The wasp factory is the first book written by iain banks, it is also the first of his books ive read. The second in the alex morrow series, the end of the wasp season is a book that it would be possible to read before the earlier. Then it dawned on me that this story is really in line with where our culture is. I suspect that iain banks wasp factory character frank cauldhame was inspired by shirley jacksons merricat, as these two darkly memorable teenagers share a great many quirks the totems and protections to secure their respective fortresses, the obsessive superstitions that govern their daily lives and routines, their isolation. When i had finished reading the wasp factory, i was trying to figure out what was the whole point of this. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. The wasp factory by iain banks, 9780349101774, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Iain banks on the wasp factory iain banks speaks to john mullan about his novel the wasp factory and takes questions from the audience at the. Frank cauldhame, the teenager from whose viewpoint the book is related, lives a free lifestyle with his crippled father, eagerly awaiting the return home of his elder brother eric. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. I reached over for a large tin on my right, prised the tight lid off with my knife and used a small teaspoon inside to place some of the white mixture from the tin on to a round metal plate in front of the old dogs skull. Jun 27, 20 the wasp factory by iain banks, 97803499180, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The wasp factory is 244 pages long, ive read it twice, and have never read a book like it.
The book is full of physical and emotional violence, but its decidedly not gratuitous. The wasp factory by iain banks goodreads share book. The wasp factory itself, we eventually find out, is an elaborately constructed mechanism. Jun 21, 20 in fact, he was witty as hell even when he was writing about his own mortality. Before the publication of the wasp factory, banks had written several science fiction novels that had not been accepted for publication. Books similar to the wasp factory goodreads share book. The wasp factory is as amusing as it is scary and the way that iain banks mixes these two ingredients together plays a big part in giving the book its unique literary flavour. Wasp is a 1957 science fiction novel by english author eric frank russell.
The wasp factory, a darkly comic piece of scottish gothic fiction. The polarizing literary debut by scottish author ian banks, the wasp factory is the bizarre, imaginative, disturbing, and darkly comic look into the mind of a child psychopath. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. The crow road, a crossgenerational family saga with elements of a detective story. The wasp factory is a 1984 novel written by iain banks. Im always halfway through it and i think its just really really boring, nothing ever happens except of flashbacks, and even these are boring.
Masculinity, men and monsters in frankenstein and the wasp factory an commentary. The job of the wasp was an enigmatic, unsettling, and occasionally frustrating reading experience. Home the wasp factory the wasp factory by banks, iain book condition. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. The book has appeared on a number of greatest horror lists and in a poll was even named one of the top 100 novels of the century. The book meanders to an ending that makes absolutely no sense. It reminded me a lot of the wasp factory, shirley jackson and, weirdly at times, hot fuzz. A novel and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. The guardian books podcast guardian book club podcast. Having previously read and enjoyed the crow road and raw spirit, and having watched and read tributes to him at the time of his death, i wanted to read his first novel. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app.
Ny times favorite book cover designs of 2012 we asked people in and around the world of graphic design to name one of their favorite book covers from 2012 and briefly describe its appeal. The controversy is a bit puzzling in retrospect, because there is little to object to in this novel, if youre familiar with genre horror. That was where i got all the old aerosols for the last war, not to mention several important parts of the wasp factory, including the face itself. The wasp factory ends with frances reconnecting with eric. Terry pratchett author of the discworld series of fantasy books stated that he cant imagine a funnier terrorists handbook. He has no birth certificate and no national insurance card. Review of the wasp factory by iain banks navigating the. This study guide consists of approximately 32 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the wasp factory. Were taking a step into even darker territory now, with another book off of my housemates shelf. Alan macgillivrays scotnote provides an overview of iain bankss fiction, and focuses on three novels in particular. The wasp factory by iain banks, 97803498909, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Its as dark and disturbing a book as ive read in a long time, full of brooding violence, creepy religious ritual and with a killer ending. He gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels. Jun 27, 20 the wasp factory was written almost 30 years ago by iain banks, who sadly died in 20.
The opening chapters of the book introduces the reader to the three women at the centre of this story ds alex morrow, kay murray who worked for sarah erroll and sarah herself, 24 years old, murdered in a house that. This summary of the wasp factory includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. Free delivery worldwide on over 20 million books we use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Everything about this book is set up to keep the reader offbalance, from the disturbingly fleshy cover to the narrator a pubescent boy who sounds anything but to the setting, which feels completely isolated and wholly outside of a specific time.
