Friday, December 21, 2001
Title: Against A Dark Background
Author: Iain M. Banks
Publisher: Orbit
Strangely despite having read the bulk of Iain Banks books to date, I have never actually gotten round to reading any of his science fiction work under the name Iain M. Banks, that is until now. Starting at random with Against A Dark Background as I have I find it to be quite an enjoyable piece of space opera and conspiracy.
Sharrow is part of an old and influential family, who have made some enemies in their time. The religious cult, the Huhsz believe that they are being held back by transgressions committed by Sharrow's ancestors. The only solution is to kill off the female line or for the object that was stolen and started all this to be returned. With an approved licence to kill Sharrow she has limited options if she wants to stay alive - go on the run or give them the object. Unfortunately that object just happens to be a Lazy Gun an insanely powerful weapon, with only one left in existence, and it hasn't been seen for 1000's of years. Getting her old team together she goes on the run, forced by events to flee from the cult but also to search desperately for the weapon.
The darkness of the title comes from the success of Sharrow's flight, how the enemy always seems to be so close. Along with which she finds herself caught up on too many sides by conspiracies she doesn't have time to follow and given circumstances can't keep up with. Overall Banks keeps the pace high, so that the flow of the book strikes as being full on. Through that he manages to work in the details of the characters and their histories, put in the context of a futuristic society with a dense back history. Against A Dark Background works well enough that I will be likely to read more Iain M. Banks in the near future.
RVWR: PTR
December 2001
