Against a Dark Background

Iain M. Banks 1993 Buy from Amazon.com

Against a Dark Background is a novel about a woman who is a mercenary, an antiques hunter, and a noble. Sharrow’s family is no longer rich. Her grandfather Gorko amassed a fortune, and her father gambled it away. There is nothing left for her and her half-sister Breyguhn.

As the last of the female Dascen line, she is unwillingly involved in a blood feud with the cult known as the Huhsz. Her female ancestor stole a Lazy Gun from the Huhsz, and they believe their messiah cannot be born until either it is returned or all the female Dascens are dead. They have acquired hunting permits, the legal right to find her within a year and assassinate her.

Sharrow was a soldier in a brief war, and her team were bonded together using SynchroNeuroBonding. A short-cut to the familiarity that comes with working together for years, these teams know each other’s actions and reaction in battle. After the war, they worked as a team hunting down relics for money. Now Sharrow must gather the rest of her team before the Huhsz find her.

The story progresses through present time with interruptions from memories. Sharrow’s childhood and her years as a soldier are revealed slowly, and the rest of her team come to life with all of their shared history. Zefla, the voluptuous and beautiful blond with the brain of a lawyer, and her quiet brother Dloan. Cenuij, who has always disagreed with Sharrow, and finally fell in love with Breyguhn.

Perhaps the most influencial is Miz, Sharrow’s former lover and the father of the child she lost when injured in combat. The Miz shown in present time is fun and facetious, but Sharrow’s feeling for him are revealed in her fond memories of their time together.

Together the remaining members of the team try to hunt down the Lazy Gun to return it to the Huhsz. They have hints, Breyguhn believes that the key to the location is hidden in an antique book, the Universal Principles. But the book has been lost for thousands of years, and there doesn’t seem to be a way for the location of the Lazy Gun to be encoded in it.

There is plenty of adventuring in this book, and clever stories, and there are many instances that are quite poignant. Iain Banks writes with a dark and cynical humour, which is often perfect for the situations he describes. He makes it very easy to relate to Lady Sharrow, through all of her adventures, and she is a very human, and difficult, character.

Over the course of the book everything is stripped away from Sharrow, her friends, her safety, and her confidence in herself. When the truth about who is behind her problems is revealed, she is no longer even surprised.

Another interesting and deeply enjoyable novel by a brilliant author.

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