The Wasp Factory - By Iain Banks ***WARNING - PLOT SPOILER***

So, since so many are either reading or have read this twisted, sordid tale I figured I would start a thread so we can all discuss what we thought about it and won't have to worry about giving away the ending to those that may be interested in reading it without the spoiler.

I am working on no sleep at the moment so I'm not very witty to provide my beginning dissertation (couldn't even spell that had to look it up) on what I thought of the book. I'll say that I did like it, thought the ending was good, and look forward to reading another book by the author.

Now discuss people, discuss.

 

hmmm... bit dead in here.

*builds a pole* ... now where did i put that bunny head?

 

i loved this book i was not expecting the twist at the end blow my mind completly ive also read a few more of his books there just as good. not meet many people who have read it and thought it worth talking about

 

The Wasp Factory is definitely worth talking about, but I wouldn't rank it as the best Iain Banks book. I can only imagine for the time when it was written (1982 i think) it was probably totally extraordinary. I knew (from the Surprises thread in this forum) that there was going to be a big twist, so was expecting something. When Frank found the stuff in his dad's bedroom I immediately assumed that his dad was actually his mom. So, finding out that Frank wasn't exactly Frank was no big surprise really.

And well, though it was quite a macabre story, the death and killings really didn't "shock" me. Maybe I'm too jaded and have watched/read too many crime dramas in my time.
Psychologically, the book was twisted in the sense that Frank always felt whatever he did was fully justified by other circumstances.

I've only read (in full) one other Iain Banks book and that was Whit. Whit by far is my favourite. I'm presently working on Canal Dreams and I like it, but still not as much as Whit.

Which other books of his have you read?

 

try the bridge, its mad as anything.
banks writes under two names, iain banks and iain m banks. he uses iain m banks to write the worst, most pretentious sci-fi i have ever come across.

 

On the subject of The Wasp Factory, I think its a great book. There is an interesting article here http://severian-fantasticworlds.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Wasp%20Factory that you might find of interest.

Thanks

Mark

 

i felt that the fact it didn't really 'shock' the reader was actually an important part of his writing - you know you should be disgusted by it all but because it's first person and you side with the narrator it all just becomes fascinating like he sees it. that's what made it so amazing/weird/absorbing.

i just bought a banks book at the market, think it's called dead air? and i have his first sci-fi book as well, consider phlebas, but haven't read it yet. has anyone read any of his sci fi?