History Literature / UseOfWeapons

* AnachronicOrder: It tells one story going forward with alternating chapters going in the opposite direction to provide flashbacks to Zakalwe's past. This is so confusing with respect to the first and last chapters, that fans disagree on whether they detail past or future events. One online reviewer jokingly referenced the novel as [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Cheradenine Zakalwe]].

* DrivenToSuicide: The [[spoiler:real Cheradenine Zakalwe.]]

* HistoryRepeats: Zakalwe is painfully aware that he has a bad habit of repeatedly making the same mistake of over-entrenching in an unwinnable situation and then not withdrawing when he should. He is otherwise depicted as a brilliant military mind, capable of turning the tide in a war despite overwhelming odds. At the end of the book, [[spoiler:he accidentally wins an "unwinnable" war he joined the "wrong" side of, at ruinous cost of life and treasure, and when informed, he goes into a [[has a breakdown HeroicBSOD]].]]

* HistoryRepeats: Zakalwe is painfully aware that he has a bad habit of repeatedly making the same mistake of over-entrenching in an unwinnable situation and then not withdrawing when he should. He is otherwise depicted as a brilliant military mind, capable of turning the tide in a war despite overwhelming odds. At the end of the book, [[spoiler:he accidentally wins an "unwinnable" war he joined the "wrong" side of, at ruinous cost of life and treasure, and when informed, he goes into a HeroicBSOD.]]

'''''Use of Weapons''''' is a science-fiction novel of Literature/TheCulture by [[Creator/IainBanks Iain M. Banks]]. It focuses on Special Circumstances and their extensive use of the OmniscientMoralityLicense via the character of mercenary-extraordinaire Cheradenine Zakalwe, a man from outside of the Culture, but who does their dirty work.

* BaitTheDog: For a lot of the book, it's easy to think of Zakalwe as a really cool and {{Badass}} secret agent and to think that his handlers from the Culture are off-base when they refer to him as a dangerous psycho. Certain events in his past change that impression.

* LoveTriangle: Alluded to in the past segments, while Elethiomel holds Darkcense hostage during the civil war before the [[spoiler: Chairkmaking]] between Darkcense, Liveuta, and Elethiomel. [[spoiler: By the present segments of the story he's murdered the former and driven the latter to despise him for it.]] Ultimately though, Darkcense was only having sex with Elethiomel as an act of teenage rebellion, and Elethiomel claims to prefer Liveuta.

* {{Futureshadowing}}: all those references to the atrocious and enigmatic Chairmaker.

* ArcWords: The Chairmaker and the Chair.

* GeniusBruiser: Zakalwe doesn't look particularly burly, but he definitely fits the trope. He's an insanely competent (and insane) soldier, but he's also clearly a genius. Despite coming from outside the Culture, he figured out how to copy several Culture technologies, and can out-think Special Circumstances.

This is actually the first novel Iain Banks wrote, although it was published much later. Many consider it his masterpiece. As a side note, this article ''completely'' fails to do it justice, so be prepared for emotional gut punches by the dozen if you actually read it.

* AnachronicOrder: It tells one story going forward with alternating chapters going in the opposite direction to provide flashbacks to Zakalwe's past. This is so confusing with respect to the first and last chapters, that fans disagree on whether they detail past or future events. One online reviewer jokingly referenced the novel as [[TheMelancholyOfHaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Cheradenine Zakalwe]].

* MrViceGuy: Sma has, shall we say, a healthy attitude towards sex.
** Ironically given the Culture's attitudes to sexual relationships it is hard to see how this would be considered to be a vice even when it interferes with her Special Circustances duties.

** Ironically given the Culture's attitudes to sexual relationships it is hard to see how this would be considered to be a vice even when it interferes with the Special Circustances duties.

* ScarSurvey: Done by a poet-lover of Cheradenine Zakalwe, who's CoveredInScars as he's a mercenary for the Culture. Although he could lose the scars, he claims to keep them to impress girls. He ends up losing the scars after being decapitated, then given a new clone body, whereupon he sheds ManlyTears as EveryScarHasAStory.

* Futureshadowing: all those references to the atrocious and enigmatic Chairmaker.

* TheAtoner: Zakalwe tries and fails to be one of these. [[spoiler: Although the ending of ''TheCulture/SurfaceDetail'' suggests that he is still trying and has, to an extent, succeeded.]]

'''''Use of Weapons''''' is a science-fiction novel of ''Literature/TheCulture'' by [[Creator/IainBanks Iain M. Banks]]. It focuses on Special Circumstances and their extensive use of the OmniscientMoralityLicense via the character of mercenary-extraordinaire Cheradenine Zakalwe, a man from outside of the Culture, but who does their dirty work.

* TheAtoner: Zakalwe tries and fails to be one of these. [[spoiler: Although the ending of Surface Detail suggests that he is still trying and has, to an extent, succeeded.]]

* BaitTheDog: For a lot of the book, it's easy to think of Zakalwe as a really cool and BadAss secret agent and to think that his handlers from the Culture are off-base when they refer to him as a dangerous psycho. Certain events in his past change that impression.
* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:Elethiomel borders on this in a twisted way; part of him really has come to believe that he IS Cheradenine]]

* DarkAndTroubledPast: ''Oh, God.''

* [[spoiler:DeadPersonImpersonation]]

* TheHandler: Diziet Sma

* MonsterClown: Zakalwe commits an assassination dressed as a jester.
** The victim sees him as such, but it is suggested that Zakalwe's strikingly colourful outfit wouldn't look at all out of place in a Culture gathering.

* RoboticPsychopath: Skaffen-Amtiskaw
* StuffedIntoTheFridge: Darckense Zakalwe

* TwistEnding: The two main approaches to the ending is one story working forwards towards the events and a second story working backwards to their meaning. Keeping it a surprising twist under these circumstances is an achievement. [[spoiler: The twist is that Cheradenine of the novel is actually Elethiomel from the scenes set in childhood.]] It's subtly alluded to shortly beforehand: "The doctors were still struggling to save [Charadnine's] life when the soldiers trapped in the battlesip made a break for it. It was a good fight and they ''almost'' succeeded." [[spoiler:The ''doctors'' "almost succeeded", that is. Apparently, Elethiomel's forces ''did'' break out of the siege.]]

* WeaksauceWeakness: Cheradenine Zakalwe's aversion to chairs -- although it makes a lot of sense once you find out what "the chair" was.
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