Use of Weapons
Culture Series, Book 3
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Use of Weapons
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Narrated by:
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Peter Kenny
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Written by:
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Iain M. Banks
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.
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.
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
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What listeners say about Use of Weapons
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Book Worm 73
- 2024-06-08
A good, sometimes confusing, read
Use of Weapons is a tale of two narratives - one moving forward, the other moving backward. The story follows the exploits of the roguishly charming and mildly unhinged Cheradenine Zakalwe, a man who could charm the paint off a starship.
The narrative structure of Use of Weapons is reminiscent of a temporal game of cat and mouse, with Banks cleverly (though sometime confusingly) weaving the two timelines together. The world-building is as rich and varied as the cultures within the Culture itself, and the characters are brought to life with the skill of a master storyteller.
For a science fiction book written 30 years ago it’s surprisingly fresh.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- subprimefree
- 2020-05-30
Surprise ending!
Tough going at times, as the narrative often drags, and entire chapters are unnecessary. But the ending was unexpected, so the author deserves full credit for that.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- kevin hartwig
- 2020-03-27
Heavy and difficult. But the climb was worth it.
Id assumed that this series would be the way i often think of star trek. Lighthearted and hopeful, maybe something i can leave on in the background while running. Make no mistake; the culture is utopean, but this story is not. This is a heavy read, like the biography of a grim historical figure. Really brought out by the performance. I don't think i will re-read this one, bit im quite glad to have experienced it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dave
- 2023-02-26
Best Culture book so far!
Really enjoyed this one and loved the twist at the end. Highly recommend this story about the Culture.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jon Winebrenner
- 2019-04-12
Great Read
Closer to suspense then sci-fi. Great twist at the end. definitely recommend it to anyone seeking something a bit more cerebral.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jared M.
- 2019-09-17
Very difficult to follow along
I love this format for book but not for audio, I found this book very difficult to follow along. I only listened to it sporadically while running errands or doing yard work, and whenever I picked it back up I would forget what direction the story was going at the place I last left it. Peter Kenney did a great job, and the story was fine but the format was wrong for this medium.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- A. Brown
- 2023-12-16
Tries Too Hard
This feels like an artist tried too hard to be sophisticated and ended up producing pretentious modern art. The story does not flow, the characters are generally unlikable, and the stakes are muddied. The writing is exceptionally good, Banks is undeniably a master of his craft, but the story is extremely weak.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Shesophist
- 2019-03-07
Not bad, not great
I had heard this was the best Culture novel so my expectations were high, and I came away a bit disappointed. I didn't like it as much as Player of Games, and the non-linear story organization was more confusing than interesting. Maybe reading it would have suited the style better, but listening to it, I had trouble following along.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-11-19
Story bounces around way too much
Not a relaxing listen as I was always needing to figure out where I was in the storyline.
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