A review by lvl52_grant
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Having read a few other Culture books, I picked this one up on a whim from my library, but it has now become my favorite of the series so far. Less focused on the high tech future of the anarchic utopia of the Culture, and more on a character at the edges of society, it felt more grounded than the others I have read. Deeply focused on the character of the protagonist, this book has two separate narratives moving in opposite directions: one forward in time, and the other backwards. It's jarring at first, but settles in once you understand. It still has most of the hallmarks of the Culture: sentient drones, hyper intelligent AI, and the ever-present Contact, but it still all comes down to Zakalwe Cheradenine and how he's running from centuries of mistakes. If one wants to begin the Culture series, it might not be a good entry point, but it should definitely be the second one you read.
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