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.
Product Details
Editorial Reviews
Review
'There is now no British SF writer to whose work I look forward with greater keenness' The Times
About the Author
Iain Banks came to controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, in 1984. Consider Phlebas, his first science fiction novel, was published under the name Iain M. Banks in 1987. He is now widely acclaimed as one of the most powerful, innovative and exciting writers of his generation. Iain Banks lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Customer Reviews
Disjointed, confusing, disappointing
Zakalwena is the man to call when extreme measures are needed. Something the Culture itself cannot do. He is man to lift dictators in power of destroy planetary civilizations, snatch politically hot persons from their positions and do whatever is needed to fulfil the Culture's current agenda. He gets paid, paid well for his job.
This book studies culture from another angle. It treats it like a political war zone where hired consultants are sometimes need to keep the "Roman" empire in course. There are many flashbacks in the story that intervene the main character's past and current mission. Half of the book is setting up the background and the overall scene where the players operate. This novel is very different from the other culture series. The writing style felt quirky to read: many sentences were left in the air, they were striking, belligerent, somewhat disturbing (cursing). It is understandable that in this novel the characters are different, so is their language, but that actually causes distancing and coldness towards the story more than immersion. Reading how irritated and peeved everybody is most of the time is not something that warms one up.
Two (2) stars. After 30% of the pages, I had to start skipping pages to see if there is anything, something I could relate to. Then the skippings got bigger, until I just jumped to the end not to care about the story one bit. I have to agree with the other reviewers that the book was more disjointed, confusing and disappointing. If you're starting to read Banks and Culture, do not get discouraged. There are 5-star ones like 'The Player of Games' that can be recommended.
Consequences of Power
Here is a book that transcends its genre. It is a fascinating character study in which the author makes the best use of his ability to create worlds and situations far removed from typical experience. Science fiction makes demands that many authors fail to appreciate; however, Mr. Banks appropriately respects the forms and tells a remarkable tale of a warrior seeking absolution.
Mr. Banks takes interesting liberties with narrative flow--this book is not a casual read. Instead, it makes demands and richly rewards the careful reader with the kind of perspective shift that is the hallmark of truly excellent science fiction.
Like Dune or Lord of the Rings, Mr. Banks has constructed a believable world so complete in itself that the background becomes part of the plot. Use of Weapons revolves around the issue of what happens when civilization and technology transcend money--what makes life worth living? How should almost omnipotent civilizations treat less advanced peoples? What does it mean to be human?
The true gauge of this author's skill is that he treats the big questions without neglecting the need to tell a compelling story. This is a great story that left me thinking--you can't ask more from a book than that.
Highly Recommended
Not my favorite Banks novel
A dark and convoluted story about a character haunted by his past, thoroughly permeated by violence, and with a twisted ending. This is my least favorite of the five (out of seven) Culture books by Iain Banks that I have read so far.
Having said that, the book is very well-written, has great humor in places, and it makes one think about the huge amount of suffering still going on in the world.
Related Links : Product by Amazon or shopping-lifestyle-20 Store
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น