![]() ![]() Like Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons takes place in a universe dominated by the Culture, a post-scarcity communist utopia governed, for the most part, by artificial intelligences orders of magnitude more insightful and capable than any human. It is not, however, a great novel, and it falls short of that greatness by a tragically slim margin. It's a very good novel, in fact-probably my favorite of the Bankses I've read (although Feersum Endjinn comes a close second)-and highly recommended. Unlike Feersum Endjinn, it arrives at its promised climax. Unlike Consider Phlebas, it is just about the right length, much better written, and manages to develop its characters and themes without stalling the narrative. Unlike The Algebraist, it has the courage of its convictions, sustaining its theme of social commentary all the way to its end. I'd like to report that Use of Weapons, by far Banks's most lauded SF novel, is Just Right, and in many ways it does answer my complaints about my previous forays into his back-catalogue. Feersum Endjinn was a hell of a lot of fun, not to mention very imaginatively constructed, but built up expectations of an explosive crescendo which it never paid off (no review, but check out item 3 on this recent reading roundup). Consider Phlebas maintained a serious tone throughout, but was ponderous, overlong, and badly written ( review). Banks: The Algebraist started out very strong but then descended into silliness (see review). ![]() Previously on AtWQ's adventures with Iain M. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |