter Kenny os fantastic particularly at pronouncing those fantastic futuristic names and very realistic character voices. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the way it all ended, but loved the journey. Thanks Iain.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 19-04-2024
As good as a book gets
Intellectually demanding and rewarding in equal measure, fun and engaging too. I look forward to listening to more of the series.
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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
- johnnie
- 02-09-2016
Witty, intelligent writing.
Although not hard science this book is rich in the possibilities of the enormous engineering constructions of the far future. Beautifully written, witty and intelligent. The reading is also superb.
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2 people found this helpful
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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
- Anonymous User
- 16-06-2017
Brilliant universe. Decent plot and characters
Didn't focus on the things I found interesting like the Culture and the Idirans and their conflict, technology and ideologies. instead all of of that just formed a backdrop. The main character was unlikable at times and one chapter was hard to stomach but other than that a good read!
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2 people 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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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 09-04-2018
good if somewhat longer than necessary
enjoyed the story but struggled to finish. i thought the postscript did not do justice to the story
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-03-2023
Heavy going
Brilliantly read but I had to read the cliff notes to find out what the heck was happening
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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
- Anonymous User
- 12-07-2023
Iain Banks is unparalleled
Great place to start with Iain Banks’ culture “series” although going in random ordering was no less enjoyable for me first time through all his books. Genius. Can’t believe it’s from 1987. Stands up to, and surpasses most (hard ) sci fi since . Really can’t recommend enough. His universe creation, and trust in the reader to think a bit is perfect
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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
- Elliot Meszaros
- 11-07-2022
Excellent
Narrator is superb and the book itself is interesting, creative and intelligently written. Look forward to reading the rest of 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
- Jacob Tannenbaum
- 04-11-2017
Action Packed
Great combination of intelligent storycrafting and skilled oration. Really enjoyed the foreshadowing of small events and the blindisiding of major ones.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Danny
- 16-04-2017
Expansive
Good story, could have been a bit more edited by Iain. Some fairly tricky parts to follow because of the scene cutting. Tricky to keep attention where Iain describes the minutae of the scene without any seeming benefit to story or pacing. Listening through twice helped. Peter Kenny was an absolutely fantastic reader. With the perfect pacing, and seamingly inexhaustable breath managed to race through racy bits, without talking so slowly that unusually, I rarely felt the turned up the playback speed. He did not take long pauses between every sentence as some readers do, and for this I am thankful. He did take adequate pauses when it was necessary. Highly recommend this reader to anyone looking for an exciting and varied voice in their ear for several hours
Please, consider listening to the epilogues as they are witty and interesting and add a bit of gloss at the end of this classic culture novel.
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