Against A Dark Background
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Review
Imaginatively brilliant. (Daily Mail )
There is now no British SF wirter to whose work I look forward to with greater keenness. (The Times )
Banks ain't kidding. He warned you up front that this is a dark novel (Norman Spinrad )
Few of us have been exposed to a talent so manifest and of such extraordinary breadth (The New York Review of Science Fiction )
There is now no British SF wirter to whose work I look forward to with greater keenness. (The Times )
Banks ain't kidding. He warned you up front that this is a dark novel (Norman Spinrad )
Few of us have been exposed to a talent so manifest and of such extraordinary breadth (The New York Review of Science Fiction )
Product Description
Sharrow was once the leader of a personality-attuned combat team in one of the sporadic little commercial wars in the civilisation based around the planet Golter. Now she is hunted by the Huhsz, a religious cult which believes that she is the last obstacle before the faith's apotheosis, and her only hope of escape is to find the last of the apocalyptically powerful Lazy Guns before the Huhsz find her. Her journey through the exotic Golterian system is a destructive and savage odyssey into her past, and that of her family and of the system itself.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable journey, but a mediocre destination....,
By
This review is from: Against A Dark Background (Paperback)
'Against A Dark Background' is the tale of a woman forced to find a mythical reality-warping weapon before she can be executed by a crazed religious cult. Iain (M) Banks 4th science fiction novel is his first not to be set in his 'Culture' series of novels, though there are a few surface similarities with 'Consider Phlebas' as this is another novel featuring a group of trigger-happy mercenaries on the trail of a powerful artefact. Essentially a quest novel, 'Against a Dark Background' is full of striking science fiction imagery (city-sized plant-life; a monastery where the inhabitants are chained to the walls; a backwards God-hating society), compelling characters (particularly the heroine and her poisonous relationship with her half-sister, and a rather lovable robot who joins the adventure looking for new experiences), a twisty plot, and a suprising amount of humour. Unfortunately however it doesn't quite add up to a satisfactory whole, with the climax complete with a rather cheesy melodramatic villain and an over-complex plot, but for fans of well-written action-packed science fiction there is plenty of enjoyment to be had along the way. Slightly less than the sum of it's parts, this is an enjoyable tale but not quite up to Banks best work.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My all time favourite Banks...a true desert island book...,
By
This review is from: Against A Dark Background (Paperback)
My copy of this book is well worn; I no longer let it leave the house, despite the fact that I have found few people as fanatical about it. Why does it grab me so? The title says it all -- it is a true, dark piece of science fiction. Heros die. Love goes unrequited. Revenge is spiteful and slow in building. This is dark pathos woven in and around what could have been a very protected and innocent life. It is the tale of corruption, of loss, of bitter-sweet victories set against the near comic backdrop of desire, tragedy and a good-ole treasure hunt.The fact that this is not a Culture novel is at the core of Banks' creativity. He has kept the scale within a solar system, invented from scratch the history, politics, religion, militia and sociology of a corner of the universe. That, in it's intimate nature, makes the story all the more believable. Read this book many times. --->> Aim Here <<---
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent read, well done Banks!,
By
This review is from: Against A Dark Background (Paperback)
This was the first Banks book that I've ever read, and whilst it has it's down sides, it's a very good read.
Banks - in my opinion - has a tendancy to explain everything in enormous detail, and as such, can make the book harder to read and stick with. But please folks, do stick with it. The plot-twists and (more importantly), character development is something not to be missed. AaDB leaves you with a sense of completion and a warm heart when completed. This is the sign of a great book, one that nails the characters together, and glues them to you, driving everybody together. I found I had grown so fond of the main character (Lady Sharrow) that I had to read the final chapters again, just to get some proper "closure". In closing, an excellent read - couldn't recommend it any more!
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