Through much of this impressive first novel, almost up until the awkward and misguided finale, young scottish writer banks achieves that fine british balancebetween horrific content on the one hand and matteroffact comic delivery on the other. Sep 05, 2017 if you liked them both, then take your pick. The wasp factory is incredibly disturbing even for a horrorthriller novel. Humor and moralizing in the wasp factory by iain banks. Compare the ways in which the theme of insanity is. After the publication and success of the wasp factory 1984, banks began to write on a fulltime basis. Its an attempt to explore how violence is rationalized, often via the expectation of sympathy and understanding from the very people who are most harmed by it. Hey, for my a2 lit coursework wjec, i have to choose a partner text for the wasp factory. What iain banks novel should i read after the wasp factory and the. Banks decided to try a more mainstream novel in the hopes that it would be more readily accepted, and wrote about a psychopathic teenager living on a remote scottish island. See all books authored by iain banks, including the wasp factory, and the crow road, and more on. I suspect that iain banks wasp factory character frank cauldhame was inspired by shirley jacksons merricat, as these two darkly memorable teenagers share a great many quirks the totems and protections to secure their respective fortresses, the obsessive superstitions that govern their daily lives and routines, their isolation. Compare the ways in which the theme of insanity is presented. Books that explain talking and conversing with people on some fundamental level.
Before the publication of the wasp factory, banks had written several science fiction novels that had not been accepted for publication. Some like oliver twist and anne franks diary illustrate a period of history, while others, such as lord of the. The wasp factory is the first novel by scottish writer iain banks, published in 1984. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Oct 08, 20 iain banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, the wasp factory, in 1984.
If you like the darkness of the wasp factory, then walking on glass, song of stone or canal dreams might suit you. The protagonists of both novels can be viewed as intrinsically malicious boys, due to the age at which their immoral behaviour begins. There are a few twists in the book, and one huge one which provides quite a shock, but this is a story about a murderer more than it is a story about murders. Iain banks the polarizing literary debut by scottish author ian banks, the wasp factory is the bizarre, imaginative, disturbing, and darkly comic look into the mind of a child psychopath. The wasp factory sixteenyearold frank is the protagonist of the wasp factory 1984 by iain banks, and his identity is nebulous because, as we learn early on, he was castrated as a child. Revisiting the wasp factory by iain banks one readers. Imagine, if you would, catcher in the rye, if holden caulfield was really, truly, batshit insane and completely detached from reality. I didnt particularly enjoy iain banks novel the wasp factory though it had some interesting ideas and elements, it was just way to dark and disturbing for me.
If you like the wasp factory you might like similar books under the skin, highrise, the dice man, the crow road, filth. I didnt think it was a very original book but i still liked it and found it interesting. A novel and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Goodreads members who liked the wasp factory also liked. If you havent already, i suggest you try a few more iain banks books, they all qualify as dark in some way if you liked the wasp factory then id recommend espadair street, the crow road, the business and whit, as books with compelling plots and that same sense of dark secret. Sep 14, 2011 this is one of those wonderful books where clues are sprinkled throughout the text, but it is impossible to guess the outcome.
This is one of those wonderful books where clues are sprinkled throughout the text, but it is impossible to guess the outcome. Okay, so i found a recommendation for iain banks the wasp factory via an. Two years after i killed blyth i murdered my young brother paul, for quite different and more fundamental reasons than id disposed of blyth, and. Jul 04, 2008 o f course iain banks wanted to give us some horror. Review of the wasp factory by iain banks navigating the.
That was where i got all the old aerosols for the last war, not to mention several important parts of the wasp factory, including the face itself. I first read the wasp factory back in 19845, not long after it was released. If you know the wasp factory, the book that launched iains serious. Cumbernauld theatre, working with the tron, take on the mammoth task of adapting iain banks first, bestloved, and most disturbing novel for the stage. Nothing you have ever read will prepare you for the insanity in this book. I was 15 at the time and this wasnt my usual reading fare so im not sure what made me choose it but choose it i did, starting a life long liking of iain banks as an author. The controversy is a bit puzzling in retrospect, because there is little to object to in this novel, if youre familiar with genre horror.
Frank cauldhame, the teenager from whose viewpoint the book is related, lives a free lifestyle with his crippled father, eagerly awaiting the return home of. Quite a bizarre story, and an ending that is totally unforeseeable. The wasp factory itself, we eventually find out, is an elaborately constructed mechanism. Jun 21, 20 i suppose i would call the wasp factory a thriller of sorts, but mostly because of the thrills of revulsion i got whenever a particularly gruesome scene forced its way into my imagination. The wasp factory download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. The book is full of physical and emotional violence, but its decidedly not gratuitous. Click download or read online button to get the wasp factory book now. The infamous maggots scene in the wasp factory explaining just why the narrators brother, eric, goes mad is prepared with all the. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. There is nothing in the world quite like the wasp factory lol. Since then he has gained enormous popular and critical acclaim with further works of fiction and, as iain m. Having previously read and enjoyed the crow road and raw spirit, and having watched and read tributes to him at the time of his death, i wanted to read his first novel. A literary experience unlike any i had before, or have had since.
