I embarked on reading this book with a certain degree of trepidation. "Consider Phlebas" holds a special place as one of my all-time favorite Sci-Fi novels. I firmly believed it was a perfect piece in its own right, and thus, I saw no need to explore further into that particular world. However, under the pressure from my friends, I reluctantly began delving into a few other books, and this one happened to be the first after "Consider Phlebas".

It has to be said that the book was very well-written. The prose was engaging, and the story had the potential to be truly captivating. However, as I reached the end, I was left with a sense of disappointment. Frankly speaking, the ending was rather stupid. I simply couldn't fathom why this book had been recommended to me as being better than "Consider Phlebas".

One of the major drawbacks of this book was the excessive amount of exposition and explanation. It was evident that the author had written it with an Earth-bound modern-day audience in mind. This was in stark contrast to "Consider Phlebas", which seemed to be written for someone who was a part of that fictional world. In "Consider Phlebas", the notes and afterword served a purpose, only explaining the more obscure historical aspects that people within that world might not have been familiar with. Otherwise, the book treated the reader as if everything that happened should be more or less familiar in concept, even when it was completely insane by Earth standards. In this book, however, the situation was even worse. There was direct insight into the Mind's communications, which made them seem like petulant children. I felt that I should never have been able to understand the communication between Minds, much less be privy to it. There was one truly awful line in the book that went something like: "lol there once was a planet that killed people with electric chairs BUT GET THIS they also banned 'cruel and unusual punishment' loloolololololol". This line almost made me put the book down right then and there.

I am almost sorry that I read this book at all. However, now that I've somewhat tarnished my knowledge of the Culture, I might as well continue reading. I guess I have no other choice but to see where this journey takes me.

Bank’s Culture always brings to my mind Moorcock’s decadent yet peculiarly innocent future in Dancers at the End of Time. The sections in this book that feature it further solidify this thought. However, a significant portion of this book also reminds me of another Moorcock creation. The Jerry Cornelius stories, where the main character dies and is reanimated in a new world where war is the only constant.

While those books are more experimental, this one, despite its difficult structure, holds together as a novel. People anticipating an adventure might be slightly disappointed as it is more of a character study with a complex and somewhat exasperating structure that constructs the story through flashbacks. Each of the threads in this book is interesting enough to merit its own book, but Bank’s employs them as adornment to tell his story with grandeur and imagination.

This book is also a meditation on war and violence, similar to Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse 5. While those use humor to confront the absurdity, this book, despite some great wit from many of the characters, is pretty unrelentingly grim and tragic (and quite gory in many parts). So, it is a character story with a final heartbreaking twist (that I don't even want to hint at), a meditation on violence, an espionage story (the morally ambiguous dealings of a utopia with other civilizations that mirror the sordid manipulations of the 1st and 3rd world and the Cold War/War on Terror), and a promise of what we can hope a science fiction novel or any novel can achieve. Also, kudos for the most disturbing party scene ever and for making the funny drone cliché a complex and interesting character.

Alas, the story is way too complicated.

Unfortunately, the conclusion is a little disappointing.

However, otherwise, it is pretty darn good sci-fi and social commentary.

More broadly, Banks is a rock solid medium for thought-provoking alternative realities and, of course, cultures.

But, in the end, I thought there were one or two too many organizational tricks and devices in play to make the whole thing work as effectively as it could have.

OK, a non-spoiler (but also not immediately obvious) tip to new readers: in the two primary, intersecting story arcs, just remember that (excluding the prologue and epilogue), watch the chapter numbering scheme - one story arc is identified with ascending words (One, Two...); the other arc chapters are marked with descending Roman numerals (XIII, XII...).

I'm late to Banks' Culture series and haven't been progressing in order. Instead, I started with two that my students highly recommended. Of those two, I found Player of Games more appealing. I guess the next step is to go back to the beginning and take on Consider Phlebas.

Frankly, I thought Banks over-played his hand on the "use of weapons." But, since I don't want to spoil anything, I'll leave it at that. Still, it's a good book, worth reading. And the series continues to appear, well, appealing.

Somehow, I had come to envision Iain M. Banks’ Culture as an almost idyllic society.

However, this book completely shattered that perception for me. It is filled with an abundance of war and violence, and to top it off, there is a truly cruel twist at the end of the novel.

If one were to live in the Culture but not be an easily entertained, peace-loving individual, what options would there be? Well, one could sign up for Special Circumstances and transform into a sort of super-soldier. This would involve getting horrifically injured, being revived, regenerated, and then going off to engage in another battle.

Surprisingly, even some of the Machine Minds in this story seem to possess a destructive and cruel nature.

