Product Description

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 or 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 intelligence could see the horrors in his past.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31908 in Books
• Published on: 1992-03-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 434 pages

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 widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY, in 1984. He has since gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels.

Customer Reviews

Just look at the ratings...
Just thought I'd add another 5-star review to this masterpiece. The characterisation is awe-inspiring, the progression on Zakalwe's life is compelling: his relationships, his ambitions and motives, and finally his daemons. This is a rare work of literature in the science fiction world, and really stands out from the the glut of techno-babble filled action thrillers that we find in the sci-fi sector.

Read this book.

A muddled let-down
I'm going to have to go against the grain of the other reviews here. I am a huge fan of Iain Banks' Culture series, but "Use of Weapons" has been the most disappointing title I've read from this author.

The plot is all over the place, and never really seems to solidify and take any direction. Every time you start a new chapter you feel as if you're being told a new story about the main character, which (while elegantly written) never seems to have any real relevance or give any momentum to the already threadbare central plot. In theory I suppose a collection of short stories to tell the tale of a man's life sounds like a good idea, but in its execution it became a chore to read. You turn the page and it's "right, what the hell is he doing now?" - this is not a book you can really settle into. I'd recommend any Culture title to a new reader but this one.

Ending on a positive note, the book is packed with beautiful description, some really gritty and brutal chapters (however disconnected they are from the plot) and some vivid imagination. If you can get over the stumbling plot, you might just enjoy it.

Not for the hard of thinking
Dark, complex, full of twists, featuring unlikeable characters in almost unremittingly bleak circumstances. Great.

Do you like heroes? Plots where good and evil are easily distinguished? Straightforward, linear narratives? That's not here.

The book is like Marmite - there are those that loved it and those that hated it. The reviews from those that hated it make the same complains - basically the reasons I list for it being a great book in the first sentence.

If that sounds like your cup of tea, buy the book, it is the best of its kind. If it's not your thing, don't buy it, it's the worst of its kind.

Personally I think it's Banks' best.