PHLEBAS the Phoenician, a fortnight dead,
Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep seas swell
A current under sea
Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell
He passed the stages of his age and youth
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.
~ T.S. Elliot, from The Waste Land
I have not finished Iain M. Banks’s first Culture novel, Consider Phlebas, yet. But I wanted to comment on it nonetheless.
It’s quite excellent both in terms of good, imaginative science fiction and just in pure literary terms. Banks is quite the writer. Vivid language is coupled with a fast paced inter-galactic romp all against the backdrop of a vast star-system-spanning clash of civilizations. Like any good novel, the events only get worse and worse before they – presumably – get better.
There was, however, one scene in this book which had me feeling quite literally physically ill. I won’t go into detail – no spoilers here – but this particular scene had to be about the most graphic, terrifying thing I’ve read in about as long as I can remember. Those of you who’ve read the book probably know what I’m referring to, but in case you’ve forgotten it has to do with a particular religious cult on an island on the Vavatch Orbital. For those of you who have not read the book, let me just say it is not for the feint of heart or the weak-stomached.
That aside, the book is so far quite splendid. I’ll report back when I’ve finished the whole thing.
Not the opening scene?Report
what roots clutch….Report
It’s the cult with certain, mmm, self-destructive dietary requirements, no?Report
@Winterpool, Exactly, though Brad is right that the opener is pretty gruesome as well.Report
Yeah, Banks is an excellent writer, and is one sick individual. I think Use of Weapons and Player of Games are his best work, for they are more seductive before the beautifully written horrible parts.Report
@William the Coroner, I agree with your estimation of the Culture novels, although I found Matter pretty underrated. The Algebraist is also an excellent, non-Culture science fiction novel by Banks.
In the last year or so, I’ve tried to go back and read some of the science fiction that I loved as a teenager: Asimov, Clifford D. Simak, Heinlein, and I have to say, you really can’t go home again. There are definitely some that stand up: Dick (although the quality control can be pretty daunting), Gibson, and to a limited extent Clarke, but a lot of those old masters are so invested in a literature of ideas and plot that they completely ignore character and prose. Banks, Kim Stanley Robinson and a handful of other modern writers are able to stand head and shoulders with modern literary fiction. It’s nice to have someone explore these ideas in a well rounded way, with time and effort invested in all of the areas, not just in plot.Report
@William the Coroner, Somehow, The Wasp Factory comes off as considerably sicker to me than anything I’ve read in his science fiction. I guess fantastic settings somehow dull my responses to grotesque writing. I love Banks, but the Algrebraist is far superior to any of the Culture novels I’ve read (haven’t gotten to The State of the Art)
So. . . have you finished yet, E.D? I had actually just finished this book a couple of weeks ago but somehow missed this post. I only saw it when you mentioned it at Balloon Juice.
I think there’s a lot in Consider Phlebas and entire set of Culture books that would make worthy discussion for the folks here.Report