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The Wasp Factory | 
 enlarge | Author: Iain Banks
Publisher: Little, Brown
Category: Book
List Price: £14.99
Buy Used: £8.20
You Save: £6.79 (45%)
Used (2) from £8.20
Rating:  96 reviews
Sales Rank: 387685
Media: Hardcover
Edition: New edition
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 1
ISBN: 0316858560
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780316858564
ASIN: 0316858560
Publication Date: July 5, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Ex- Library, fep's removed, usual stamps and stickers and protective plastic cover, very clean and tidy throughout. Fast dispatch from UK 120
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| Customer Reviews: Read 91 more reviews...
 sometimes it's better not to revisit old friends November 7, 2008
An avid reader (Newcastle upon Tyne)
I loved this book, loved it, it was fantastic, the best thing I had ever read, Iain Banks was the greatest living writer........but..............
that was 16 years ago and I was but still a teenager.
Now safely in my thirties and having had my eyes opened to the big, wild, cruel world, I decided to read it again.
Was it as good as I remembered? - Well, sadly no.
Was it as shocking as I remembered? - no.
To be honest, the plot struck me as paper thin, the graphic violence a little dull and the shock ending simply not that shocking (obviously I knew the ending, but my wife read it for the first time before I re read it and she didnt find it particularly shocking either, nor did she flinch at the violence), and why didnt I notice that Banks writing style is....well, a little boring? lacking in a little bit of flair?
It probably says a lot more about the state of the world and society that this book is no longer as shocking and violent as it was once considered, than it does about the book itself.
The fact is that books like Silence of the Lambs and TV programmes like Messiah are a hell of a lot more graphic and shocking than this and have numbed society to such an extent that this book no longer stands out from the crowd of crime/thriller/horror books.
I wish I hadnt re read it, then I would still hold it dear to my heart.
Still a decent book (and probably still a great book if youre a teenager), but now, sadly, a middle of the road horror book rather than the groundbreaking gothic debut it once was.
Bug Sprayed October 19, 2008
Oliver Redfern (London, UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This novel apparently caused controversy when first published in 1984. Either reviewers couldn't handle its sadism and gore (because they clearly were not aware of a genre called "horror" until this book landed on their desks) or they thought Banks was a brand new Scottish voice that needed to be heard.
A teenage boy lives on a deserted island with his father, disconnected from the Scottish mainland and civil society. The boy, Frank, has an older brother locked away in a mad house, and a history of mysterious deaths in his family's past. As a narrator, he's a typical teenage boy, with obsessions of all kinds: weapons, violence, punk music and sex (or the lack of it). But can he be believed? None of the reviews I've read seem to have picked up on the general absurdities in Frank's narrative, to the point where it makes it hard to separate what is real and what is exageration, bravado. It's a shame, too, that the main plot twist in the end (and the book's original selling point) is so obvious for any modern reader used to western life. It doesn't help that Frank feels the need to explain the plot twist either, taking away the surprise's intended punch and deflating what could have been a neat slice of horror.
 Black comedy at its best September 26, 2008
John M (UK)
To enjoy this book you need an appreciation of black comedy. Well written in a tongue in cheek manner and very easy to read. The 'wasp factory' of the title is a very creative invention. Worryingly though, one can easily imagine that somewhere a character like the anti-hero of the story really exists! I can see that this is a book that you either like or loathe, but those who don't like it probably didn't get the joke!
Graphically gory, but good writing July 12, 2008
BookWorm (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Full of graphically described and inventive unpleasantness, the Wasp Factory is not a pleasant read and requires a strong stomach. I couldn't bring myself to read all of it as I'm not a fan of pointless gore. However, it is well written and I've given it three stars as it would be a good read for someone who likes this sort of thing.
If you like horror films or the type of shows that feature lots of explicit gore, then you'll probably enjoy this. A reviewer describes it as the 'literary equivalent of a video nasty', which is quite an apt description. I would think it would appeal more to men than women, on the whole, and younger men in particular.
Banks is a good writer and I would read another of his books, but only if it had less of a focus on torturing small animals than this one does.
 Drivel. Don't believe the hype. June 20, 2008
N. Weatherspoon (Northumberland, UK)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Since this book was first published I deliberately ignored the hype and didn't buy the book. Having read some of his science fiction books I thought it time to give it a go and on the strength of all the 5 star reviews finally bought it. What a disappointment. A book full of caricatures and stereotypes who meander through a "plot" that is clearly a collection of idle thoughts and drink or drug fuelled "great ideas" supposedly aimed at producing a feeling of horror in us all. From the ridiculous and improbable murders (particularly the one with the kite)to the poor renditions of OCD, autism and Asbergers Syndrome I am amazed the publishers even took it up. It might appeal to a ten year old but even they would feel let down by the pathetic attempt at a twist at the end. Awful. Avoid it unless you enjoy feeling short changed.
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