3 ms·

The author admits to not liking "Consider Phlebas," which is the most original and captivating of the Culture series.

EndsOfnversion 2y ago
Gotta read that one with a copy of The Wasteland, and From Ritual To Romance handy. The command systems train as lance smashing into the inverted chalice (grail) dome of the station at the end. Death by water. Running round in a ring, Tons of other parallels if you dig/squint.
grogenaut 2y ago
I remember "Consider Phlebas" as "not much happens" "Giant train in a cave" "smart nuke". I think that the unknown viewpoint switching constantly makes "Consider" and "Weapons" pretty not fun (as well as just everyone in weapons sucks). I definitely prefer "Player". But everyone gets to enjoy what they enjoy. I'd love to have had more banks to love or hate as I chose :(
speed_spread 2y ago
Consider Phlebas is interesting and funny but is also a disjointed mess compared to later works. It reads like an Indiana Jones movie, it's entertaining but doesn't give that much to reflect upon once you've finished it.
- Mikhail_K 2y ago
  If it doesn't give that much to reflect upon, then you didn't read it very carefully. How about reflecting upon Horza's reasons to side with the Idirans? The later installments of the "Culture" novels are in comparison just the empty triumphalism "Rah rah rah, the good guys won and lived happily ever after."
lxe 2y ago
I loved Consider Phlebas and I find it to be a great way to start the Culture series AND as a great standalone space opera. Not sure the hate it gets. It has everything any other Culture book has: imaginative plot, characters, insane adventures, sans interactions with Minds for the most part.
- Mikhail_K 2y ago
  > sans interactions with Minds for the most part. That's one of the reasons why this book is better than the other "Culture" novels.
whimsicalism 2y ago
best way to start an HN flame war
HelloMcFly 2y ago
Fun adventure story, really good idea to view the Culture from the eyes of an outsider, but in my view Banks skill at writing wasn't as well-developed when he wrote CP. Too much "and then this and then this and then this" compared to his other work. Obviously YMMV. I do think stating CP is the best of the series is also quite definitively a contrarian take.

Gotta read that one with a copy of The Wasteland, and From Ritual To Romance handy. The command systems train as lance smashing into the inverted chalice (grail) dome of the station at the end. Death by water. Running round in a ring, Tons of other parallels if you dig/squint.

grogenaut 2y ago

I remember "Consider Phlebas" as "not much happens" "Giant train in a cave" "smart nuke". I think that the unknown viewpoint switching constantly makes "Consider" and "Weapons" pretty not fun (as well as just everyone in weapons sucks). I definitely prefer "Player". But everyone gets to enjoy what they enjoy. I'd love to have had more banks to love or hate as I chose :(

speed_spread 2y ago

Consider Phlebas is interesting and funny but is also a disjointed mess compared to later works. It reads like an Indiana Jones movie, it's entertaining but doesn't give that much to reflect upon once you've finished it.

Mikhail_K 2y ago
If it doesn't give that much to reflect upon, then you didn't read it very carefully. How about reflecting upon Horza's reasons to side with the Idirans? The later installments of the "Culture" novels are in comparison just the empty triumphalism "Rah rah rah, the good guys won and lived happily ever after."

lxe 2y ago

I loved Consider Phlebas and I find it to be a great way to start the Culture series AND as a great standalone space opera. Not sure the hate it gets. It has everything any other Culture book has: imaginative plot, characters, insane adventures, sans interactions with Minds for the most part.

Mikhail_K 2y ago
> sans interactions with Minds for the most part. That's one of the reasons why this book is better than the other "Culture" novels.

whimsicalism 2y ago

best way to start an HN flame war

HelloMcFly 2y ago

Fun adventure story, really good idea to view the Culture from the eyes of an outsider, but in my view Banks skill at writing wasn't as well-developed when he wrote CP. Too much "and then this and then this and then this" compared to his other work. Obviously YMMV. I do think stating CP is the best of the series is also quite definitively a contrarian take.