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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.
prezzey: Banks seems to have been inspired by the Strugatskys' concept of Progressors. Similar theme, different perspective (Western vs Eastern bloc) - if you liked one, you will probably be interested in the other.
Fasciating read. Too clever for its own good, in terms of plot twists. Still, I couldn't put it down and look forward to reading other Culture books. ( )
For the most part, I dislike narratives that jump up and down the story's timeframe. It usually strikes me as the author just trying to prove how clever he/she is. Banks managed to avoid irritating me in that regard (mostly) in Use of Weapons. This was an enjoyable read, but now that it is over I am somewhat surprised to reflect on how little actually happened in the book. I guess that speaks well of Banks' narrative skill. I will definitely be reading more of his stuff, but not back-to-back like I did with this and Matter( )
Vaguely interesting but I didn't really relate to any of the characters -- it never pulled me in. I really enjoyed Player of Games but haven't liked the other Culture books nearly as much so far (just Consider Phlebas and this one). They seem to be big on trying to shock the reader, but the characters aren't real enough to make it land; plus that's not something I'm really interested in seeing in a book anyway, especially not repeatedly and to the same end each time. ( )
Hmmm, this might be a book to reread rather than to read. Certainly its parallel structure and complicated chronology make it feel like a bit of an effort at some points. I do worry that the plot is a bit convoluted in service of the reveals; perhaps I will reread it. After the rarefied platonic Culture on display in Player of Games, this is back to some full-blooded action and derring-do. On the other hand, most of this feels like very soft sci-fi — the aliens feel very contemporary and Western. A mixed bag overall, but very interesting. ( )
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Inledande ord
Information från den engelska sidan med allmänna fakta.Redigera om du vill anpassa till ditt språk.
“Tell me, what is happiness?” (Prologue)
She made her way through the turbine hall, surrounded by an ever-changing ring of friends, admirers and animals – nebula to her attractive focus – talking to her guests, giving instructions to her staff, making suggestions and offering compliments to the many and various entertainers. (One)
Dust as usual followed them, though the young man said several times he thought it might rain. (Epilogue)
Citat
Information från den engelska sidan med allmänna fakta.Redigera om du vill anpassa till ditt språk.
You might call them soft, because they’re very reluctant to kill, and they might agree with you, but they’re soft the way the ocean is soft, and, well; ask any sea captain how harmless and puny the ocean can be.
Avslutande ord
Information från den engelska sidan med allmänna fakta.Redigera om du vill anpassa till ditt språk.
Now, Mr Escoerea," Sma said, shivering. "How would you like a proper job?"
Still they waited, and when the first shells started to fall they found they'd picked the wrong place to wait, and so went scrambling out of it; down the steps and into the courtyard and into the half-track and then away, out into the desert and the wasteland beyond, where they camped at dusk and got drunk again and stayed up specially that night, to watch the flash. (Epilogue)
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.
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USE OF WEAPONS discussion (The Culture group read)
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