Use of Weapons cover art

Use of Weapons

Culture Series, Book 3

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Use of Weapons

By: Iain M. Banks
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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About this listen

 The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. His Culture books combine breathtaking imagination with exceptional storytelling, and have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.

'Banks is a phenomenon' William Gibson

The man known as Zakalwe was one of Special Circumstances' foremost agents, changing the destiny of planets to suit the Culture through intrigue, dirty tricks or military action.

Though the woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and aided his stratospheric rise, she did not know him as well as she thought.

The drone Ska­ffen-Amtiskaw thought it knew both of these people. It had once saved the woman's life by massacring her attackers, and it believed the man to be a burnt-out wreck - but not even its superlative machine-intelligence could see the horrors in his past.

Praise for the Culture series:

'Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution' Independent on Sunday

'Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future' Guardian

'Banks's sci-fi, at its best, is staggeringly inventive, beautifully written, dramatic and often very funny. His stories are packed with ideas, warships with minds very much of their own, alien races, charismatic drones and intergalactic politics' New Scientist

'Jam-packed with extraordinary invention' Scotsman

'Compulsive reading' Sunday Telegraph

The Culture series:
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
The State of the Art

Other books by Iain M. Banks:
Against a Dark Background
Feersum Endjinn
The Algebraist

Also now available:
The Culture: The Drawings - an extraordinary collection of original illustrations faithfully reproduced from sketchbooks Banks kept in the 1970s and 80s, depicting the ships, habitats, geography, weapons and language of Banks' Culture series of novels in incredible detail.©1990 Iain M. Banks (P)2012 Hachette Digital Science Fiction Space Opera Space Fiction

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All stars
Most relevant  

Would you listen to Use of Weapons again? Why?

Very good story extremely well narrated.

What does Peter Kenny bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Depth of character, his narration is an interpretation and performance rather than a reading.

Best Culture novel

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What does Peter Kenny bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He is truly excellent at audio. He really brings each character to life and makes them feel different. He also conveys emotion very well.

Any additional comments?

A great entry into the Culture series, however, I found the ending to be confusing and almost forced. I know a lot of people disagree and consider this to be their favourite. I can understand why but it didn't work for me. The chapter organisation can be a bit difficult to get your head around in audio format but I thought it was innovative and enjoyed it.

Excellent but didn't like the ending

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A little cliché, I know, but its true.

One of Bank's best works, excellently read.

This book will change you

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My go-to sci-fi book. The narrator Peter Kenny is an amazing narrator and does the text justice. Fantastic!

Iain M Banks' masterpiece

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Thought the first two culture novels were better in terms of content and structure. Just a bit too disjointed, had to keep going back and re-listen to sections to understand what was going on. Not bad, just a bit opaque at times

Not as good as first to culture novels

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Ian M Banks writing is breathtaking. Each word of a description is exactly the right word to convey his meaning, with the power of a poet. The depth and span of his storylines is extraordinary. Perhaps his greatest feat, though, is the timelessness of his writing. The fact that AI related stories written in 1990 don't come across as dated, when read (listened to) in the mid 2020s, says much about his intellect.
As Elon Musk said 'If you want to know what AI could be like in the far future, read anything by Ian M Banks".
Each book is a masterpiece that leaves you pondering for weeks, perhaps years, after you've put it down.

Breathtaking

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The first thing you need to know before listening is that this book consists of 2 timelines, one running forward in time, the other in reverse. Both timelines revolve around the same main character, the reverse timeline delving deeper & deeper into his past.

Each chapter alternates between the timelines - but the prologue & epilogue take place after both timelines!

Knowing this in advance I was obviously a bit dubious about how easy the story would be follow, but it's actually fine and not at all difficult to follow, a sign of the great writing and flawless narration by Kenny. This complexity adds to the reward at the end of the book - basically the ending is astounding, a genuine corker.

Compared to Banks other books it's quite dark and restrained, not a lot of space-opera-style romping about in spaceships - most of the plots take place on various planetary war-zones.

On one level it's an enjoyable sci-fi action thriller, but it's really a deep study of the nature of man and how the culture uses its tools of manipulation. You could read this many times and always discover more stuff here.

Recommended and well worth the effort.






Deep & Complex - well worth the effort

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Outstanding story, fantastic performance. I'm really enjoying the culture series, I'll continue to read or listen to them all.

Excellent

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I haven't read any sci-fi for years and this book rekindled my love for it. A complex, entertaining story laced with subtle humour and expertly narrated.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

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...with only a few wee inconsistencies wrt minds n drones. and yet again Mr Kenny is so talented. great range of voices lots of emotional content, very believable.

good intro to the culture proper...

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