Use of Weapons (Book Review)

As I said a short while ago, I had started reading the science fiction novel Use of Weapons by Scottish writer, Iain M. Banks. The book is the third set in his utopian sic-fi world 'the Culture'. The book was  very enjoyable and I would most certainly recommend it to anyone with interest in science and/or science fiction. Please bare in mind that the plot shall not be spoiled and specifics will be kept to a minimum. Now that we've cleared that up, let's begin.

The plot focuses on the events surrounding the life of a soldier named Cheradenine Zakalwe, employed to fight in wars for a price. The story takes place across two different narrative streams flowing in non-linear fashion. Don't let this put you off however, it's relatively easy to get into the structure and Zakalwe is a rather enthralling character to keep your interest. As I mentioned earlier, the Culture is utopian and Banks has woven a world so archetypal that it almost makes me want to live there. Technology surrounding droids with emotions, anti-gravity units and highly-advanced space travel provides a wealth of brilliantly-written scenes, with life-like dialogue and astounding imagery that manages to explain intricacies, without overwhelming the reader with too much description. The story flows expertly between the two narrative streams and flashbacks and -despite the age differences in Zakalwe himself at certain times- it makes no difference to him as a strong, likeable character.  

In terms of pacing, the novel has its slow moments and times where characters exchange lengthy dialogue, but again, the action scenes are never too far away and the journey towards those is interesting and ultimately leads us to the epic conclusion that I am not going to spoil. The one thing that I will say on this subject is that it was fantastic and one that I will remember for years to come. A highly recommendable read!

If you wish to buy the novel I have linked the Amazon UK result for it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_4?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=use+of+weapons&sprefix=use+%2Caps%2C234

 Last month I started reading Banks' first Culture novel Consider Phlebas; it's going well so far!

http://www.iain-banks.net (GO CHECK HIS OTHER BOOKS OUT!)