Cheradenine Zakalwe

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Cheradenine Zakalwe is the fictional anti-hero of the novel Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks.

As a child his cousin and rival was Elethiomel, but later in life they headed opposite factions in a civil war. His sisters are called Livueta and Darkense.

After Zakalwe's death, Elethiomel assumed his identity and was recruited by the Culture's euphemistically named Special Circumstances to work as an agent interfering in primitive (compared to the Culture) civilizations.

One stream of Use of Weapons deals with the Culture's attempts to re-enlist Elethiomel (as Zakalwe) for another "job", the task itself and the payment that Elethiomel wishes for it. The other, which is told from end to beginning, describes earlier "jobs" that Elethiomel has performed for the Culture, ultimately returning to his pre-Culture career as a general on his homeworld.