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Loading... The Wasp Factoryby Iain M. Banks
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. This is a brilliantly written novel that is inexplicably irresistable. It is also noxious and one of the most horrifying and chilling books that I have ever read. If I had read all of Freud's work I am sure I would still not understand the deep meanings of the images in Iain Banks weird novel.The unconventional anti-hero at the center of the novel is Frank Cauldhame who narrates a story of obsession and macabre behavior. This is one delinquent whose creepy charm has very limited appeal. His imagination defies description and I can only recommend this book with a warning that it is not for the faint of heart. (  ) jwhenderson | Sep 27, 2009 |  Something howled. Some animal - my God, I hoped it wasn't a human making that noise - screamed in torment. It was a rising, anguished wail, the note produced only by an animal in extremis, the noise you hope no living thing ever has to make. ----- What a delightful little book. It should have been a favorite pick in the 'beach reading' category since most of the story takes place on the dunes and shores of a small island in Scotland. Oh... but it is macabre and slightly offensive to animal lovers, what with burning dogs, catapulting hamsters wearing shuttlecock skirts, and homemade bombs and bunnies, it certainly is the SPCA's biggest nightmare. But there is a story here, an interesting story of growing up different. I guess you could call it one of those 'coming of age' books... with a twist. Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different and more fundamental reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did for my young cousin Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. That's my score to date. Three. I haven't killed anybody for years, and don't intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through. This is a book you would either love or hate. 'The Times (London) called it 'Rubbish'. 'The Scotsman' says 'There's nothing to force you, having been warned, to read it; nor do I recommend it.' 'The Independent' calls it 'One of the top 100 novels of the century' and 'The New York Times' says 'Brilliant... irresistible... compelling.' Brian says 'ask the Wasp Factory and pray before the alter of Old Saul for guidance on whether you should pick up this book. It is a delightful read if you find delight in dark, twisted minds'. (  )2  Banoo | Sep 24, 2009 | Staggering, dark, direct and at times worryingly hilarious The Wasp Factory is now at this shamefully late stage in my life, firmly set amongst my favourite novels. Whilst of course not for the easily offended or sensitive of demeanour, the unmistakabley genuine voice of Frank has to rank among the most effective examinations of a flawed and self absorbed personality that I've come across in fiction. Though it has come under constant fire since its publication in the 80's, for its bleak storyline and often graphic violence there is not a gratuitous thought, word or act to be found within this gem of a book. Banks explores the roots of sympathetic magic and primitive religious belief, whilst simultaneously exploring a unique coming of age story, all the while challenging the reader at every turn. In the end, not only deft but entertaining. At all times neat and absorbing , The Wasp Factory stands as testament to how a great writer can explode into the world with a debut of awe inspiring skill. Hats off! ( ) Lanark81 | May 3, 2009 | www.snigel.nu | Apr 11, 2009 | Why Banks' fantastic debut novel doesn't currently sit on the top 100 book list is a mystery. The twisted narrative told by sixteen-year-old Frank Cauldhame describes his childhood and many religious rituals Frank invents out of loneliness of living on an island with just his father and very little contact with the outside world. Frank believes that he was attacked and castrated by the family dog at a young age and secretly kills and keeps the heads and bodies of animals to 'protect' the borders of his territory. Through his bizarre religious rituals and an array of homemade weapons Frank pretends to control the island. He creates a contraption from a broken clock in which he places wasps to select the means of their torture and to further predict the future, which includes the return to the island of Franks psychopathic brother, Eric, a darker and nastier version of Frank. The book builds up to a twist ending that not many would ever predict. A fantastic debut novel, not yet matched again by Banks. ( ) Darkman | Dec 29, 2008 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com (ISBN 0349101779, Paperback)"I had been making the rounds of the Sacrifice Poles the day we heard my brother had escaped. I already knew something was going to happen; the Factory told me."Those lines begin one of the most infamous of contemporary Scottish novels. The narrator, Frank Cauldhame, is a weird teenager who lives on a tiny island connected to mainland Scotland by a bridge. He maintains grisly Sacrifice Poles to serve as his early warning system and deterrent against anyone who might invade his territory. Few novelists have ever burst onto the literary scene with as much controversy as Iain Banks in 1984. The Wasp Factory was reviled by many reviewers on account of its violence and sadism, but applauded by others as a new and Scottish voice--that is, a departure from the English literary tradition. The controversy is a bit puzzling in retrospect, because there is little to object to in this novel, if you're familiar with genre horror. The Wasp Factory is distinguished by an authentically felt and deftly written first-person style, delicious dark humor, a sense of the surreal, and a serious examination of the psyche of a childhood psychopath. Most readers will find that they sympathize with and even like Frank, despite his three murders (each of which is hilarious in an Edward Gorey fashion). It's a classic of contemporary horror. --Fiona Webster (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:12 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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