Rating: 
Summary: Ultimately unimportant
Review: Banks' use of language is excellent, his descriptions evocative. The book gets carried away with very detailed accounts of very obsessive violent adolescent behaviors. Some find value in the shocking acts of sociopathy; some are repulsed by them. I am neither: they seemed pointless. I kept reading, because it was my book club's selection and because I hoped to finally get to what was supposed to make the book great. I finished the book but never found its value.
Rating: 
Summary: Controversial but nonetheless completely gripping horror
Review: Before reading The Wasp Factory pretty much all that I knew of it was the controversy that surrounded the novel upon its release. Whilst a lot of the book has to do with this controversy, it's definitely unfair to say that this is all Banks has to offer with his debut novel. Telling the tale of 16 year-old Frank who, living with his father on a remote Scottish island, has already murdered 3 people and seems obssessed by The Factory, that determines his action.Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the novel, and probably what offended so many people, is the light-hearted comical view of the horrors that surround the protagonist. As Frank relates how he murdered his relations in startlingly original and unexpectated way, he does so in such a blasé fashion it's almost as if he's reading out a grocery list. Consequently it seems strange that what in the end lightens the horror of murders of young children in an obviously ironic fashion should prove so offensive. Still, that certainly doesn't mean that there aren't several incredibly disturbing scenes which definitely rate among the most horrific things I've ever read before. In particular, the circumstances that dictate Frank's elder brother Eric's madness are absolutely horrific and fairly difficult to read due to the extreme content of it. Already a cult novel it's obvious to see why The Wasp Factory has garnered so much acclaim, in particular due to the shock ending that makes a warped kind of sense in it's over-the-top fashion but will still cause your eyes to open even wider than they were whilst you were busy reading the rest of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Iain Banks's breakout novel
Review: This is an archtypical book for angry young men. It's terribly violent, it's terribly disturbing and it's terribly good. Rated as one of the 100 best British novels of the 20th century, the book takes you through a horribly visual tour of the psyche of young Frank, the island he lives on, his family and friends. But what boggles the mind is how well written it is. If you can get past the violence, you'll probably enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: Read it, it's great. When I finished it I was thinking about it for weeks. What a guy. Have read lots of Banks since, and find him an excellent writer, but this is still my fave. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Great book...until the end.
Review: This book was great, but fizzled at the end. To be fair, I can't imagine a better ending, but I didn't try very hard. He's obviously a great writer, but this one fell flat.
Rating: 
Summary: ANIMAL CRUELTY!!
Review: I couldn't stand this book. Actually I didn't even get past the second chapter. The constant references to animal cruelty disgusted and disturbed me so much that I couldn't go on. ...
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, definitely worth your time!
Review: I found this book to live up to all the (good) hype about it. Even though a review on this site tipped me off to the ending, I wasn't disappointed at all. Iain Banks made the protagonist so likable that I found much of this book to be very amusing, despite the animal sacrifice, etc. :)
Rating:
Summary: Diary of a Psycho
Review: I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys twisted stories and takes them for what they are. This book is not for everyone, there are graphic descriptions of death and such. If people read this book looking for a complete story with a happy ending that settles everything then they will be disappointed. However, if you read The Wasp Factory to enjoy a tale seen through the eyes of a teenage psycho and how he experiences the world you will be thoroughly entertained. It is a fairly short but entertaining read, and the ending is worth the wait. I would also recommend The Bridge by Iain Banks.
Rating:
Summary: Glad I found it.
Review: I came across this book by accident, finding it at work one night. In about four hours, I had the book read. I read it again the next morning. It is a fantastic piece of literature, especially for teens and twenty-somethings. It's about a boy, the feeling that he's missing something, and his "adventures" in finding out his truth in a completely different manner than books like Catcher in the Rye. Bizarre, twisted, and great beyond measure. I have a new found love for Scottish literature.
Rating:
Summary: banks best by far
Review: one of the few books which can stand up to rereading. the black humour and twisted original plot are never equaled unfortunately in banks subsequent work.
on the strength of this book many have plowed through banks other fiction, but this is deservadley a cult classic.
every plot device works to beat a frenzy toward the end of dark malicious humour and a delicious sting in the tale.
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