I hadnt been to the dump for a while, and it was about time i went to see what the good folk of porteneil had thrown out. I have been reading iain banks and iain m banks books since his brilliant debut novels the wasp factory and consider phlebas and so it is with a rather sad frame of mind that i began to read the quarry his last non science fiction novel. Two years after i killed blyth i murdered my young brother paul, for quite different and more fundamental reasons than id disposed of blyth, and. A novel and millions of other books are available for.
Book depository is the worlds most international online bookstore offering over 20 million books with free delivery worldwide. The wasp factory by iain banks, 9780684853154, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. It tells the story of frank cauldhame, your average sixteen yearold murdererous sociopath who lives with his highly secretive father on an isolated island in north east scotland. The wasp factory takes us to franks childhood and slowly reveals more about the reason for franks madness and why frank murdered 3 of his family members. Each drawer, not much larger than a small matchbox, held the body of a wasp which had been through the factory. This is a book i had not heard of before, not until it was placed into my hands with a i think you will like this one too. Home services handpicked professionals happiness guarantee. The universe is worse without him, but was improved by his 59 years of existence. Gravitys rainbow by thomas pynchon, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Goodreads members who liked the wasp factory also liked. I didnt know what to expect, but it certainly wasnt that. Jul 18, 2008 iain banks speaks to john mullan about his novel the wasp factory and takes questions from the audience at the guardian book club. The wasp factory by author iain banks two years after i killed blyth i murdered my young brother paul, for quite different reasons than id disposed of blyth, and then a year after that i did for my young cousin esmerelda, more or less on a whim. Fashioned from a giant clock face that frank has discovered on the town dump, it is a precise network of.
Since then he has gained enormous popular and critical acclaim with further works of fiction and, as iain m. Oct 08, 20 great premise, frank is interesting and the idea of the wasp factory is great. The wasp factory is the first novel by scottish writer iain banks, published in 1984. The wasp factory is the first novel by scottish author, iain banks, and has been listed as one of the top 100 novels of the century by the independent. He lives on an island unnamed off the cost of scotland with his father, angus. The polarizing literary debut by scottish author ian banks, the wasp factory is the bizarre, imaginative, disturbing, an. The effect of secrets on both the secretkeeper and the ones secrets are kept from is a major theme that runs throughout the wasp factory. Yes, the wasp factory has a lot of disturbing images of a psychotic youth committing violence on people and animals. The wasp factory was written almost 30 years ago by iain banks, who sadly died in 20. The wasp factory by iain banks and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The wasp factory by iain banks, 97803499180, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Frank and angus both keep secrets from one another, damaging the. The book is recommended very often on reddit, so i started to read it. Does the wasp factory get better in the second half. Time magazine included the book in its list of the 100 best englishlanguage. Read the wasp factory a novel by iain banks available from rakuten kobo. Iain banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, the wasp factory, in 1984. Fashioned from a giant clock face that frank has discovered on the. The wasp factory was a difficult book to get into, i will admit. Wasp is generally considered russells best novel the title of wasp comes from the idea that the main characters actions and central purpose mimic that particular insect.
Iain banks the wasp factory, the crow road and whit. The novel by iain banks, the wasp factory tells the story of 16yearold frank cauldhame. Frank cauldhame captures wasps and uses them to provide answers and predictions in the secret wasp factory he. The character has no motivation for what they did other than one line in the book and even that isnt a good enough reason.
The wasp factory, by iain banks, has garnered many accolades since its initial release in 1984. The wasp factory is a incredibly disturbing book, and i loved every word. The best books ever written, selected by book depository customers. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. In fact, he was witty as hell even when he was writing about his own mortality. Iain banks on the wasp factory iain banks speaks to john mullan about his novel the wasp factory and takes questions from the audience at the guardian book. Whit, the crow road and the wasp factory scotnotes study guides by a. Iain banks the wasp factory, the crow road and whit book. If you create a free account and sign in, you will be able to customize what is displayed. Banks decided to try a more mainstream novel in the hopes that it would be more readily accepted, and wrote about a psychopathic teenager living on a remote scottish island. So, thinking about him and unable to sleep, i finally picked up the wasp factory to see if it was as distressing as everyone had told me it was. The narrator, whose cool prose is sometimes a bit too sophisticated for credibility, is 16yearold frank cauldhame, living outside a remote.
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