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A review by ethancf
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
4.0
A strong 3.5.
Rounding up because with the way this is structured, a lot of the cleverness is only apparent once you reach the end, and if I ever re-read this, I'd not be surprised to put it at 5. I really liked this structure though I did find it made the book a bit harder to get through until you really grasp what's going on with the alternating chapter structure. It gets easier - and better - as you go.
I didn't quite enjoy this as much as Player of Games, but to Banks credit, they're pretty difficult to books to compare. The Culture is really the only thing the two have in common - a familiar setting with a completely different focus. This is only my second Culture book but it's apparent that Banks has an impressive range. I love this particular brand of optimistic scifi - not as cozy or accessible as Becky Chambers, but just as rawly convinced that we could achieve something better. At the same time, this is a dark story, with some particularly nasty developments. Well, like I said: Banks has range.
Rounding up because with the way this is structured, a lot of the cleverness is only apparent once you reach the end, and if I ever re-read this, I'd not be surprised to put it at 5. I really liked this structure though I did find it made the book a bit harder to get through until you really grasp what's going on with the alternating chapter structure. It gets easier - and better - as you go.
I didn't quite enjoy this as much as Player of Games, but to Banks credit, they're pretty difficult to books to compare. The Culture is really the only thing the two have in common - a familiar setting with a completely different focus. This is only my second Culture book but it's apparent that Banks has an impressive range. I love this particular brand of optimistic scifi - not as cozy or accessible as Becky Chambers, but just as rawly convinced that we could achieve something better. At the same time, this is a dark story, with some particularly nasty developments. Well, like I said: Banks has range.