Rating: 
Summary: Twisted Story
Review: I saw this book in the school library, the blurb attracted me to it straight away and i just had to take the book out.The story line is amazing and the writing is so detailed that you really want to finish the book to find out what the story's about. Iain Banks twisted lterature is brill.
Rating: 
Summary: This can not be an Ian M. Banks book
Review: I have not read this book, but I will. My only reason for writng this is that this is supposedly an Ian M. Banks book. As far as I know this is not an Ian M. Banks book, i.e. its a Ian Banks book. This means it is a book written by the exact (I hope for his sake) same man, but written in a different tradition. Does that really matter, you may ask. Yes it should, because this is not a science fiction book! Banks write "normal" books under Ian Banks and science fiction under Ian M. Banks; just check the cover on the top of the Amazones page and you will seee that I am right - or the cover is wrong (whatever). Ian Banks writes science fiction under the name Ian M. Banks. Thats well known. I was lucky enough to hear him talk about his books in Edinburgh a couple of months ago where he got a question about why he uses the M. He told us that it was his publisher who wanted him to use the M. to send a signal to readers that these books were different (science fiction). The M. he explained came from his grandfather who was a miner, and whos name was Banks Mingus, and who at some time had to flee the law. To be sure that he would not be found he switched the names and became Mingus Banks, so thats where the M comes from. As I have to give it stars I will give it 5. If I am wrong, I will write a new review and recify it.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly written, gratuitous tripe sweeps nation
Review: Save yourself the ten bucks - The Wasp Factory is about the single most simplistic, poorly written & juvenile attempt at naked shock value that I've ever had the displeasure to rest my eyes on. If you do plan on reading this worthless piece of trash, do yourself a favor and skip the last chapter. The "shocking surprise ending" is nothing of the sort. No stars, I really really really (thats three) hated this book - It sucks. Iain Banks is a cheap huckster. I wasted my money, I feel used. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A darkly comic treat
Review: "The Wasp Factory" is indeed a great read for anyone who has even the faintest streak of misanthropy. The lead character,Francis,is one to envy in some ways because he exercises his disdain toward others(children and animals,especially)with such lack of conscience.It's frightenly refreshing. Still,the funny bits come when his "evil"demeanor backfires on him in situations that he has little control over.Also,playing the long suffering child to his distant father is humorous. It's definately a good read for those cold,gloomy days where you just want to curl up with a cup of your favorite beverage and be introverted.
Rating:
Summary: Then he was a she.
Review: On a small island, joined to the mainland by a narrow bridge, in a remote part of Scotland Frank Cauldhame is the Laird of his domain. He surrounds himself with his Sacrifice Poles, which he ritualistically adorns with small-animal body parts, and his ultimate contrivance, The Factory, sited in the loft of his father's house. The Factory is made up of a scrapped clock-tower clock face laid flat, and modified to incorporate trap doors leading to an acid bath, a flame pit, and so on. The Factory is safe from his father's interference because Frank's father has a bad leg - the result of being mown down by his determinedly departing ex-wife on her 500cc BSA motorcycle, its petrol tank emblazoned with the Eye of Suaron, a few days after she has given birth to Frank's younger brother, Paul - and can't climb into the loft. Up to a point Frank is pretty much in control, and, by way of various schemes, kills Paul, his cousin Esmerelda, and another boy, Blythe. The consequences of a phase he was going through, Frank tells us in conjunction with the telling of how he attends to the destruction of a local rabbit colony using catapulted steelies ( ball bearings), and a flame thrower made up from a plastic squeeze-bottle. Frank's only sign of remorse from the rabbit episode is directed towards his catapult, The Black Destroyer, irreparably damaged when he has to club one of the flamed rabbits to death with it, when the injured rabbit tries to attack him. Frank buries The Black Destroyer with the aid of his trowel, Stout Stroke. And then there's Eric, Frank's older brother, an ex-medical student with a habit of setting animals, mostly dogs, on fire. He's on his way home to the island, a trail of destruction in his wake. But Frank has been forewarned by The Factory, and subsequently, Eric's lunatic phone calls. The Wasp Factory was the first of Iain Bank's books I read, and re-read recently to see how it compared to the others that I'd read since. It's not quite as polished as his later works, yet demonstrates the power that has become his trademarks: the strong literary drive, and those really articulate descriptions of things and scenes. On the other hand, The Wasp Factory has saddled him with the need to imbue a lot of his output with what can best be described as obligatory horror. For example: The chair in Use of Weapons. The millstone, and cannon scenes in A Song of Stone. With The Business he has managed to break away from this tendency, without any problems that I could see. The Wasp Factory isn't really a work of horror, but it's streets ahead of most of those who are credited with the writing of such.
Rating:
Summary: An absolutley miraculous piece of writing!
Review: The Wasp Factory is an absolutely miraculous piece of writing. The unique word choices and unmatched, imaginative descriptions pulled me right into its fictional world. Don't pass this novel up. Not only is this book a well-developed piece of entertainment, it is also encouragement to aspiring writers.
