Consider Phlebas
Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banksby Iain M. Banks
Shares rank 88 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as the best and favourite of Iain M. Banks's books. Critics find it boring, dated, and off-putting as an entry point to the series.
Recommended as the best and favourite of Iain M. Banks's books. Critics find it boring, dated, and off-putting as an entry point to the series.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 56%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Named best or favourite Banks book
“But for me Consider Phlebas is the best.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” “it's my favourite of his books”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “Every book recommended on the Odd Lots discord” Praised as strong sci-fi writing
“I still find myself quite taken by some sci-fi writing. Iain M Banks works”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “Where did all the starships go?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Readers found it boring
“That particular book bored me to death”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” “honestly, got bored to death”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Consider Phlebasby Iain M. BanksThis page | 5 | 4 | 56% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
8 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I read "Consider Phlebas" first and was turned off the series”
“That particular book bored me to death”
“honestly, got bored to death”
“But for me Consider Phlebas is the best.”
“even some of Banks' stuff starts to get a bit dated. I was re-reading Consider Phlebas the other day”
“That's _mostly_ just Consider Phlebas and Surface Detail.”
“it's my favourite of his books”
“I still find myself quite taken by some sci-fi writing. Iain M Banks works”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.