Use of Weapons

Culture #3

Paperback, 480 pages

English language

Published July 28, 2008 by Orbit.

ISBN:
978-0-316-03057-1
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4 stars (11 reviews)

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 burnt-out case. 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.

9 editions

Review of 'Use of Weapons (Culture, #3)' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

So, back to the Culture re-read. I kind of moved off it because I knew this one was next and I am always being told it is the best Culture novel. I didn't want to re-read it and find my previous impression of 'it's decent, but not the best' to be confirmed. And lo and behold, that's exactly what happened.
The themes of this one are the futility of searches for redemption and the futility of war. Pretty strong stuff and they come across very strongly in the book, provoking some thoughtful musing.
The Culture is Bank's so-called utopian society. Wilfully misinterpreted by deranged billionaires everywhere. For example, Banks is clear its the AI's that call the shots in the Culture and the humans are largely kept as pets. This book holds somewhat as a dark mirror up to the Culture as it is told from the perspective of one …

Review of 'Use of Weapons (Culture, #3)' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

thoroughly enjoyed ‘Use of Weapons’ and would place it on par with ‘Player of Games’. I am, in truth, not so keen on guns-blazing sci-fi, so my enjoyment of ‘Use of Weapons’ was tempered by those aspects, though I enjoyed the anti-war sentiments it entertained in the books later stages. There was little political intrigue, and the book focused heavily on the character of Zakalwe, his psychology, his history, and on the various conflicts he had been active in – but his character is far from shallow. He is no token heroic figure. It was this aspect that I enjoyed the most – attempting to understand why Zakalwe functioned the way that he did, and Banks did a fantastic job of adding complexity to this main character without revealing too much. I was kept guessing right up until the end.

Banks also does a fantastic job of giving a sense …

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Subjects

  • Science Fiction - Adventure
  • Science Fiction - Space Opera
  • Fiction / Science Fiction / Adventure
  • Fiction
  • Fiction - Science Fiction
  • Science Fiction