Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
15 used & new from CDN$ 8.10
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Use of Weapons
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Use of Weapons (Paperback)

by Iain M. Banks (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 15.57
Price: CDN$ 15.46 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
You Save: CDN$ 0.11 (1%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually ships within 10 to 13 days.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

11 new from CDN$ 8.10 4 used from CDN$ 8.21

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Player of Games

The Player of Games

by Iain Banks
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  CDN$ 14.06
The State of the Art

The State of the Art

by Iain Banks
4.5 out of 5 stars (10)  CDN$ 18.50
Look to Windward

Look to Windward

by Iain Banks
4.3 out of 5 stars (26) 
Consider Phlebas

Consider Phlebas

by Iain Banks
4.2 out of 5 stars (54)  CDN$ 14.06
Against a Dark Background

Against a Dark Background

by Iain M. Banks
4.3 out of 5 stars (22)  CDN$ 12.41
› Explore similar items

Product Details

Product Description

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. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Ingram

Called back from early retirement by Special Circumstances, the elite weapon of the Culture's policy of moral espionage, Cheradenine Zakalwe reluctantly returns to work, but his fatal flaw could cost them the battle. Reprint. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

Use of Weapons
67% buy the item featured on this page:
Use of Weapons 4.7 out of 5 stars (37)
CDN$ 15.46
Matter
13% buy
Matter 3.7 out of 5 stars (3)
CDN$ 12.26
Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse
7% buy
Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
CDN$ 12.09
The Algebraist
7% buy
The Algebraist 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
CDN$ 13.51
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

37 Reviews
5 star:
 (30)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

 
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow., May 26 2006
By Ian Anderson "moviestar222" (Toronto, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Use of Weapons (Paperback)
This was my first Iain M. Banks book, and as such it retains a special place in my heart because THIS was the book that caused me to fall in love with his writing (I have since gone on to buy everything he's written, both science fiction and, um, regular fiction?). I've loaned my copy, or rather my second copy as I've read the first one to pieces, to various people and they have without exception loved it and gone on to read (and one would hope buy) more of his books without prompting.
You can readily find a plot synopsis for this book elsewhere so I won't bother you with my own clumsy attempts, but I do want to say two things. First, if you have any appreciation at all for intelligent, mature, and humorous science fiction writing you will enjoy this book. Second, I am continually amazed at how side-splittingly funny the words "It's a hat" can be when taken in context.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5.0 out of 5 stars Have a seat..., July 3 2001
By "nwc18" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Use of Weapons (Mass Market Paperback)
First off, a public service anouncement:

This novel (and all other Iain (M) Banks books) is still in print in the UK. If you've read his in-print stuff and can't get ahold of this, mosey over to amazon.co.uk.

Now, my two cents: This, along with Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly and Orwell's 1984, is the grestest SF book ever written (my opinion, of course, but I trust it, so you should too). You could call it anti-space-opera; as an earlier reviewer said, it is the flip side to airy Star Wars style spaceship shoot-em-ups--Use of Weapons is to The Lensman Series what Apocolypse Now is to The Green Barrets.

You can't miss with Banks (except perhaps with Excession, where he's dissapeared somewhere up the Culture's Mind's arses and can't find his way out--though in the end, even that is a worthwhile read). He is a truly talented author who creates mainstream and SF masterpieces in alternating years, and you'll be doing yourself a favour by buying a book of his.

And Look to Windward, out in the UK for a year now, gets its US release in August--sign up your pre-order now!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5.0 out of 5 stars one of his best, Mar 6 2001
By "sessine" (Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Use of Weapons (Mass Market Paperback)
use of weapons' non-linear narrative, its complex characters, and banks' ability to come up with more and more culture combine to make this a must have for lovers of iain m. banks' sci-fi. I have read all of his sci-fi books, and together with against a dark background, this ranks as his best. DO READ.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Blending tragedy and comedy
Iain M.Banks has clearly profited from his readings in Science Fiction. Douglas Adams for the absurd situation involving machines (the scenes on the ships that transport Sma and... Read more
Published on May 30 2002 by Ventura Angelo

5.0 out of 5 stars What Is a Weapon?
Once again, Banks takes us to The Culture, his galaxy-spanning civilization of humans, computer Minds, asteroid-sized Ships and annihilating weapons. Ah yes, weapons. Read more
Published on Jan 2 2001 by James D. DeWitt

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Mind Bender . . .
Okay, I first happened upon this book in a book store closing--fifty cents. Penny for penny this remains perhaps the best quality novel I've read in the Sci Fi genre. Read more
Published on Sep 9 2000 by B. Wilson

2.0 out of 5 stars A plot timeline is NOT a pretzel!
This could have been an engaging novel had the timeline not resembled a particularly tangled ball of yarn. Read more
Published on Jun 8 2000 by Stephen Christian

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, breathtaking, and utterly readable
Ahh yes, welcome back to the Culture. This utopian communist society where robots rule and serve humans, who are just so much dead weight when compared to the awesome Minds. Read more
Published on May 18 2000 by Luke Wood

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the best SF book I've read...
Banks is simply one of the best SF writers around -- there are alot of SF writers who are good storytellers, but Banks is also a GOOD WRITER. That's rare. Read more
Published on May 16 2000 by tony1c

5.0 out of 5 stars I havent read the book but hear this
i have herd so many "THIS BOOK IS THE BEST" from everyone i know... Please, get this book.. Read more
Published on Feb 18 2000 by gian@bofen.com

5.0 out of 5 stars simply awesome!
I read a lot of SF and this is by far one of my favorite books of all time. i read it about 3 years ago and the story still haunts me. Read more
Published on Jan 27 2000 by K. Goyal

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best
I have been reading SF for more than 30 years, yet this book was without doubt the most compelling, ingenious, best crafted and best characterised that I can remember ever reading... Read more
Published on Jan 4 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars Content hampered by style
As others here have mentioned this is an excellent story. The structure is the main problem. I don't mean the switching between the two storylines (past and present) but rather... Read more
Published on Dec 23 1999 by Cris

Only search this product's reviews


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject










i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Amazon.ca Privacy Statement Amazon.ca Shipping Information Amazon.ca Returns & Exchanges

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.