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Use of Weapons
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Narrated by:
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Peter Kenny
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By:
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Iain M. Banks
About this listen
The man known as Cheradenine Zakalwe was one of Special Circumstances' foremost agents, changing the destiny of planets to suit the Culture through intrigue, dirty tricks, and military action.
The woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and pushed him toward 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 lost cause. But not even its machine could see the horrors in his past.
Ferociously intelligent, both witty and horrific, Use of Weapons is a masterpiece of science fiction.
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In 1943, when the United States learns that Germany is on the verge of a deadly innovation that could tip the balance of the war, the government turns to an unlikely source for help: the nation’s top science fiction writers. Installed at a covert military lab within the Philadelphia Naval Yard are the most brilliant of these young visionaries. The unruly band is led by Robert Heinlein, the dashing and complicated master of the genre. His “Kamikaze Group,” is tasked with transforming the wonders of science fiction into science fact....
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Pulp Perfection!
- By Jim N on 08-31-12
By: Paul Malmont
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SilverFin
- Young Bond, Book 1
- By: Charlie Higson
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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What does it take to become the greatest secret agent the world has ever known? In this thrilling prequel to the James Bond series, readers meet a 13-year-old schoolboy whose inquisitive mind and determination set him on a path that will one day take him all over the world, in pursuit of the most dangerous criminals known to man.
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A Pleasant Surprise
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By: Charlie Higson
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Requiem for a Ruler of Worlds
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Mankind was beginning its third leap into the Galaxy, but Old Earth had so long kept to herself that her people were unable to travel safely among the rough-and-tumble cultures that had evolved on distant worlds. That annoyed Earth's rulers, for Hobart Floyt--a minor Terran bureaucrat-- had been left a mysterious inheritance by the deceased ruler of a small but wealthy interstellar empire.
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Best Sci Fi Fun anywhere!
- By A. Foxter on 07-07-15
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Stormbreaker
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- By: Anthony Horowitz
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker
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They said his uncle Ian died in a car accident. Alex Rider knows that's a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle's car confirm the truth. But nothing can prepare him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for Britain's top-secret intelligence agency. Enlisted to find his uncle's killers and complete Ian's final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, with no way out.
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Okay action story held up by an great narrator
- By Mary Fan on 08-13-13
By: Anthony Horowitz
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The Final Empire
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For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison.
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Prepare for sleepless nights
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The Forge of God
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On September 28th, a geologist working in Death Valley finds a mysterious new cinder cone in very well-mapped area. On October 1, the government of Australia announces the discovery of an enormous granite mountain. Like the cinder cone, it wasn't there six months ago.
Something is happening to planet Earth, and the truth is too terrifying to contemplate
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Great Story, Wonderful Listening, But the Editor?
- By George Knight on 07-14-13
By: Greg Bear
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Void Star
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Not far in the future, the seas have risen, and the central latitudes are emptying. But it's still a good time to be rich in San Francisco, where weapons drones patrol the skies to keep out the multitudinous poor.
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if you're That Guy
- By Zachary on 06-18-17
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Dead Man's Land
- By: Robert Ryan
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Deep in the trenches of Flanders Fields, men are dying in the thousands every day. So one more death shouldn't be a surprise. But then a body turns up with bizarre injuries, and Sherlock Holmes' former sidekick, Dr. John Watson - unable to fight for his country due to injury but able to serve it through his medical expertise - finds his suspicions raised.
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Watson is wonderful, amid very grim surroundings
- By L. Gutman on 03-01-18
By: Robert Ryan
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The Ninth Rain
- The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, Book 1
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Jen Williams, acclaimed author of The Copper Cat trilogy, featuring The Copper Promise, The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide, returns with the first in a blistering new trilogy. The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now its streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip. Better to be amongst the living, where there are taverns full of women and wine.
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Couldn’t put it down!
- By Renae on 09-09-22
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Gravity's Rainbow
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Winner of the 1973 National Book Award, Gravity's Rainbow is a postmodern epic, a work as exhaustively significant to the second half of the 20th century as Joyce's Ulysses was to the first. Its sprawling, encyclopedic narrative and penetrating analysis of the impact of technology on society make it an intellectual tour de force.
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"Time to touch the person next to you"
- By Jefferson on 07-04-16
By: Thomas Pynchon, and others
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Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable, simply the best there is at what he does. At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions.