Nevertheless, Banks achieved what I believe he intended – making his readers reevaluate what the Culture truly represents (and perhaps even reexamine some of their own cultural assumptions).

I eagerly look forward to delving into State of the Art next.

Book 265 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.

As a child, I had a profound love for the science fiction works of Asimov and Bradbury, as well as the original Star Trek series. The allure lay in the fact that the stories were set in entirely alien environments, yet they revolved around familiar themes such as man's inner turmoil and his conflicts with others.

I was not overly concerned with the technical details of how ray guns functioned, how warp travel distorted the fabric of space, or the theoretical possibilities of time travel physics. Instead, I craved a captivating narrative about the lives, loves, and battles of interesting individuals in a time and place that I had never before conceived.

Ian Banks satisfies my desires. He is a talented writer who appears to be uninterested in explaining the plausibility of his vastly diverse worlds and their outrageously advanced technologies. His sole focus is on telling a great story. And this particular story is about a man who is both more and less than he seems, painfully progressing towards a future that inevitably uncovers his horribly tormented past. It exists in both the past and the present, in more ways than one, and is filled with completely different worlds and entirely alien beings, yet it features struggles that are eerily familiar and with which Odysseus, Hamlet, and Captain Kirk could empathize.

The book's sentient, sarcastic machines serve as the Muses in ancient Greek classics or the Faeries in Shakespeare, while the all-powerful "Culture" plays the role of the Olympian Gods, seemingly in control but actually still unable to predict or govern the actions of men. Despite all the bells and whistles, the hearts of men still drive the action in this story set over 1,000 years from now – a concept that I delight in imagining might hold true.

The highest praise I can bestow upon this book is that it represents the pinnacle of the classic science fiction tradition. It is highly recommended.

I am only listening to Peter Kenny narrated audiobooks this month to celebrate my birthday :}

It's a special month for me as I celebrate my birthday. And what better way to mark this occasion than by indulging in the wonderful world of audiobooks narrated by Peter Kenny. His voice has a certain charm and authenticity that brings the stories to life in the most captivating way. Whether it's a thrilling adventure, a heartwarming romance, or a thought-provoking mystery, Peter Kenny's narration adds an extra layer of depth and emotion to the listening experience. I find myself completely immersed in the stories, forgetting about the outside world and just enjoying the moment. It's like having a personal storyteller right by my side, taking me on a journey through different times and places. This birthday month is going to be filled with countless hours of listening pleasure as I explore the vast collection of Peter Kenny narrated audiobooks.

Iain M. Banks, after achieving wide recognition for his skills and imagination in his first two science fiction books, became one of the most respected writers of his generation. In "Use of Weapons", the third installment in the Culture universe, he presents one of his most ambitious novels. The story takes us on a journey through an unusual structured plot, delving deep into a psychological exploration of warfare, soul-searching, destiny, and redemption. It reveals a forgotten, dark past while also leading us on an adventure across the galaxy to worlds and civilizations corrupted by the thirst for control and power.

The Culture society, in its millennia-long exploration of the galaxy, has encountered many worlds. In their attempt to help the technologically inferior, they have sometimes unwittingly sparked wars for control and power. Cheradenine Zakalwe, a top mercenary in the service of Special Circumstances, was tasked with infiltrating military advanced hierarchies and changing the destiny of governments through various means. However, he eventually abandoned this life and sought a different path to atone for his past.

Meanwhile, in the Voerenhutz cluster, a war is on the verge of breaking out again, threatening to destroy years of hard work. Sma Diziet, a high-ranking agent of Special Circumstances, and the drone Skaffen-Amtiskaw must bring Zakalwe back from obscurity and persuade him to undertake one last mission to stop the war. As Zakalwe resumes his mercenary ways and sets his plans in motion, he becomes embroiled in the intrigues and plots of the system, facing a great war and having to come to terms with his past deeds.

Originally written in the early '70s, "Use of Weapons" was dug up by Banks after encouragement from his friend Ken MacLeod. Structurally, the novel breaks the standards of books and the limits of imagination, using two narratives to develop the plot and the main protagonist. The first narrative moves backwards, taking us through Zakalwe's memories and dreams from his departure from Special Circumstances to his childhood. The second narrative moves forward, following his changed life and new mission. This unusual structure makes the story more complex and difficult to understand, but also adds depth and richness.

Through this structure, Banks takes us into the hearts and minds of his characters and shows us the other side of the coin, the impact of power and control on different civilizations. Although the book may not be perfect, its ambition and the way Banks handles the two narratives with great skill in writing and imagination make it one of his most laudable works. It leaves us on the edge of our seats, eagerly awaiting the next line, paragraph, and chapter, and changing our perception of the universe as we know it. Finally, after the main story, Banks jumps to "States of War" and a second prologue, introducing the next agent of Special Circumstances and leaving us with many unanswered questions and great expectations. In conclusion, "Use of Weapons" is a book that不怕 challenges, bringing a profound, complex psychological story and an unusually structured adventure that creates something truly ambitious and praiseworthy.

Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks is quite a challenging book to get through. It follows another adventure of the absurdly named Special Circumstances agents, along with their often-times amusing and always fascinating drones and AI personalities. This time, we follow the adventures of Sma (whose full name is quite a mouthful), her drone Amtiskaw, and Cheradenine Zakalwe, a mercenary with a seemingly insatiable thirst for violence and a grim past.

The story is told using two different timelines. The forward timeline follows the events as Sma and Amtiskaw begin searching for a missing Zakalwe, who is needed for a final assignment of the utmost importance to the Culture's mysterious end goals. The other timeline explores Zakalwe from his penultimate assignment to his past. Through these two timelines, Mr. Banks manages to further depict how the Culture attempts to permeate its principles throughout the Universe and also to explore the conflicting character of Cheradine Zakalwe.

While, eventually, I found Zakalwe to be fascinating, it wasn't always the case. After a few chapters into the flashback timeline, I was confused and a bit enraged that Mr. Banks decided to continue focusing on Zakalwe when we have far more fascinating characters such as Sma, Amtiskaw, and the crazy spaceship Xenophobe. However, the twists at the end answer my numerous questions on Zakalwe as well as the meaning behind the title of the book quite stunningly. I just wish Mr. Banks had spent more time exploring the other characters and the Minds behind the Culture. Three books into the series, and we barely have a glance at the Minds. Overall, it's a bit of an uneven story and plot with a truly shocking ending. I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Yet again, the ending has unapologetically slammed this work into 4 star territory from 3 for me. It's truly remarkable how a single conclusion can have such a profound impact on my overall perception. The way it ties together the various threads and themes, resolving some while leaving others open to interpretation, is masterful. It doesn't shy away from being bold and unexpected, which I greatly appreciate. It forces me to reevaluate everything that came before and see the work in a new light. This ending has added depth and complexity that I didn't initially anticipate, elevating it to a higher level of quality. It makes me eager to explore more of the author's work and see what other surprises they have in store.

In the third part of "Culture", we had been waiting quite a while, and finally we got something a bit different from what we expected. Behind the scenes of a space opera from a distant future, the long and joyless life of Zakalwe, a kind of living weapon in the service of "Culture", is gradually revealed before us. Zakalwe travels wherever his superiors send him, fights for whomever they tell him to, and doesn't ask too much about who is in the right. In return, he gets eternal youth and wealth, but not happiness.

Flashes of his own past race through his mind. Scenes from childhood alternate with wars. One moment we are at a decadent party of "Culture", the next in a hut or cave on a primitive planet. But it always ends at the same moment in the distant past...

At first, it seemed to me rather disjointed and unbalanced, but then everything started to slowly come together, and in the end, I really enjoyed it. I give it four full stars and hope that the remaining parts will come out soon.

And it had two shadows, it was two things;

it was the need and it was the method. The need was obvious;

to defeat what opposed its life. It was a primal urge, a driving force that could not be ignored.

The method, on the other hand, was more complex.

It involved taking and bending materials and people to one purpose.

The outlook was that everything could be used in the fight;

that nothing could be excluded, that everything was a weapon.

And with this outlook came the ability to handle those weapons,

to find them and choose which one to aim and fire;

that talent, that ability, that use of weapons.

Beautiful, lyrical prose. It painted a vivid picture in the reader's mind.

Engrossing, wonderful story. It kept the reader on the edge of their seat, eager to find out what would happen next.

However, the conclusion was disappointing and improbable.

It felt rushed and did not do justice to the rest of the story.

Overall, it was a mixed bag of a read.

"Use of Weapons" by Iain Banks is an extraordinary and mind-bending literary work that masquerades as a science fiction story. It takes readers on a loopy trip that is both intellectually stimulating and deeply engaging. The novel's unique structure, with chapters alternating between moving forward and backward in time, can be initially confusing for some readers. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a complex and layered narrative that is truly a masterpiece.

The story follows the life of Cheradenine Zakalwe, a soldier of fortune who has been morally compromised by his work with the Culture. His relationship with Diziet Sma, who brought him to prominence, and the drone Skaffen-Amtiskaw, who knows them both, adds depth and complexity to the plot. The book explores themes of morality, identity, and the consequences of one's actions.

Despite its challenging structure, "Use of Weapons" is a literary near-masterpiece that rewards careful reading and analysis. It is a book that will make you think, question, and perhaps even change your perspective on the world. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction with a literary twist.