The Wasp Factory: A Darkly Compelling Novel by Iain Banks

Dustin W.: I liked the story a lot.

United States on Dec 08, 2023

Nick Scarbrough: Ahead of its time! For this to be written in the 80s, it really blew me away! It still holds up as an entertaining and shocking read all these years later! Written in a beautiful form and the story carries along very quickly with very little down time. One jaw dropping moment after another. There are several very graphic scenes in this book that I would strongly advise readers to check all trigger warning before proceeding.

United States on Nov 20, 2023

Tcd: As I said above, it's not really his usual mature style, so at times it may feel a bit stilted, but it's got a decent plot.

It's not worth its full price, tho'. Better wait for a hefty discount on it (below 1 or 2 €)

Italy on Jun 18, 2023

Cassandra: If you think you know where this is going, you probably don’t! I could not put this down. An easy enough read for such a shocking story.

Canada on May 02, 2023

Sarah: I went into this book totally blind
Like I do movies. No trailer, no reviews. Do yourself a favor don't read detailed reviews! Trust me! It is so insane! You can't put it down and you'll just ignore life until you have devoured every page. It's psychotic fun!! Haha! Enjoy!! Seriously! You want to be constantly surprised! It's like a 10 to 12 hour suspense movie. Stop here. Click purchase!

United States on Nov 27, 2022

Umlaut: Iain Banks n'a pas écrit que de la science-fiction géniale. Ce livre totalement inclassable se situe entre fantastique et thriller , mais est plutôt simplement du registre de l'improbable où le malaise se mèle à l'humour (noir). Et c'est remarquablement écrit, avec une sorte de délicatesse horrible, presque perverse.

France on Nov 25, 2021

Bob Lewis: It's hard to know what to say about The Wasp Factory. I've been on a quest lately to find and read as many of the most disturbing books as I can find. This novel regularly appears on lists of disturbing fiction others have compiled, but after having read it, I have to say that, while it is certainly bizarre and memorable (certain scenes, in fact, would be incredibly difficult to forget), it's not really disturbing in any deep emotional sense.

Let's begin with the positive. The writing is superb and blends the mundane, the humorous, and the macabre seamlessly into a mixture that will definitely keep the reader intrigued and turning the pages through what ends up being a rather quick read. In terms of character development, only the narrator is fleshed out at all, but the look behind the curtain of his rather disturbed mind is fascinating and well-written if not entirely believable.

On the down side, though, the plot (such as it is) never really goes anywhere. Despite events happening around the narrator, his character never really changes, and the story ends up being more of a collection of vignettes from a troubled life than a self-contained narrative. As vignettes...

United States on Jun 10, 2020

moghul: great

India on Sep 13, 2018

Lloydacris: The whole read I kept thinking the story was intriguing, wondering if it had a point. Turns out the oddities had a purpose a d it all wrapped into a solid and surprising ending. At parts the writing was solid, vivid and other times lacking but never enough to give up on the read and it was a great pay off sticking with it to the end.

Japan on Mar 17, 2018

Jim: Whether or not you like this book will have a great deal to do with whether or not you can get past the violence the protogonist exhibits toward animals (some rabbits and insects primarily). Frankly, the way the child-protagonist recounts murdering his three child victims is much more profoundly disturbing to me (suppose I'm more of a humanist). However, the depictions aren't as graphic as the ones in American Psycho, or even the Alienist or Dante Club for that matter--or much of Stephen King. As for the quality of writing, the Wasp Factory reads a lot like other coming of age novels, such as Black Swan Green, Lord of the Flies, or A Separate Peace--in other words, it's not Gothic or even horror. It's basically about a kid with a terrible childhood and how he copes with that. He's likeable and sympathetic, even if many of his actions are disturbing. In places, it's laugh-out-loud funny. But Banks never expects you to condone Frank's actions or justify them in any way. It's not a book for everyone--if you're looking for Dave Eggers and moral platitudes, then walk on by. But if you dont mind struggling with dark themes in the human condition and you like a good bildungsroman, I...

United States on Jul 17, 2015