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Review Summaries
"The main character is a superb military general from a planet somewhat like Earth. He flees a major conflict on his planet and becomes a warrior for hire. He is soon recruited by "The Culture" a utopian society of technologically advanced humans. The Culture wish to interfere in more primitive cultures and recruit him to influence the outcome of wars. He is troubled by horrific but unclear memories of his home planet that eventually reveal a more sinister side to his personality."
Ian Peter Avery, Resident Iain M. Banks Scholar
"Along with her intelligent drone assistant, Skaffen-Amtiskaw, the Culture's Special Circumstances representative, Diziet Sma, sets out to procure, yet again, the services of Cheradenine Zakalwe for a mission. The drone simply regards Zakalwe as a lost cause. But neither it nor Sma, despite their intelligence and foreknowledge, are really aware of whom they are dealing with."
Charles Smyth, Resident Iain M. Banks Scholar
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Overall Review
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence - 20% planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40%
Tone of book
- depressing/sad
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
War or Invasion
Yes
Major kinds of combat:
- guns
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- spy
- warrior/knight
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- deluded
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
Age:
- 40's-50's
- long-lived adults
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
- government investigator
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Terrain
- Desert
- Water
- Mountains
- Forests
- Planet surface, need spacesuit
- Space, need spacesuit
- Domed/Underground City
Earth setting:
- 20th century
Spaceship setting:
- futuristic human warship
- alien spaceship
- futuristic human freighter/transport
- really, really giant spaceship/station
- one or two man fighter/scoutship
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body:
- humans in a primitive/fantasy society
- very controlled society
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Planet outside solar system?
Yes
Takes place in spaceship?
Yes
Not Earth, in Solar System?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- very explicit references to deaths and torture
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- some scientific explanation
- a significant amount of technical jargon
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- orgies
- actual description of sex
- description of breasts
- descript. of private male anat.
How much dialogue?
- mostly dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
TOP SCHOLAR: