Rating: 
Summary: Truly world class litterature!
Review: I have only read the first 10 books by Iain (M) Banks, both "mainstream" and SF, but of all of them, my favourite is without doubt, "The Bridge".If you're thinking of trying a book by Iain Banks, this is the one to start with, but beware: Banks is habit-forming!
Rating: 
Summary: Dang it!
Review: I loved Bank's Player of Games and liked The Wasp Factory. I was so excited about The Bridge, but now so disappointed. I never imagined I would get through half of it and decide to quit. The book takes such a huge effort to read. I have never struggled to like a book so much, yet at this point I just want to forget about the confusing dialogs, the wildly fluctuating scenes and the crawling pace. The dialog that frequents the book with nearly every word misspelled for dialect nearly drove me insane! This book is somehow off-the-wall and dull at the same time.
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Summary: A huge dream and a nightmare all mixed up. Brilliant!
Review: I read this book when it came out a long time ago, after reading Wasp Factory. I couldn't wait. It is to this day the most involving and mind wrenching of love stories I've ever read. A mix of the brooding spaces of the English Patient, the never-quite-get-her-angst of John Le Carre, and the building adrenaline rush of early Robert Ludlum, oh, and add a big bucket of Italo Calvino, Philip K. Dick and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I just can't think of anybody else that can twist it all together like Mr Banks. I can't look at the Forth Rail Bridge the same way again, it is now a big labyrinth built by Banks. This is a must buy book, if you like any of the above (well maybe not Ludlum...) go get it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bad Day at the office
Review: I think that Iain Banks would have to admit that this was not among his stronger stories, the writing is still excellent, and his prose is amongst the best of his contemporaries, but the Bridge requires too much concentration to be a truly engaging read. The theme seems borrowed from Irvine Welsh's Marabou Stork nightmares and although the coma world is elaborately constructed it seems a little too predictable and immediately lacks the suspense of Welsh's work. It is difficult to read, I wonder if this might have benefited from tighter editing, or a more interesting plot. Banks has certainly not lost his Midas touch, but perhaps there is evidence at last that he is only human afterall. Read it but don't expect another wasp factory.
Rating:
Summary: Are you kidding?
Review: I was stunned that some are lukewarm about this Banks book. It may be weird for some, but it is stunning. Perhaps even his best, and I am big fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Inventiveness is relative
Review: I'm an avid science fiction reader, which is how I came to read this non-science fictional book by Mr. Banks. Of course, since most of the action takes place in a highly unreal and allegorical world born of the mental difficulties experienced by the protagonist, it might easily be marketed as fantasy, if not science fiction. If you aren't used to the SF field, you may find the inventiveness here quite astounding. If you are familiar with SF, however, you may be looking for more than just inventiveness, and it is here that I think this book, like many others written by Banks and marketed in the regular fiction area fails miserably. I do in fact read non SF books, like those by Carver, Powers, and Pynchon, but the writing here does not measure up to these heavyweights, and as an SF book it is weak indeed. Check out my listmania list guide to books I =love= by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Inventiveness is relative
Review: I'm an avid science fiction reader, which is how I came to read this non-science fictional book by Mr. Banks. Of course, since most of the action takes place in a highly unreal and allegorical world born of the mental difficulties experienced by the protagonist, it might easily be marketed as fantasy, if not science fiction. If you aren't used to the SF field, you may find the inventiveness here quite astounding. If you are familiar with SF, however, you may be looking for more than just inventiveness, and it is here that I think this book, like many others written by Banks and marketed in the regular fiction area fails miserably. I do in fact read non SF books, like those by Carver, Powers, and Pynchon, but the writing here does not measure up to these heavyweights, and as an SF book it is weak indeed. Check out my listmania list guide to books I =love= by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: An intriguing curiosity, particularly for fans of Banks' SF.
Review: Iain Banks' The Bridge deservedly returns to American print this February, along with his Culture novel The Player of Games. Banks hasdeveloped a strong US cult following, particularly for his science fiction works. The Bridge tells the story of a man trapped on the surreal title structure. This reality may (or may not) be a delusional retreat from another narrative set in a more traditional universe. To further complicate matters, the story is interspersed with snippets that seem to originate from a fusion of the Culture universe of Banks' science fiction and popular mythology. Like Banks' Walking on Glass, this three tiered narrative pummels the reader's imagination into its own warped sense of consciousness. Beauty in the dark.
Rating:
Summary: Love story goes berserk on bridge.
Review: Iain M. Banks is perhaps with this novel setting new standards for novelwriting. The story about Mr. Orr and his doings and journeys phycological as well as physical on the dark steaming bridge should move everyone who appreciates innovative storytelling. The language as well as plotting surprises the reader because of the altering in narrative technique, moreover is the tone in the book written with great sarcasm and humour. The story gets 5 stars only because there are no more to give. Iain Banks, please don't stop writing.
Rating:
Summary: Here's one to keep you awake at night
Review: If you're mostly familiar with Banks' science fiction (the Culture novels, Feersum Endjinn, etc.), this novel will come as something of a surprise. It reads like science fiction -- sometimes. And sometimes a more mundane reality intrudes. It's the story of John Orr, rescued from the sea with no memory of who he is or where he comes from. He finds himself on the Bridge, a structure that apparently leads from nowhere to nowhere, and where everyone lives. It soon becomes apparent, however, that this fantastic reality is only part of the story. What is the dream, and what is the reality? What is memory, and what is imagined? As our protagonist searches his own dreams and memories for clues, the true quest emerges from the undercurrents. This is the major strength of every Banks novel I've ever read -- the reader makes her discoveries along with the protagonist. Even when you've figured out what's going on, Banks somehow manages to surprise you
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