tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post6564715111024040285..comments2024-01-30T20:01:01.316+00:00Comments on Science Fiction & Fantasy: Consider Phlebas by Iain M BanksAnthony G Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798830903236765181noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-7732874034417948932015-08-22T04:39:36.619+01:002015-08-22T04:39:36.619+01:00Fair point. Forecasts that increasing automation o...Fair point. Forecasts that increasing automation of industry and services would free people from the need to work, and result in everyone getting whatever they wanted, started emerging decades ago and have featured in SF before Banks (although he has possibly taken the concept furthest). I find it difficult to get my head around how that would work in practice, though. And of course, whether such advanced AIs would have any interest in taking care of humans is also hotly debated. I suppose they might see us as amusing pets who are to be indulged in most things.<br />Anthony G Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00798830903236765181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-80194577445084364112015-08-21T22:13:20.658+01:002015-08-21T22:13:20.658+01:00I had read the novel some years ago. I remembered...I had read the novel some years ago. I remembered some of the background, but virtually nothing about the story. Reading it again a few months ago, almost nothing seemed familiar. The storyline isn't particularly memorable, I guess.<br /><br />"Player of Games" was the best of the Culture books, but even it didn't really have enough story to fill out a volume of such size.<br /><br />The Culture bothers me in a lot of ways. Mainly, it's all dependent on and run by vastly powerful AIs who don't seem to have any actual need to interact with the lesser meat-based intelligences who make up most of the population. It's like Federation++; "we got rid of money, and we got rid of government too!" How that happened and what keeps it going were always far more interesting to be than the actual stories.dlwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06912456339359889684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-40834387381593616732015-08-21T14:44:33.073+01:002015-08-21T14:44:33.073+01:00I agree that the reading order doesn't matter ...I agree that the reading order doesn't matter much as the novels are linked only by their common background in the Culture.<br /><br />In the later books the Minds (and their avatars) are frequently the most interesting characters in the story!<br />Anthony G Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00798830903236765181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-88515709811418419702015-08-21T14:37:09.643+01:002015-08-21T14:37:09.643+01:00Tony,
I just finished _Consider Phlebas_, a first...Tony,<br /><br />I just finished _Consider Phlebas_, a first time for me. I think I've read something else by Banks, but that was decades ago and perhaps only hypnosis could retrieve it. I agree with your evaluation and will go on to read the second in the series. I gather it isn't that important to read them in publication order but it does give structure to my otherwise chaotic life.<br /><br />The island scene seemed irrelevant as it seemed to have little if any connection to the main plot anyway.<br /><br />And I didn't realize that the Minds had any part to play except in this case to provide the quest's holy grail. Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.com