Customer Reviews

Use of Weapons

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

I absolutely can't stand 'hard sci-fi'. Spaceships and aliens just aren't my cup of tea, which speaks to the strengths of Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. I think this is the strongest of the lot, packed with engaging characters, excellent action and fantastic worlds.

One of his best sci-fi books. The thematic plot can be difficult to follow at first until you catch on to the fact he is writing two stories from either end that will eventually collide in one moment which both explains one story and throws the other into a whole new light. The conclusion is devastating and easily transcends the idea that this is just "sci-fi". A very good novel of human passion.

Having now read a few of Banks' Culture novels, I've found myself engrossed in his science fiction universe but nonplussed with the sometimes ponderous writing style. Use of Weapons is among the best of these novels, as Banks has managed to use his penchant for long digressions to tell two entertaining and interwoven stories.

As the other reviews make clear, your enjoyment of the book will depend on the surprise of the final plot reveal. Unfortunately for me, I began to suspect the direction Banks was taking partway through the book, if only because it made more sense than what was on offer. Also, in order to maintain the surprise, Banks skips over the main character's climatic scene. While this didn't wreck the telling of the story, it did leave me feeling unsatisfied.

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.

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.

Banks intertwines two stories: one of The Culture and one of a world not yet contacted by The Culture. That pre-contact world is the home of a four children, a brother, two sisters and another boy, hidden from others, who is almost a brother. The oldest brother is the protagonist of both stories. Here we see him as a boy and young man, and see one aspect of the use weapons. Because the brother and the almost-brother become enemies in a war that knows no restraints.

The other story involves The Culture's efforts to subtly and less-subtly control other, non-Culture civilizations, through its Contact division and the Special Circumstances unit of Contact. Special Circumstances does the dirty work for Contact. Like much of the nomenclature in The Culture, names are euphemisms or worse. You see, special cases may require Special Circumstances, where the usual rules of Contact don't apply.

Cheradenine Zakalwe is a mercenary for Special Circumstances. He is a weapon in its hands. He takes his assignments without knowing if he is fighting on the winning or losing side, whether he is working with good guys or bad guys, or whether The Culture wants him to succeed or fail. No more than a rifle knows or cares where it is aimed, he is a weapon in the hands of his employers.

Diziet Sma is his handler. Early in the book, she recalls a time when her drone, itself an intelligent, thinking machine, used its weapons in full when Sma was attacked. Banks' description of her reaction to an unrestrained use of weapons is more than ironic.

Cheradenine Zakalwe is also the brother in that family on that unnamed world. The story of his youth and the story of his work for The Culture intertwine like the alternating chapters in the novel, spinning around each other faster and faster until Cheradenine Zakalwe and the reader confront an explosive, ugly, evil truth that has been there the entire time. Banks' revelation is so perfect that you will only ask yourself how you didn't see it sooner.

Anything, Banks is telling us, anything at all can be a weapon, and the failure of restraint in the use of weapons dooms us all.

This is an exceptional book, not the easiest of Banks' Culture books to read but by far the most rewarding. And I promise you, after reading this book you will never look at a small chair, especially a small chair painted white, in quite the same way.

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.

Mind you, this was my first step into Culture. The dry wit of much of it had me rolling and begging my friends to let me read bits to them. I ragged my first copy and bought a second to loan to friends who always come back asking about other novels.

Out of print?! No! But, you can't buy it in the US, it seems.

One reviewer called it a prezel of a plot. Nope. The book starts in the middle and as it moves on to the end it unravels the plot toward both the beginning and the end. Granted, it did mean that things didn't make as much sense until the end, but that's Iain's game.

Play it. Read it.

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. But what about those outside the culture's sphere of influence? We were introduced to a group of such people in Consider phlebas (banks' most dissapointing culture novel in my opinion.), but they were opposing the culture. The Use of Weapons has a main chracter who is working FOR the cultures' special circumstances but is not a Perfect Culture Human himself. It uses a chapter switching style like that found in Excession, and most notably, in Against a Dark Background. However, if you allow yourself to become immersed in the book (the first 4 chapters are rough going), you will soon find this totally natural. Like most of banks' books, it is difficult to get into, but you will be amply rewarded if you do. The ending matches that of Enders Game and Catch 22 in it's sheer brilliance and sends a shiver down my spine even now, a year after reading it. I think this book stands alongside Player of Games and Excession as Banks' best Sci Fi work.

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. And this is one of his best books. I'm lucky -- I knew someone (from Europe) who loaned me the book. If you're a SF fan it's worth going way out of your way to acquire this writer's books... especially this one.