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Against a Dark Background

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Against a Dark Background

By: Iain M. Banks
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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About this listen

The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. With breathtaking imagination and extraordinary storytelling, they have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.

Lady Sharrow was once the fearless leader of a combat team in one of the sporadic little commercial wars in the vicinity of the planet Golter. Now she is hunted by the Huhsz - a religious cult hellbent on assassinating her - and her only hope of escape is to ­find the last of the apocalyptically powerful Lazy Guns before the Huhsz track her down.

Her journey through the exotic Golterian system is a destructive and savage odyssey into her past, and that of her family and of the system itself.

Books by Iain M. Banks:
Consider Phlebas
The Player of Games
Use of Weapons
Excession
Inversions
Look to Windward
Matter
Surface Detail
The Hydrogen Sonata
The State of the Art
Against a Dark Background
Feersum Endjinn
The Algebraist

©1993 Iain M. Banks (P)2012 Hachette Digital Science Fiction Fiction

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Critic reviews

"Imaginatively brilliant." (Daily Mail)
"Banks ain't kidding. He warned you up front that this is a dark novel." (Norman Spinrad)

"Few of us have been exposed to a talent so manifest and of such extraordinary breadth." (The New York Review of Science Fiction)
All stars
Most relevant

Would you try another book written by Iain M. Banks or narrated by Peter Kenny?

Love Peter Kenny, Great reader. I have many Iain M Banks books in my library. Can't get enough of the Culture Series.

If you’ve listened to books by Iain M. Banks before, how does this one compare?

This doesn't stack up against his other novels. A lot of back tracking that adds little to the story.

What does Peter Kenny bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Peter Kenny is very expressive and engaging, I could listen to him for hours...Oh hang on. I have listened to him for hours and enjoyed every one of them.

If this book were a film would you go see it?

Probably not to be quite honest.

Any additional comments?

Loved the characters and the reading but found the diversions into character history distracting from the story itself.

Good story but cluttered

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Visceral experience. Science Fiction delivering the biggest ideas and best writing again. Read this book.

Phenomenal

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Liked how it wasn’t a complete happy ending. And that it was realistic in words and actions

Harrow her self

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This was my second listen on Audible of a book I’d read twice before. I love the novels of Iain M Banks and I do miss the excitement of something new! I also get disappointed when we’re not in the culture but it’s still fabulous.

For me he blends peril, character of all types, humour, aesthetic brilliance & cracking narrative.

Characters to love…

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This is my first Iain Banks novel since he passed away and I was concerned I'd be too upset to enjoy it fully... but figured it was time. I needn't have worried; this book is so much fun all thoughts of the author's sad passing were soon pushed to the back of my mind. I guess this is how writing can bestow a kind of immortality on an author.

While this is one of Banks' science fiction novels, it isn't part of his Culture series. This is a great little space opera/heist adventure/action extravaganza with some deep thinkin' mixed in for good measure. This being Banks, said thoughts are often woven into the plot with a liberal dose of humour. In fact, I'm pretty sure some of these aspects would make Douglas Adams smile.

If you're not already a fan of Banks, I'd recommend this to fans of Firefly, Killjoys, Saga and (dare I say it?) Star Wars. This certainly isn't Banks' best work but it's a Hell of a lot of fun and I enjoyed it so much I went back and re-read it from the beginning as soon as I finished it!

P.S. - Banks wrote an epilogue to this novel which he posted online but never added to any published copy of the book. It's rather nice and brings things full circle (sort of). A quick search online should find it.

You want a strong, female protagonist? Here 'tis.

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