Reviews tagging 'War'

Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

6 reviews

itsphoenix's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, War, and Violence

madamchiroptera's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

4.0

I was not actually expecting to like this book as much as I did. As much as I like space operas, the older ones tend to feel either a little boring a technobabble-y or there’s just too much problematic stuff that it makes hard for me to read and enjoy. There was still a little bit of that misogyny in this book, but it’s few and far between so it’s easier to kind of acknowledge as a product of its time and move on. 

A main theme that I got from it was kind of the morality of war and what it means to be on a side of that war. I perceived the changers as a metaphor for that. It was interesting and I liked the character’s interactions with each other. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Misogyny and Rape

graphic death of a pregnant woman

fahyhallowell's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, War, Cannibalism, Murder, and Body shaming

Moderate: Genocide, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual content

el_pato_gigante's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gun violence, Death, Cannibalism, Blood, and Torture

Moderate: Excrement, Fatphobia, and Xenophobia

Minor: Vomit, Drug use, Abortion, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Medical content, Alcohol, Sexual content, Infertility, Confinement, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism

shanekate's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Excrement, Cannibalism, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: War, Fatphobia, and Xenophobia

Minor: Drug use and Abortion

Very graphic.

nnia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

You do not have to start the Culture series with this book. Nothing will be lost starting elsewhere. The author started here or with what is now considered the 4th book, The State of Art, shorter drafts of the first three books.

This is Space Opera. This is violent. This is a long rambling science fiction novel. This was very new territory when it was written. If you are impatient with an interrogative bent this is probably not the book to start with and maybe not the series for you. 
Banks is giving Space Opera, Banks is giving atmosphere, Banks is giving adventure, Banks is giving nuance. In spades.
Also plowing new ground. This is a new genre/sub genre, AI. AI/humanoid symbiosis.

This is the first book written in the culture series and is written from an outsider’s perspective, that of Horza, a spy from a race of shapeshifters, don’t consider this a spoiler as it’s in the first chapter where you meet the main character, hired by the Iridians to move against the Culture. 
I feel as though the author Ian M. Banks is sneaking up on the main subject matter of the series, that of a prodigiously long lived, very successful (certainly by 21st century humans POV) integrated AI/humanoid society/symbiosis of, the Culture. Horza is an interesting, resourceful, intelligent and sensitive person, as sensitive as he can be as a hired gun, aware of and encountering many instances of flaws in different societies

and yet still is prejudiced and bigoted towards the computer intelligences of the Culture. I feel that this attitude is one that is too much permitted, held and holding back our current society. There is a precedent within the structure of the books among the small core team of players that is begun here and repeated in other Culture books demonstrating the symbiotic relationship between the AI and biological lifeforms, humanoids particularly, and no, AI do not render humans obsolete. Read between the lines humans for some keen observations on what is cool and unique about talking, human, monkey creatures.

 

As someone who works in the AI field I enjoy these books enormously. 
As I said before this is the first book written and readers will learn more about the Culture in subsequent novels. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Car accident, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Murder, War, Confinement, Gun violence, and Racism

Minor: Sexual content and Gore