Use of Weapons - Iain M. Banks

Advantages: A good read, convincing, shocking and unpredictable.
Disadvantages: Few - Banks sometimes rambles a bit.

I usually like to read books straight through. This one I deliberately made last a week - it was so obvious that Banks was holding back something that was going to deliver that I wanted to stay in the world of "Use of Weapons" for as long as possible before it inevitably fell apart. Cheradinine Zakalwe, the latest in a long line of Banks' unpronounceable anti-heroes, is brought out of hiding for one last mission for the Culture, an interplanetary ...
...meeting with his sister. His employers agree, not quite realising what mental trauma Zakalwe has suffered in the past. He remains obssessed with the events of his youth, and remains terrified at the thought of "the chair". What this chair is, and Zakalwe's relationship to it, is genuinely shocking - and utterly unpredictable. Banks cleverly tells two interwoven stories - one moving forward describing his mission and reward, and the other going backwards ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent dark storyline - don't need to be a sci-fi buff to enjoy this
Disadvantages: None I can tthink of - but definately not an up-beat story :)

...stage for the events. Use of weapons is a dark and complex tail centered around it's main character, Cheradenine Zakalwe, who works for the future's equivalent of the CIA. In the midst of a good deal of political intrigue (but not too heavily so) and espionage, the character's dark and gruesome past is brought to light through a series of flash-backs and current events. As with all of Banks' stories there is a strong vein of irony and humour and ...
...cause pause for thought. Exciting? Yes. Intrigueing? Definately. This is only one of a number of novels based in the 'Culture' Universe, and doesn't need to read concurrent to any of the others. I don't believe this to be the strongest of the Culture novels, but still an excellent read. ... Read review

Advantages: Ian M Banks being one of the best Sci-Fi writers of this decade
Disadvantages: None at all !

I started with "A Player of Games", moved on to "Consider Phleabas" and then out of sheer Obssession moved on to "Use of Weapons". I can't stop. And by the looks of it, neither can Ian Banks, but his ideas don't either. Each time I read one of his books, I cannot stop. It just keeps on getting better and better. We enter into the life, past and present, of Charadenine Zakalwe. More and more of his life is revealed as you continue through the book. ... Read review

Advantages: good
Disadvantages: big

banks is wicked I love him all his books rule especially this one .read it or suffer - its about a guy who lives in the culture nd kills loads of people for them on loads of planets and spaceships but thatsnot all it'sbrilliant because of the massive twist at the end when you find ut hes actually a baddie not agoodie as you prevciously thought.its great its fantastic readit read it otherwise your missing out.the story is good the writing is good ... Read review

Advantages: Superb read
Disadvantages: None.

...considered Culture citizens. Use of weapons concerns the story of three culture agents (one an artificial intelligence) from different backgrounds who are drawn together in a mission for the Culture's 'Special Circumstances' section. This book is hard to put down and the twist at the end is shocking. ... Read review