Whew, I am finally posting a review of my fourth book this year. Not only did it take me a long time to get through this one but Blogger lost the post I wrote the other day. Arrgh.
The book I have just finished is Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks. Banks is a Scots author who writes his sci-fi novels under the name Iain M Banks. Most of these books have some association with a sort of mega conglomerate called the Culture who like to dabble in the affairs of other civilzations. Or, as Banks says, "The Culture is a group-civilisation formed from seven or eight humanoid species, space-living elements of which established a loose federation approximately nine thousand years ago. The ships and habitats which formed the original alliance required each others' support to pursue and maintain their independence from the political power structures - principally those of mature nation-states and autonomous commercial concerns - they had evolved from."
Use of Weapons is the third book I've read of his and the fourth that he wrote in his sci-fi guise. The story concerns Cheradenine Zakalwe who is one of the Culture's Special Circumstances’ department foremost operatives. He has a twisted past but has completed many missions. The novel requires a certain extra level of concentration as there are multiple storylines and timeline. Ultimately, the book comes through with a big ending. Use of Weapons is generally accepted among Banks fans as one of his best and I couldn't agree more.
No comments:
Post a Comment