I recently reread this book after delving into Matter by the same author. Part of my motivation was to contrast the two. Matter, which I hadn't particularly enjoyed, shared a somewhat similar story with this one that I had adored in the past.

The narrative of this book is rather gimmicky, yet it functions effectively. There are alternating chapters. One set tells a straightforward space opera story, while the second set (differentiated by Roman numerals) is presented in antichronological order, revealing episodes from the main character's past. These episodes are often alluded to but not fully explained in the main story.

It succeeds because Banks skillfully measures how much to disclose and how much to keep concealed. He manages to make all the chapters engaging without demanding a mental shift from one set to the other. The overarching aim is to demonstrate how war can be both fascinating and attractive, perhaps even intrinsic to human nature, yet simultaneously evil and destructive. It also shows how an "enlightened" society still requires weapons and war to further its own aims or whims. Just like a weapon, the main character doesn't truly understand the how or the why. He simply knows what is expected of him and does his best from there.

Banks showcases the typical human response to war and weapons, a combination of horror and fascination in varying degrees, and uses it to illustrate a timeless story within a very well-crafted future tapestry.

As such, it is a perfect book for anyone willing to grapple with both the changes of a distant future and the folly of war.

I am truly overjoyed to have completed this book.

I was extremely excited when I started reading it. It has been quite some time since I last delved into the world of science fiction, and whenever one reads Iain Banks, there is always an anticipation of encountering innovative and mind-boggling ideas.

The excitement was promptly met in the early stages. Banks managed to keep me fully engaged by skillfully alternating between two storylines. One progressed forward, while the other moved backward. However, unfortunately, by approximately the halfway point of the novel, I began to feel a tinge of weariness towards the story. Nevertheless, I was resolute in my determination to persevere because I firmly believed that there had to be a worthwhile payoff at the conclusion.

Well, indeed there was a payoff, but as one of my Goodreads friends astutely pointed out, the book was far too long for the story it was attempting to convey.

I have come to realize that for me, in the science fiction domain, Banks has more misses than hits. With the exception of The Player of Games, I found the other two, namely Consider Phlebas and Feersum Endjinn, to be rather dull, to be honest. In fact, I was relieved to move on from them. They did have great ideas, no doubt, but the hook just didn't seem to possess the staying power beyond a couple of hundred pages.

That is truly a pity because I have a genuine love for the concept of the Culture universe. There were certain scenes in Use of Weapons that were truly remarkable. Especially during the backwards storyline of Zakalwe. This novel has the potential to be made into a fantastic movie.

But for some inexplicable reason, Banks lost his hold on me once again. Oh well.

I am still glad that I read it, and I will most definitely read more of Banks' works. However, for now, I will lean more towards exploring his fiction rather than science fiction. So, disappointingly, Use of Weapons was merely an okay read for me, deserving of a 2-star rating.

While the actual events in the story lack a clear plot and seem to meander, with an embarrassingly long time passing before I could catch onto the chronological structure, the intensity and emotional tension of the writing kept me completely hooked from start to finish. It shares similarities with Player of Games in that there is a central core idea that is developed at each layer of the novel. In this case, it's the protagonist's use of weapons to achieve goals and then allowing the Culture to use him as a weapon himself. There's also a twist at the end that completely颠覆s the perspective of this idea, forcing the reader to reevaluate everything that came before.

However, in addition to what I think is overall much better writing, this book has a vastness that Player of Games didn't quite achieve for me. It gives me the same sense of both smallness and hugeness, intimacy and distance, as looking up at the vast void of the starry sky. I'm reminded of the chapter where the protagonist and another character look out from a spaceship, discussing their beliefs - nothing and emptiness respectively, highlighting the difference between them. Each chapter, especially in the flashback sections, feels like it could be its own novel, its own lifetime, adding to the unending, cyclical, and sweeping scale of the narrative and human conflict as a whole.

I really liked this summary from someone else's review: "Zakalwe’s tale contains many lessons, the most important being that no living thing is without sin. Life’s original sin is not due to some moral failing or departure from divinity. It's the simple fact of existence - the jealous perpetuation of an organized collection of matter, fueled by the constant consumption of other conquered collections of matter, for no purpose other than maintaining an already arbitrary and always indefensible maw of self-regard. Humans have embellished this charade with delusions of identity and rational justification. It's a sorry state of affairs."

"In defiance of the myths we tell about our accomplishments, our ephemeral victories against suffering and discontent, an honest consciousness will always return to the question of its own right to survival, or rather, to the incontestable absence of that right. Try as he might to escape the truth, Zakalwe remains a villain - just like everyone else." This central dilemma leaves me feeling melancholic and detached, and while I don't agree with it, it's still well worth exploring, which Banks does very effectively.

The one thing that holds this book back is that the final twist at the end seems a bit too much for shock value rather than making sense with what we know about the protagonist up until that point. Would more flashbacks to his childhood and the siblings' relationships have helped? Or perhaps instead of the narrative weight being on the scene of Zakalwe finding the chair, it should have been on a scene of the Chairmaker's decision to make it in the first place? Overall, I'm quite satisfied that I stuck through the long journey and that there was a proper amount of emotional payoff for the tension building throughout, even if there's a gap in it all fitting together perfectly.

My third Culture book and my third 4-star rating.

These novels continue to show improvement, yet there always appears to be something amiss. I am enamored with the Culture universe, where a Utopia exists...elsewhere. Representatives from the Culture utopia periodically grace the rest of the universe with their presence, gently attempting to guide everyone else in the right direction.

So, the universe is magnificent. We have the opportunity to visit numerous planets and civilizations, which is what always thrills me about space novels.

This particular installment centers around an assassin, war inciter, or political muckraker named Zakalwe. He undertakes the Culture's dirty work or nudging. The Culture is too refined to stoop to assassinations or starting wars, so they enlist others to do it. Zakalwe has been engaged in this for a long time. As we witness him fulfill his contracts, we gradually piece together his backstory.

Zakalwe was a good main character, competent but not overly so, imperfect, somewhat reluctant yet resigned to what he does well. The story was engaging, with a fairly predictable ending twist. I have the sense that I should be awarding these books 5 stars instead of 4. However, while they are entertaining, the novels just don't have that mind-blowing quality. I would recommend them to almost anyone, but if I had only one chance to recommend something to convince a friend that what I read is cool, this probably wouldn't make the cut.