Cover of Consider Phlebas

Science fiction · Adventure · Fantasy

Consider Phlebas

3.7 out of 5, from 945 ratings from Hardcover readers

In a vast war between a religious empire and the machine-run, post-scarcity Culture, a shapeshifting agent is sent to retrieve an escaped artificial Mind. It is the first novel in Iain M. Banks's Culture series and works as a standalone.

First published
1987
Pace
Medium
Length
Long
Pages
469
Format
Book 1 of 10 in The Culture

Read this if you want sprawling space opera with big set pieces, a morally tangled hero, and a dry sense of humour.

Skip this if you want a tidy plot or a likeable protagonist, since the episodes are wild and several are very grim.

The feel

Content warnings

  • Violence
  • War
  • Death
  • Gore

Also reported by Hardcover readers:

  • Cannibalism
  • Sexual content
  • Drug use

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