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title lives up to the plot, and then some!
My favorite Iain M. Banks novel
Best of the Best
Must Read
A Contrarian View - Winning the Battle, Losing the War

Use of Weapons
Iain M. Banks
Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 185723135X

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title lives up to the plot, and then some!.......2007-05-09

The title of the book lives up to the plot of the story - war. When one combines the genious of Iain M Banks, sci-fi and war one will get a hellava good story. Zakalwe is the character who fights more than just one war, but many different wars of different planets. The uses of strategy, weapons and soldiers are all presented in an aggresive, readable and enjoyable manner. The drone, Skaffen-Amtiskaw (as in many of Banks' books) are witty and off-the-wall.

The chapters in the book are divided between two counter-chronological timelines. Once this is understood, the readability of the book increases.

All in all, another darn fine sci-fi by Banks.

My favorite Iain M. Banks novel.......2007-03-05

Use of weapons is mind-boggling.

I have read all of Banks's science fiction, and I like this one the best. I won't reveal any details of the plot, but I will say that it has lots of great action, hard-core sci-fi, and a very well-told story. You will not be dissapointed.

Best of the Best.......2007-01-10

I am a huge Iain Banks fanatic. I even order his new books from Amazon-uk and pay shipping if I just can't wait for publication in the US, which can take anywhere from 6 mos. - 2 years.
I have read all his books, and this is his best. The story is beyond exciting and drags you along with no breath until you finish it. The ideas and characters are violent and heartbreaking at the same time. I do not wish to get into plot as I do not wish to spoil this excellent book for anyone.
Whether you have ever read any of his books or not, READ THIS ONE.

Must Read.......2007-01-05

This is in my top 5 SF books ever, period.
Anyone who doesn't think this is Banks' best book has not understood it.
This book takes the premise from 'Complicity' and examines it from about 3 times as many angles. Buy this book, read this book, and then, please, really THINK about this book - it expanded my mind by linking together threads about morality, mortality, kantian ethics, and authority.
It can also be read as a simple space opera, and it's not a bad read on that level either.

A Contrarian View - Winning the Battle, Losing the War.......2006-07-23

Reader reviews of "Use of Weapons" are overwhelmingly positive, even though many highlight the major flaw in the book - the ending.

At the core of "Use of Weapons" is a mystery: What drives the protagonist Cheradenine Zakalwe? What are the "horrors in his past" hinted at by the jacket blurb?

To resolve the mystery, Banks employs two parallel plot lines moving roughly chronologicaly in opposite directions. Banks executes this plotting device very well. In pulling the plotting off, Banks wins the battle. We are engaged and intrigued.

Yet, for a mystery to suceed the reader must be guessing throughout at the resolution. More importantly, at the conclusion, the reader's eyes must be openned to all the hints seen along the way and should recognize how the writer has led us down the primrose path to this conclusion.

In this Banks fails utterly. The "surprise" ending is just that: Completely unexpected and prepared for. The war is lost.

Having said this, one possibility remains. Banks's Culture novels are said to be stand-alone works capable of being read independently. If this is not the case and the Culture novels are more closely linked then the ending of "Use of Weapons" becomes an important statement on the Culture. For with this ending we can only conclude that the Culture as rather incompetent and morally bankrupt.

The Gun Digest Book Of The 1911: A Complete look At The Use, Care & Repair of the 1911 Pistol, Vol. 2

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The Gun Digest Book Of The 1911: A Complete look At The Use, Care & Repair of the 1911 Pistol, Vol. 2
Patrick Sweeney
Manufacturer: Krause Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0896892697

Book Description

Handgun, self-defense and target-shooting enthusiasts gain valuable technical data and access to more than 350 detailed photos in this superior resource devoted to using, caring for and repairing 1911 pistols.

In exhaustive detail, The Gun Digest Book of The 1911, Volume 2 gives shooting enthusiasts, military buffs and competition shooters expanded information for using and upgrading the 1911, including reviews of the latest models, new factory ammunition and test-fire evaluations for more than 20 additional pistols. This enhanced new volume also gives readers technical specifications including trigger pull, chamber depth and weight for this new collection of pistols. This second volume completes the story of the 1911 for anyone interested in customizing the classic John Browning design.

-350 detailed photos for easy identification

-Performance reviews for 20+ additional pistols give enthusiasts valuable field data

Book Description

The military is moving slowly but surely toward a world in which weapons will be stationed in outer space, and officials argue that these developments are essential to the maintenance of US national security in the post-Cold War world. Handberg explores these recent proposals for change and assesses the policy implications that might well result in a challenge to proponents for the militarization of space. Taking the reader through the first Sputnik launch and then the Gulf War, the "first space war," Handberg introduces his audience to a broad overview of space as an arena for the conduct of military activity. He argues that the new policies are likely to result in a world that is less, not more, secure. Both technologically and organizationally, the Gulf War served as a watershed for military and political leaders. As a result, the great changes occurring across the spectrum of space activities, as well as the commercial applications of space, have become particularly critical to the field. Handberg argues that one unintended outcome of current policy decisions could well be a resumption of the global arms race as powers jockey for positions in the heavens. Too much of the current military advocacy is premised upon temporary advantages, both military and economic, which will dissipate in time. The political leadership of the United States must be fully engaged in this debate, given its crucial importance for future American national security.

Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq

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Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq
Sheldon Rampton , and John Stauber
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1585422762

Download Description

"Weapons of Mass Deception reveals: How the Iraq war was sold to the American public through professional P.R. strategies. ""The First Casualty"": Lies that were told related to the Iraq war. Euphemisms and jargon related to the Iraq war, e.g. ""shock and awe,"" ""Operation Iraqi Freedom,"" ""axis of evil,"" ""coalition of the willing,"" etc. ""War as Opportunity"": How the war on terrorism and the war on Iraq have been used as marketing hooks to sell products and policies that have nothing to do with fighting terrorism. ""Brand America"": The efforts of Charlotte Beers and other U.S. propaganda campaigns designed to win hearts overseas. ""The Mass Media as Propaganda Vehicle"": How news coverage followed Washington's lead and language. The book includes a glossary - ""Propaganda: A User's Guide"" - and resources to help Americans sort through the deceptions to see the strings behind Washington's campaign to sell the Iraq war to the public."

The Gun Digest Book of the Glock: A Comprehensive Review : Design, History, Use (Gun Digest)

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The Gun Digest Book of the Glock: A Comprehensive Review : Design, History, Use (Gun Digest)
Patrick Sweeney
Manufacturer: Krause Publications
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 0873495586

Book Description

Recognized as the most important and influential firearms design in the past 50 years, the Glock pistol is today's prefered autoloading pistol for law enforcement use and personal protection. This comprehensive review of the revolutionary Glock pistol encompasses the pistol's history and unique design elements, and includes a performance analysis of the various models and chamberings. Covers in detail, the wide array of available accessories, as well as little known factory options.

War in Heaven: Stopping the Arms Race in Outer Space Before It's Too Late

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War in Heaven: Stopping the Arms Race in Outer Space Before It's Too Late
Helen Caldicott , and Craig Eisendrath
Manufacturer: New Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1595581146

Book Description

A revelatory look at the U.S. Government's plan to put weapons in outer space, by two bestselling experts.

"During the early portion of the twenty-first century, space power will also evolve into a separate and equal medium of warfare….The emerging synergy of space superiority with land, sea, and air superiority will lead to Full Spectrum Dominance."—from "U.S. Space Command Vision for 2020"

When most of us think about the potential of outer space for future generations, we think of world communications, satellite navigation, and scientific exploration. U.S. Space Command, however, thinks about weapons. Believing that conflict in space and wars fought from space are inevitable, the president has called on the agency to weaponize outer space and thus provoke an arms race that could cost the United States trillions of dollars and could lead to the demise of the human race.

In War in Heaven, a Nobel Prize-nominated peace activist and a former U.S. foreign service officer (who helped write the Outer Space Treaty of 1967) look at the history of military uses of space and the current plans for "militarizing the heavens," including kinetic, laser, nuclear bombardment, and anti-satellite weapons. Contrary to the claims of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that the United States faces a "space Pearl Harbor," Caldicott and Eisendrath show that the United States itself is today the principal obstruction to passage of an international treaty banning weapons from outer space.

At a time when plans to build and deploy space weapons are on the administration's agenda but only just becoming known to the general public, this book will help launch a national discussion of a critical issue.

Civil War Firearms: Their Historical Background, Tactical Use and Modern Collecting and Shooting

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Civil War Firearms: Their Historical Background, Tactical Use and Modern Collecting and Shooting
Joseph G. Bilby
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Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan

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Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan
J. Samuel Walker
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
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Book Description

In this concise account of why America used atomic bombs against Japan in 1945, J. Samuel Walker analyzes the reasons behind President Truman's most controversial decision. He delineates what was known and not known by American leaders at the time and evaluates the role of U.S.-Soviet relations and American domestic politics. In this new edition, Walker takes into account recent scholarship on the topic, including new information on the Japanese decision to surrender. He has revised the book to place more emphasis on the effect of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in convincing the emperor and his advisers to quit the war. Rising above an often polemical debate, Walker presents an accessible synthesis of previous work and an important, original contribution to our understanding of the events that ushered in the atomic age.

A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times

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A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times
George Cameron Stone
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This indispensable resource employs an dictionary-style format that makes it easy to locate material on an astonishing variety of weapons. Arquebuses, flintlocks, matchlocks, and other antique guns appear here, as well as German armor, French rapiers, Roman short swords, Turkish crossbows, Japanese bladed weapons, and more. Over 4,500 photographs and drawings, plus 875 figures.

Bat Bomb: World War II's Other Secret Weapon

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Bat Bomb: World War II's Other Secret Weapon
Jack Couffer
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0292707908

Book Description

It was a crazy way to win World War II in the Pacific-- All the United States had to do was to attach small incendiary bombs to millions of bats and release them over Japan's major cities. As the bats went to roost, a million fires would flare up in remote crannies of the wood and paper buildings common throughout Japan. When their cities were reduced to ashes, the Japanese would surely capitulate... The plan made sense to a handful of eccentric promoters and researchers, who convinced top military brass and even President Roosevelt to back the scheme. It might have worked, except that another secret weapon--something to do with atoms--was chosen to end the war. Told here by the youngest member of the team, this is the story of the bat bomb project, or Project X-Ray, as it was officially known. In scenes worthy of a Capra or Hawks comedy, Jack Couffer recounts the unorthodox experiments carried out in the secrecy of Bandera, Texas, Carlsbad, New Mexico, and El Centro, California, in 1942-1943 by "Doc" Adams' private army. This oddball cast of characters included an eccentric inventor, a distinguished Harvard scientist, a biologist with a chip on his shoulder, a movie star, a Texas guano collector, a crusty Marine Corps colonel, a Maine lobster fisherman, an ex-mobster, and a tiger. Not to be defeated by minor logistical hurdles, the bat bomb researchers risked life and limb to explore uncharted bat caves and "recruit" thousands of bats to serve their country. Through months of personality conflicts, military snafus, and technical failures the team pressed on, certain that bats could end the war with Japan. And they might have--in their first airborne test, the bat bombers burned an entire brand-new military airfield to the ground. For everyone who relishes true tales of action and adventure, Bat Bomb is a must-read. Bat enthusiasts will also discover the beginnings of the scientific study of bats.

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