_Against a Dark Background_ by Iain M. Banks is a sometimes dark, action-packed, science fiction novel about a woman who is fleeing a religious sect that wants her dead. The sect has a legal one-year contract on her life, so she must evade them for a year. However, she believes that they will stop hunting her if she can get them an ultimate weapon called the Lazy Gun. The characters are ultrahip and the story is fast-paced. Recommended for people who like action sci-fi.