It was with great sadness that I,
along with many members of the internet community, read the public statement
uploaded to Iain M. Banks’ website earlier this year informing his fans that he
had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Darkly comical to the end, the message
began; ‘I am officially very poorly’ before explaining the dire circumstances
of his condition.
The news of his death today came as
a blow to all fans of Banks’ work and none more so than readers of his
groundbreaking ‘Culture’ series, which has dominated science fiction markets
since the publication of, Consider
Phlebas, back in 1987.
In honour of Banks’ devotion to the
furthering of science fiction through intelligent and thought provoking writing
(and because, as a SF fan I am ashamed to admit I haven’t read all of the
series), I will be re/reading the Culture novels over the next few months and
writing retrospective reviews of these science fiction masterpieces beginning with;
Consider Phlebas.
Set during the early stages of the war between
the Idirans – a near immortal, tripedal species who wish to enforce their
religious beliefs throughout the galaxy – and the Culture – a technologically
brilliant, semi-utopian society boasting over eighteen trillion people and
directed by the intellectually superior, AI Minds. As this grand backdrop
indicates, Banks story is no small affair; …Phlebas
is a space opera of gargantuan proportions, complete with machine-made space
orbitals millions of kilometres in diameter, strange quasi-religions and
customs fostered by the Culture’s policy of complete free will and inscrutable machines;
the motto here is ‘go big or go home’.
Yet, for all the inconceivable
dimensions and staggering set-pieces, Consider
Phlebas is, at its heart, a study of human nature and society during times
of war and it is here that the book truly excels. In an audacious twist for the
beginning of his series, not only does most of the action occur outside Culture
territory but its lead protagonist is a staunchly anti-Culture agent working
for the Idirans to undermine the Culture’s war effort.
Bora Horza Gobuchul, a Changer with
the ability to alter his appearance and impersonate other humans, is sent on a
mission to capture a Culture Mind which is hiding on one of the infamous
‘Planets of the dead’. After a disastrous start, however, Horza finds himself
lost in space, picked up by a group of freelance mercenaries aboard the Clear
Air Turbulence; he is propelled into ever more nightmarish and lurid situations
by the incompetencies of the ship’s captain. In one such unnerving scene, Horza
is captured by the elephantine Prophet Fwi-Song, who proceeds to eat a disciple
alive. Evading capture by Culture agents as well as avoiding the degenerating
excesses of a civilisation embroiled in war, Horza is ultimately forced to
challenge his own beliefs as he nears his objective.
Horza is an incredibly emotive
anti-hero, by parts intelligent and brave but also insecure and uncertain. This
sense of uncertainty grows throughout the novel as he is haunted by memories of
the past, forced to accept his part in the terrible (and ultimately unnecessary
conflict), and this is reflected in the increasingly unpredictable or plainly poor decisions he makes as the
leader of a group of outlandish misfits. Occasionally the nebulous and very
human characteristics displayed by Horza can cause the character to seem flaky
or inconsistent; however, he is ultimately a very relatable character whose
quirks and insecurities can be appreciated, if not fully understood, as the
actions of a person under extreme duress. Banks uses Horza’s biased view of the
Culture to examine it in an impartial light; the prejudices displayed by the
varied cast are crucial to
understanding the nuances of this incredibly intricate but flawed
Utopia.
Banks finishes with a brief
appendix on the Idiran-Culture war, detailing the reasons why each side felt the
necessity to fight, as well as a short history and outcome of the whole conflict.
This addition acts as a reinforcement of the novel's key themes, that though the
war was the most significant in fifty thousand years, it was in essence
completely pointless. Through this combination of appendices and novel Banks
makes the statement that in the face of such immense destruction (total
casualties 851.4 billion, give or take .3%) the actions of one person, or even
a whole species, have no effect on the outcome and therefore Horza’s actions
throughout the novel are ultimately futile.
Banks’ vision and imagination
throughout Consider Phlebas, and the
Culture series overall, has earned him a place beside other masters of the
genre and, unlike the actions of Horza and his team, Banks' works will continue to inform the course of
science fiction, inspiring both readers and writers for many years to come.
Thanks for reading. Up next on the
dissection table: A Player of Games,
which I am currently finishing, as well as a short review of Continuum: Fables of the Fallen, a
science fiction / fantasy anthology available as an ebook download from Amazon.