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What listeners say about Use of Weapons
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- SciFi Kindle
- 05-16-13
Amazing Character Portrait
After over twenty years, this still holds up as a Sci-Fi masterpiece character study into the dark soul of its protagonist, a mercenary named Cheradenine Zakalwe. At first, the unusual story structure of two asynchronous story lines, alternating between the present and an episodic sequence of thirteen key moments in Zakalwe's past (revealed in reverse chronological order), can be confusing. However, it quickly clarifies, and is an absolutely ingenious way of examining the roots of the character's motives, phobias, and mannerisms in such a way that maximum surprise is extracted at each 'reveal'. Of course, as you've guessed from the profession of Mr. Zakalwe, there is no shortage of action throughout, and a good deal of James Bond 007 (I'm picturing Daniel Craig, not the other blokes). The biggest lost opportunity here was to explore, in the book's many settings and locales, some truly alien cultures, philosophies, and biologies, but sadly we see only a large collection of human civilizations in various stages of technological development. At least Gene Roddenberry slapped some prosthetic facial adornments on his humanoid aliens! Nevertheless, the story succeeds in elevating character over deus ex machina; no easy feat considering the persistent omnipotence of the Culture standing behind the mercenary, but here kept at a welcome arm's length, maintaining a high-stakes identification between the reader and the protagonist.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Dan B
- 08-03-20
Not quite as good as Banks' other Culture novels
This was an entertaining story and I just love Bank's presentation of the Culture. So, needless to say, this is a great story in that tradition. However, I haven't read a huge number of the Culture novels (I think just "Player of Games" and "Consider Phlebas"), and "Use of Weapons" didn't seem quite up to those.
It felt like it only really colored in the characterization of the main character, Zakalwe. In fact, you could say the entire book was essentially devoted to fleshing out his character. Diziet's character is really only there as a foil or straight-person for Zakalwe, and Skaffen-Amtiskaw gets even less book time. Several other characters are portrayed as seen through his eyes, but he is the only full character.
Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy his character a lot, and I felt like the great reveal at the end was heavily and obviously foreshadowed, if not in the specific details, certainly in outlines of what happened. Add into that the narrative structure choice of interleaving two storylines, one proceeding forward in time and one proceeding backward in time, and I struggled to enjoy the plotline.
The narration by Peter Kenny was excellent, he brings the perfect tone to the Culture series!
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- ZenDada
- 09-04-16
Never for a second guessed this was coming!
The story of a man - an assassin, really - but a man who wanted to do the right thing. Died a lot. Had a lot of amnesia. Struggled to remember.
Had a phobia of chairs. Small white chairs.
I never saw the ending coming. I'm in tears. I'll read this again in print. And cry again.
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- CMG
- 04-30-18
Freaking. Wow.
And outstanding book read by an outstanding orator. The writers method of using flashbacks in reverse order as the story progresses might be a little confusing at first, but when the stories start to click... you'll in for a ride.
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- Connor
- 04-13-13
Fun Book with a Great Twist at the End
This is a Sci-Fi novel about a mercenary. He is employed by an advanced civilization that dislikes violence, but understands the necessity of force to maintain peace. The book contains two story lines. One follows the mercenary’s current life and the other his memories from the past. Begging the question, are humans are one part now and one part past?
I read this book when it was first published and was blown away by the civilization’s technology and the physical enhancements that people added to their bodies to improve quality of life. No surprise, many enhancements are designed for pleasure. Mine would be eating all my favorite foods without getting fat.
I particularly enjoy that machines (think cell phones, androids, toasters, etc) are sentient and enjoy interacting with humans much as I enjoy hanging out with a dog. What is that idiot going to do next? Let’s throw a ball and watch the dog chase it
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7 people found this helpful
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- Bill
- 01-19-19
Great book, but not for audio.
This really is a great book, but if you’re like me, and have replaced audio books with music, this book is best enjoyed the traditional way. It jumps around a lot, which gets a little muddy if you’re say, working on the house and listening at the same time. Normally, I’ll do this and catch 90% of what’s being said, rewind for something important I miss, or fill in the gaps of minor information missed as the book goes on, and it’s no problem. I’ve listened to books like A People’s History of the US, and Origin of Species like this, as well as sci-fi, bio’s, and whatever else, and it’s never been an issue until this book. There are essentially two stories, each of which have a lot going on, including flashbacks. This can get messy if you’re not 100% committed to listening.
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- Christopher Jones
- 08-09-17
Challenging to follow but rewarding!
Overall I liked the book. I was a bit lost in parts but once it was complete I was glad I put the work in for the ride. More of the Culture from Banks mind. Good stuff if you like his worlds. looking forward to the next Culture series.
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- Fred
- 06-21-13
Great book, great perfomance
I love the Culture series by Iain Banks and I love Peter Kenny's performance. Banks's world is interesting, fun and a little scary. Peter Kenny does a masterful job voicing a wide range of characters. The twin story lines, one unfolding in reverse, is a little confusing at times via audiobook and I wonder if it would have been easier to read. Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and the delivery.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Jason
- 03-09-18
Versatile Character voicing
Peter Kenny is a solid voice actor and switches between accents and character voices wonderfully.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- DL
- 01-06-15
Study of Culture contradictions and challenges
Any additional comments?
Although a bit of a challenge to listen to (see other reviews addressing the book's structure,) this is a great examination of the contradictions and resulting conflict the Culture generates as it seeks to exert maximum influence with minimal intervention in maturing societies. Especially when imperfect humans are added to the mix.
The unusual structure of the story makes it a very unique and enjoyable listen. Exploring the path back to the beginning as the current story progresses - creates a very interesting simultaneous anticipation of both the past and the future.
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