
Arthur C. Clarke’s seminal sci-fi novel Childhood’s End charts a utopian alien invasion with a surprising twist. This beautiful new edition features the spectacular artwork of Grace Aldrich.
Book 3 of the 'Culture' series
Illustrated by Dániel Taylor
First Printing
Part mind-bending thriller, part haunting character study, this third 'Culture' novel twists time and loyalty into a heart-stopping sci-fi epic. A thrilling Folio edition with surreal, cinematic artwork from series artist Dániel Taylor.
Editor’s Note
- Sophia Schoepfer, Editor
Return to the universe of the Culture in book three of the iconic intergalactic series. This multi-layered novel cemented Iain M. Bank's place as one of the titans of modern science fiction.
Featuring dark and cinematic artwork by Dániel Taylor, this illustrated edition is bound in green cloth with striking electric blue details. It is a must-have for any sci-fi aficionado's collection.
Set in Garamond with Scene as display
464 pages
7 full-page colour illustrations
Full bound in blocked cloth
Slipcase bound in blocked texture paper with hidden illustration inside the slipcase
9½˝ x 6¼˝
‘I was really happy that Folio Society reached out to me about continuing the 'Culture' series with my illustrations, as I really became a big fan of Iain M. Banks, especially after finishing Player of Games, and I wanted to know more of the world he imagined. Use of Weapons to me felt a bit darker and quite complicated at first - kind of felt like a puzzle that slowly revealed itself - but it grabbed my attention early on and I just couldn’t put it down! It was also a fun challenge to imagine almost every scene, with the question in your mind “Could this be an illustration in the book?”’
- Dániel Taylor, Illustrator
A soldier, a shadow, a weapon with no master. Cheradenine Zakalwe is the Culture’s go-to operative for waging wars and toppling empires. But behind the ruthless efficiency lies a haunted past, riddled with betrayals and ghosts he can never outrun. Told in fractured timelines, Banks’s masterpiece is a puzzle box of memory and consequence, where every battle fought conceals a deeper, more terrible truth. When the final piece falls into place, it’s not war that will break him — but the knowledge of what he’s truly done.