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Use of Weapons
The man known as Cheradenine Zakalwe was one of Special Circumstances' foremost agents, changing the destiny of planets to suit the Culture through intrigue, dirty tricks and military action.
The woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and pushed him towards his present eminence, but despite all their dealings she did not know him as well as she thought.
The drone known as Skaffen-Amtiskaw knew both of these people. It had once saved the woman's life by massacring her attackers in a particularly bloody manner. It believed the man to be a lost cause. But not even its machine could see the horrors in his past.
Ferociously intelligent, both witty and horrific, Use of Weapons is a masterpiece of science fiction.
The Culture Series
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
The State of the Art
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
More Books from Iain M. Banks
Reviews
After moderately enjoying “Consider Phlebas” (book #1) and then loving “Player of Games” (book #2), I went on to read this abhorrent book which I loathed. I did not find the storylines running in opposite directions particularly confusing as others have mentioned — maybe a little disorienting at times - but a good read can be worth the effort. This was not. The book opens with a couple promising, light hearted chapters that are fun and engaging. But as it takes a dark turn, the tedium begins. Aside from the desperate attempt at crafting a dark storyline (which became silly in its headlong rush to be gruesome), the long, long, long chapters about the character staring off in daydreams became unbearably tedious.
By russllj
Really enjoyed but found the flash backs and or time jumping confusing, might read it again and see if it the changes make more sense which is unusual for me to repeat read fiction.
By Sail and Oar
Easy enjoyable read. Great sarcasm from the drones as usual. Enjoy!!!
By Bruceovf
I found this method of story telling very jarring and I nearly gave up on completing the book. the ending does help tie it together but I found it unsatisfying. I'm reading the culture books in order and found 'consider phlebas' And 'player of games' easier to enjoy.
By Doticus
Most of Banks's SF novels tie into his "Culture" universe, and of these Use of Weapons is, in my opinion, the best. This book has a more interesting structure than most of Banks's novels (which tend to be pretty conventional multiple character omniscient narrator). The book is telling two stories about the same character, an agent of Special Circumstances (the Culture's covert dirty tricks organ). Each story is chopped into pieces which are interleaved, with the second (later) story told backwards (so that the two converge). People who don't like nonlinear storytelling are apt to find this structure a bit annoying. I loved it. The other thing readers may object to is that the book is very, very graphically violent. Aside from that, it's a gripping story, well told, bursting with ideas both original or borrowed and twisted.
By Passepartout