Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

Banks continues to impress me with his intricate plots and interesting characters. In this, the third book in the Culture series, he transforms a character who would typically be a villain into one I rooted for. 

Cheradenine Zakalwe is a fixer for the Culture's Special Circumstances operations. He makes sure the wishes of the Culture are carried out by whatever means necessary. Zakalwe's contact, Diziet Sma, assigns the situations that need fixing, and occasionally cajoles Zakalwe into taking assignments he's not too thrilled about. 

Alternating between events in Zakalwe's past and his current assignment, Banks develops a complex character who is both ruthless and sympathetic. Excellently written and fast paced, "Use of Weapons" is an excellent addition to the series. Unlike many series that continue characters from book to book, Banks's books bounce around in time, and each book, although building on the reader's knowledge of the Culture, focuses on different characters. I find this format satisfying. 

4.5/5 stars. 

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Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

I love space operas and discovering new science fiction authors. Consider Phlebas checks both boxes. It has interesting characters, alien cultures, and a seemingly impossible mission—all things I like in a science fiction book.

Hoza is a Changer whose ability to shift his features has allowed him to assume the identity of a pirate captain. He is allied with the Idirans in their war with the Culture and is tasked with finding a missing Mind owned by the Culture. With his rag-tag crew and a captured Culture agent, he sets off to a long-dead world where the Mind is hiding. Hoza goes against the odds to find the Mind and finds himself in a race that puts his and his crew's lives in danger.

This fast-paced, imaginative, and engrossing story was published in 1988. It has stood the test of time and delivers a satisfying look at two cultures at war with plausible situations. I just discovered this author and this series, although I was sad to learn he has since died. However, he has left a catalog of books, and I look forward to reading them all. 

4/5 stars.

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The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey

 The two authors who penned The Expanse series are back! The Mercy of Gods is a promising start to a new space opera series built on a grand world-building scale with interesting characters and non-stop action.

The humans on Anjiin are caught up in the politics of the moment when the Caryx invade the planet, killing the population into submission and then taking the best and brightest to their home planet. One captured research group is kept intact and given a problem to solve in competition with another enslaved species. The stakes are high: whichever group succeeds lives while the loser dies. Led by the brilliant but mercurial Tonnar Freis, the team must overcome technological obstacles and assaults from the rival research team to solve the problem. Dafyd Alkhor rises above his role as a research associate to understand what drives the bloodthirsty Caryx and see what they need to do to survive long term. Now, he must convince the others.

The Mercy of Gods has an expansive yet complex plot, finely drawn characters, and alien races. It is a fast-paced book full of political intrigue. I especially liked the descriptions of the Caryx and some of the other oddly-configured species. The literary license taken about how these races exist in the same air and gravity bothered me at times, but I was so engrossed in the story that I let that slide.

I am looking forward to many more books about the exploits of Dafyd and his friends. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is August 6, 2024.

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Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein

I like a good space opera and am a big fan of John Sandford's murder mystery books, so I was all in when I saw Sandford had collaboratively written a sci-fi book. He didn't disappoint.

It's 2066, and what is presumed to be a spaceship is spotted approaching Saturn by an intern at Caltech. Hoping to keep its appearance a secret, the US government, under the guise of joining an already planned Mars colonization trip planned by China, hopes to be the first country to Saturn to see what is happening. A crew of the best and brightest is quickly assembled, a space station is retrofitted into a galaxy-crossing ship, and the American crew, led by Captain Fang-Castro, settles into the long voyage. Unfortunately for the US, the alien spaceship is spotted leaving the planet, and now the race is on between the US and China to get to Saturn.

What follows is what can be best described as a space thriller. This engaging story has twists, subplots, and perhaps a saboteur. There are sections of hard science fiction that I admit to skimming as they didn't pique my interest, nor could I understand them. The story and characters are excellent and, typical of Sandford's writing, there is humor and great dialogue as the story unfolds quickly. Although he's no Andy Weir, Sandford produces an engaging story in collaboration with Ctein that captured my imagination. 

 4/5 stars.

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