The Wasp Factory: Ian Banks

The Wasp Factory is superb. Beautiful and disturbing in equal measure. It's not for the faint-hearted admittedly but worth every unforgettable moment spent reading it.

I found it difficult to give this book a rating. It was more than OK but I can't say that I liked it, even though I found myself completely fascinated by the story.This book is about the world created around a twisted boy. His world is part fantasy but, due the freedom he is given by his father, he is allowed to turn most of his fantasys into reality.I can fully understand why this book was highly critically acclaimed. The story is timeless and will remain a classic for years to come. It could be set today or 50 years ago which makes it relevant to any time.It is written in the first person so the reader gets deep into Frank's head which is not a pleasant place to be.Even though I thought it was a good book, I didn't like it. There is a huge amount of detail about his day to day world and I didn't enjoy that, in fact, found myself skipping though a few sections where he talked about explosions and traps. Oddly, though, I could see why they needed to be there.Even though I didn't like it, I did find the book intriguing. I had tried to read it a while ago but gave up quickly because of the style. This time I stuck with it and got hooked by the secrets and had to keep reading to find out more about Frank.A deeply disturbing novel which was not for me but, at the same time, brilliantly written.

Needed less description of the scenery and more character development of the main protagonist. An OK read but could have been much better if followed the Misery format

I never heard of Iain Banks until I moved to Scotland. In Scotland, several people recommended I read him. Well, that and his name was often circulated with the likes of Ian Rankin, Walter Scott, Irvine Welsh, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, etc. as one of the pillars of Scottish literature. The book I kept hearing about (as a starter) was The Wasp Factory, so I decided to start there. For a while, I didn't know what to make of it. The (fictional?) island the protagonist Frank lived on was not far from Edinburgh, so I had little trouble imagining the setting, but I found Frank's rituals (bombing things, burning things, killing animals, etc.) disturbing and boring. The comedic bits seemed to fail. I thought about giving the novel up. However, I kept going and realized the story was a bizarre work of genius. It's amazing the writer also kept going; certainly most would have thought, "No, this is too out there," and abandoned the project. What is The Wasp Factory about? It's difficult to say. Essentially, it's about Frank, a troubled young man whose father has not registered his birth and has schooled him at home. Frank is clever, but sinister. He is also insane. So is his brother Eric, who has been institutionalized. Madness, it seems, runs in the family. Frank admits to homicide (early in the novel; and the back-cover copy tells you this) and you wonder if Diggs, the local cop, will ever put together that Frank is a killer. Or is Diggs only concerned about Eric, who has escaped from the mental ward? Questions form and Banks artfully answers them, but not in ways the reader could predict. Once I realized there was method to Banks's madness, I got stuck into this read. It's well-written; hard to believe it was the author's first. Unfortunately, while I was reading The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks died.Troy Parfitt is the author of Why China Will Never Rule the World

Banks takes you on a journey both real and imagined. Accompanying Frank exploring the rugged, forlorn terrain of the Scottish island, we are invited to join in the fantastic past times that see Frank through each day. The menace of Eric's return is a constant threat. The revelations of Frank's past an electric charge that jolts and leaves one frazzled. If this book doesn't stir your emotions, you'd better check your pulse.

Before reading, I knew nothing about the plot, only that the book was described to me by others as being not only brilliant, but also weird and rather disturbing. It was said to be unlike anything that I would likely have read before.Upon reading, I would say that is partly true. The story is told in the first person by Frank, a teenager verging on becoming an adult, though he recalls incidents from earlier in life, which help us to get a view on a very twisted individual. The reason I say 'partly' is because if one imagines a child half way between the protagonists of Catcher In The Rye and American Psycho then you might not be too far off. As it's written on the back cover, it is no great spoiler to say that he has murdered 3 people, all while he was under the age of criminal responsibility.But Frank's not the mad one in the family. Oh no, that title belongs to Eric. After all, he was the one who set fire to the dogs and who has just escaped from an institution. It is this escape that provides the impetus for the book's narrative. Mostly, it is told in flashback, with Frank recalling the details of how he killed his three victims and of how Eric got to be how he was.In so doing, what Banks presents us with is a work of a hugely twisted imagination. One wonders about someone's mental well-being if they had such an imagination to think this all up. In truth, though, I think it takes someone who recognises the potential of the depths of darkness that can dwell within in the human soul and who can handle that to be able to dissect it as Banks does. Because while this appears a novel about a disturbed teen, there is more than meets the eye. The Wasp Factory of the title is hinted at early on, but remains quite enigmatic for most of the novel, but when we see what it is, we get an excoriating critique of what Banks sees in religion.There are other critiques and layers that Banks piles on. All throughout the novel, in addition to the disturbing episodes (and there was one scene where I put the book down it was so disturbing) there was something else amiss. I tried to put my finger on it, but missed the clues that in retrospect were there, but which only fully revealed at the end. But for the sake of those who've not yet read it, I will leave that for you to discover. It is by no means an enjoyable book to read, that's the wrong word to use. But it is certainly a fine work of twisted fiction.

If you think you know where this is going, you probably don’t! I could not put this down. An easy enough read for such a shocking story.

Not my cuppa - although I've been hearing good reports of it over the years.

As I said above, it's not really his usual mature style, so at times it may feel a bit stilted, but it's got a decent plot.It's not worth its full price, tho'. Better wait for a hefty discount on it (below 1 or 2 €)

Iain Banks n'a pas écrit que de la science-fiction géniale. Ce livre totalement inclassable se situe entre fantastique et thriller , mais est plutôt simplement du registre de l'improbable où le malaise se mèle à l'humour (noir). Et c'est remarquablement écrit, avec une sorte de délicatesse horrible, presque perverse.

great