Consider Phlebas – Iain M. Banks

I have a pretty interesting relationship with this author and his fraternal twin names – Iain Banks and Iain M Banks. I found an old copy of Iain Banks’ Complicity at a beach house as a 13 year old, and the relatives minding me at the time were not paying much attention to what I was reading. So as a child I read this very adult book – and honestly did not think too much of it despite the fact that certain scenes from that book stayed with me. During university, when a friend mention that Iain M Banks was his favorite science fiction author, recollections of that teenage read came back to me, but only got me mildly interested in reading more from him. At that friend’s behest, i got through Use of Weapons and Player of Games. Both were good, but I was not spurred on too much.

That same friend spoke about the Culture series as a whole with immense enthusiasm. Many people do, and I think that is what this series and Warhammer have in common – that perhaps the lore is as more fascinating than the actual titles. I am spurned to that opinion in particular after my personal YouTube algorithm brought several videos, some of which were hours long, of people absolutely fawning over this series, and the lore of The Culture.

So I began here with the first one. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Considering this is the first culture novel, it is oddly enough centered on a protagonist who is not only not a part of The Culture, but at war with it. The novel follows him from an opening chapter where he is held captive, through an odd rescue, and then to an at time almost episodic odyssey through some events as he tries to get to a destination. Throughout the course of all this, the events of the book unfold in such a way as to make it abundantly clear to the reader that The Culture is the lesser evil, as compared to the protagonist’s ally. And in the passing of the tale, some world building about the culture happens.

But frankly, not all that much. I guess it will be further explored in the next installment.

How much did that end up putting me off this book. Not at all actually. I still found it enjoyable. It was a competantly put together and enjoyable narrative.

I am actually endeavoring to read all the books in the Culture series, pretty much back to back. That this one was, from my perspective, a bit vague and cryptic regarding the very Culture it is meant to be talking about, kind of makes me excited to read the next one, and see what the hell it delivers. Oddly enough, I already read it, about a decade and change ago. Buckle up, you may see more of these.