Consider Banks

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.