num_pages: 379
description: Special Circumstances had always been the Contact section's moral espionage weapon, the very cutting edge of the Culture's interfering diplomatic policy, the élite of the élite in a society which abhorred élitism. The man known as Cheradenine Zakalwe was one of SC's foremost agents, changing the destiny of planets to suit the Culture through intrigue, dirty tricks or military action.The woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and pushed him towards his present eminence, but despite all their dealings she did not know him as well as she thought.The drone known as Skaffen-Amtiskaw knew both of these people. It had once saved the woman's life by massacring her attackers in a particularly bloody manner. It believed the man to be a burnt-out case. But not even its machine intelligence could see the horrors in his past.In this brilliant, multilayered book, Iain Banks explores once again the universe of the Culture, which he has previously visited in Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games. Ferociously intelligent, both witty and horrific, Use of Weapons leaves no doubt that Banks is now the outstanding writer of science fiction in Britain.
language: English
title: Use of Weapons
titlecomplete: Use of Weapons
characters: Skaffen-Amstikaw, Diziet Sma, Cheradenine Zakalwe
genres: Space, Fantasy, Cultural, Novels, War, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook, Space Opera, Fiction, Science Fiction
ratings_count: 46469
series: Culture
awards: awardedAt: 662716800000
name: Arthur C. Clarke Award, awardedAt: 725875200000
name: Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis
category: Bester ausländischer SF-Roman (Best Foreign Work), awardedAt: 631180800000
name: British Science Fiction Association Award
category: Best Novel, awardedAt: 725875200000
name: Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire
category: Roman étranger
publisher: Orbit