Rating:
Summary: Cobblers
Review: The reviews that are emblazoned across the opening pages of this book are both good and bad. The one constant in all of them, however, is the use of words such as "grotesque" and "sadistic". I can only help but think that printing all the reviews is a ploy by the publishers to intrigue would-be buyers into finding out just how depraved this book is. Of all the reviews on show, The Times is the most accurate when it describes this first novel from Scottish author Iain Banks as "rubbish". The gist of the story is that Frank is a 16 year old boy living with his father on an otherwise uninhabited Scottish island. Frank is unusual in that he does not officially exist and has made a habit of killing other children in his recent past. Frank is obsessive about his island defences as well as his routines and of-course, his fascination with death. Added to the story are the unusual father, a mad older brother, a dwarf called Jamie, policeman Diggs and Mrs. Clamp. All are odd and all, except Diggs, are in the story to add a degree of non-normality. Mrs. Clamp, as far as I can tell is only present so that Frank can think about how easy it would be to lock her in the freezer. The book is aimed to shock. At its release in 1984 it caused quite a stir. As one of the reviews notes, there is no label for this book. It is not a horror because the author makes light of any possible situation in a way that leaves the "horror factor" to a minimum . It is not a psychological novel because there is not enough depth to the issues of the mind. Instead the author goes somewhere between the two, leaving the reader with a confused piece of work that is too unbelievable to ever frighten and far too simple to make the reader think. At the end of this novel there is a short chapter entitled "What happened to me". This is the final nail in the coffin as Banks proceeds to tell the reader why Frank did the things he did. I personally would have preferred to sit back and come to my own conclusions, whether they are right or wrong. I do not appreciate having things explained to me. That to my mind is a sign of weakness on the part of the author. I think it shows that an author believes in their own mind that they have not expressed themselves well enough in the story. That is akin to failure and "The Wasp Factory" certainly fails.
Rating:
Summary: No wonder this became so honoured a novel...
Review: Like many of his books, this is a like/hate. This time, I like it. Why would anyone hate it? Simply, because it's too much for them. I have an aunt who read two of his books: this one and Complicity. She liked Complicity but although she started on The Wasp Factory, when the Rabbits made an appearance she decided, "alright. This book is gratuitously violent; I'm not reading it." I wouldn't blame anyone if they had to suddenly give up on it for obvious reasons, but if you can read horror on this level it is a treat. Why? My personal analysis: better and better. It starts off pretty shallow with the introduction to Frank, his dad and his mysterious brother. The revelations about people he killed add to the read and feel of the book. The violent scenes that follow and an oddly amusing part where Frank drinks too much get you hooked until the climax of the novel: a revelation of itself. If you can take it, read it. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: One heluva whiz bang roller coaster ride
Review: This book was definetly everything i didn't expect. My South African uncle, who is of British decent as well as an illegal alien recommended this book to me last harvest season. The book's not very engaging in the first 40 pages, but afterwards, you better hold on to your hat. Because this baby's pulling out all the stops and ain't goin' to halt even if you cry for mama. Iain Banks paints a somewhat absurd, but extremely entertaining portrait of a 17 year old named Frank. I will refrain from speaking about Frank, as anything i say will ruin the plot, which has been crafted with more twists and turns than an expert knot tier sees in a lifetime. The only downside to this book is that it never really captivates females, as it seems a bit male-orientated, which all changes in the end of book. I've read a few other works by Iain Banks, and this is by far the best. For those of you interested in something a different, and an experience similar to having the top of your skull removed, brains thrown in a blender, set to frappe, and then reinserted into the bloodied, empty cavity, this ones for you. For all you other's out there who want to "play it safe", may i recommend the fine works of Dr. Seuss. Of course green eggs and ham doesn't sound very appetizing after the process described above. Good day
Rating: 
Summary: .
Review: I found 'The Wasp Factory' enjoyable mainly for its ideas and certain aspects of its style. That is to say, I liked the Factory itself, I liked the sacrifice poles, and the accounts of the murders, and basically everything having anything to do with Frankie's odd, personalized occult system. I enjoyed the distorted sense of reality and the surreal atmosphere. And I was rather charmed with Frankie's father, a fascinating, well-painted, amusing, and somewhat creepy character. Most everything else about the book annoyed or disappointed me in some way. My appreciation for Frankie's father didn't extend to his brother Eric, who didn't feel real enough and was WAY too cliche-insane, particularly in his (weak) phone conversations w/ Frankie. And Frankie himself didn't feel nearly as fleshed-out as he should've been: he always felt somehow off to me, as if the author didn't quite have a full handle on him. In general, I liked the ideas and the style of the story, but I didn't like the way the text carried them. The writing felt a bit awkward and tell-tale-ish ("I went to the beach and then I did this and then I got tired so I rode my bike along the creek and when I got to the bump I jumped it like I used to as a kid and finally I got back to the house for lunch and ... etc. etc.) -- and at points it was flat-out boring. The atmosphere of the actual story and the style of the *writing* seemed somehow at odds with each other. I never felt quite as immersed or gripped as I felt I could have been, had the author known how to render his material more effectively. I found the unusual ending of the book interesting in and of itself, but I didn't feel like the story had really built up to this particular revelation. In general I felt as if Mr. Banks had made up the entire story more or less as he went along, maybe going back to add in something here and there. It didn't feel very cohesively orchestrated as fiction. When all is said and done, I did enjoy the book and am glad I picked it up. But I don't see why anyone would herald it as a "masterpiece" in any respect, aside from goth dorks who equate anything with a dark/mystical atmosphere with "brilliance." The ideas and details are strong, but the book as a whole is mediocre at best.
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