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Guests | April 18, 2013

Monica Drake: IMG Making It Work

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I am one small part of the best writing workshop ever to exist in the entire time-space continuum. What's that — you question my assertion?... Continue »
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The Wasp Factory

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The Wasp Factory Cover

 

Staff Pick

What is it that Frank has hidden up in the attic that could possibly tell the future? What does his father keep locked away in his private study? And when will his mentally disturbed brother, who escaped from the asylum, get home? Iain Banks's first novel delivers a truly original mix of macabre humor and bizarre imagery. Not only is it a well-written page turner, but the ending will make you want to reread the whole book from the beginning again.
Recommended by Nate Ashley, Powell's City of Books

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Meet Frank Cauldhame. Just sixteen, and unconventional to say the least:

"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."

Review:

"One of the top 100 novels of the century." The Independent (London)

Review:

"Brilliant...irresistible...compelling." The New York Times

Review:

"A mighty imagination has arrived on the scene." Mail on Sunday

Review:

"Macabre, bizarre, and impossible to put down." The Financial Times

Review:

"The Wasp Factory is a first novel not only of tremendous promise, but also of achievement, a minor masterpiece perhaps." Punch

Review:

"Read it if you dare." Daily Express
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About the Author

Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the original publication of his first novel, The Wasp Factory, recently selected in a British poll as one of the top 100 novels of the century. Since then he has gained enormous popular and critical acclaim with further works of fiction and, as Iain M. Banks, science fiction. He lives in Scotland.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 5 comments:
rj_haigh, April 3, 2013 (view all comments by rj_haigh)
Brilliantly written dark tale by the Scottish author Iain Banks. It's a book that you will have a very hard time putting down. Dark and very disturbing, the ending is worth it all.
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not2close4comfort, January 4, 2012 (view all comments by not2close4comfort)
I loved this book. It brought me into the very sick and demented world of Frank that I found fascinating. I wouldn't want to live in Frank's world, but it was very interesting to visit.
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Michael Lanzetta, January 1, 2010 (view all comments by Michael Lanzetta)
Picking the best book I've read in the past 10 years is impossible, but this is definitely high on my list. After reading this equal-parts disturbing and compelling novel I immediately started collecting all of Iain Banks' works. So from both the standpoint of spurring me to action, and spurring more spending at Powell's, this seems like a good candidate :)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780684853154
Author:
Banks, Iain
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster
Author:
Banks, Iain M.
Location:
New York, NY :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Horror
Subject:
Fathers and sons
Subject:
Teenage boys
Subject:
Psychological fiction
Subject:
Serial murders
Subject:
Murderers
Subject:
Psychopaths
Subject:
Murderers -- Scotland -- Fiction.
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Horror - General
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Scotland
Copyright:
1998
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Publication Date:
19980931
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
192
Dimensions:
8 x 5.25 in 5.32 oz
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Related Subjects

Featured Titles » Genre
Fiction and Poetry » Horror » General
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Sale Books

The Wasp Factory Sale Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$7.98 In Stock
Product details 192 pages Simon & Schuster - English 9780684853154 Reviews:
"Staff Pick" by ,

What is it that Frank has hidden up in the attic that could possibly tell the future? What does his father keep locked away in his private study? And when will his mentally disturbed brother, who escaped from the asylum, get home? Iain Banks's first novel delivers a truly original mix of macabre humor and bizarre imagery. Not only is it a well-written page turner, but the ending will make you want to reread the whole book from the beginning again.

by Nate Ashley
"Review" by , "One of the top 100 novels of the century."
"Review" by , "Brilliant...irresistible...compelling."
"Review" by , "A mighty imagination has arrived on the scene."
"Review" by , "Macabre, bizarre, and impossible to put down."
"Review" by , "The Wasp Factory is a first novel not only of tremendous promise, but also of achievement, a minor masterpiece perhaps."
"Review" by , "Read it if you dare."
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