Frank cauldhame is the laird of his domain, surrounded by his sacrifice poles, which he ritualistically adorns with smallanimal body parts, and his ultimate contrivance the factory. The the wasp factory community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. You really want me to believe that an individual like him has never been in there, ever. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. But not the wasp factory, please creepy fiction ask metafilter. The wasp factory is a tale about an isolated and very eccentric clan of scotsmen, ensconced on an island in northern scotland. But drafts of phlebas and the next two culture novels, player of games and use of weapons, all predate the wasp factory.
Do you know of any books similar to the wasp factory. I didnt know what to expect, but it certainly wasnt that. His first science fiction novel, consider phlebas, came out in 1987. It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage indepth discussion about all things related to books. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page. Times literary supplement a literary equivalent of the nastiest brand of juvenile delinquency. Fashioned from a giant clock face that frank has discovered on the. Jun 27, 2008 the wasp factory itself, we eventually find out, is an elaborately constructed mechanism. Fashioned from a giant clock face that frank has discovered on the town dump, it is a precise network of. Iain banks books list of books by author iain banks. The wasp factory iain banks 1984 find collectible copies find all copies a remarkable book by any stretch of the imagination and is essentially a gothic novel about the abuse of power. In the wasp factory, frank decided at merely 5 years old that he wanted to kill blyth there and then banks, 1990, p43 when his cousin sprayed our two hutches with flame banks, 1990, p43. Apr 28, 2009 there is nothing in the world quite like the wasp factory lol.
The wasp factory iain banks the book is told entirely by frank, a 17 year old who manages to sound perfectly sane and rational as he explains how he killed 3 people while he was still just a child or as he performs the rituals of the wasp factory bizarre rituals that need to be read to be believed. John mullan on the use of explanation as a device in iain bankss the wasp factory john mullan fri 27 jun 2008 19. Authors similar to iain banks wasp factory, crow road, etc self. The wasp factory was written almost 30 years ago by iain banks, who sadly died in 20. So a few days ago while at my local library i noticed the wasp factory by him and.
Language, in the books, the collector and the wasp factory has been used to great effect as well as enthralling plots and the development of characters exhibiting strange behaviour to achieve realistically insane characters. Thankfully, it was short enough to power through quickly. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Two years after i killed blyth i murdered my young brother paul, for quite different reasons than id disposed of blyth, and then a year after that i did for my young.
Frank cauldhame, the teenager from whose viewpoint the book is related, lives a free lifestyle with his crippled father, eagerly awaiting the return home of his elder brother eric. Sixteenyearold frank is the protagonist of the wasp factory 1984 by iain banks, and his identity is nebulous because, as we learn early on, he was castrated as a child. Frank is a psychopath who murdered three of his young relatives before the age of 10. Heh, i saw iain banks being interviewed at cheltenham literature festival a couple of years ago. Likewise, when the wasp factory is reread in light of the revelation that frank is frances, the novel proves to be very interested ineven obsessed withtoxic masculinity, too. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the wasp factory.
Of all the books on the list, this is the one i have read most recently, even though it was released in 1984. However, in all of franks various rituals and the wasp factory that he built, he is only trying to protect his island and his home, and trying to have some control over a world that can overwhelm us at times. The wasp factory is a bizarre, imaginative, disturbing, and darkly comic look into the mind of a child psychopath one of the most infamous of contemporary. The family dog attacked him as a toddler, and his father kept a jar with the tiny genitals to show his son the tragedy that had befallen him. He gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels. I hadnt been to the dump for a while, and it was about time i went to see what the good folk of porteneil had thrown out. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. What happened to eric in iain bankss the wasp factory. Frank strangely equates his forgiveness of eric for growing up and leaving the island as similar to the courtesy eric paid him by never suspecting him for the murder of their brother and cousins.
If you like the darkness of the wasp factory, then walking on glass. What iain banks novel should i read after the wasp factory. The wasp factory by banks, iain and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Ive pretty much decided that i want to do the catcher in the rye but im struggling to come up with a question. A lot of books i read have felt to me like the ending sort of pops out from. If you like the wasp factory you might like similar books under the skin, high rise, the dice man, the crow road, filth. I suppose i would call the wasp factory a thriller of sorts, but mostly because of the thrills of revulsion i got whenever a particularly gruesome scene forced its way into my imagination. If you preferred the crow road, then whit and the steep app. Barbour the wasp factory, by iain banks, has garnered many accolades since its initial release in 1984. I like books where the protagonist has a psychological disorder that haunts him throughout the story. In many ways, our childhood defines the rest of our life. His first science fiction book, consider phlebas, was released in. Peter kenny frank, no ordinary sixteenyearold, lives with his father outside a remote scottish village. The polarizing literary debut by scottish author ian banks, the wasp factory is the bizarre, imaginative, disturbing.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Yes, the wasp factory has a lot of disturbing images of a psychotic youth committing violence on people and animals. The polarizing literary debut by scottish author ian banks, the wasp factory is the bizarre, imaginative, disturbing, and darkly comic look into the mind of a child psychopath. Punch the wasp factory is a first novel not only of tremendous promise, but also of achievement, a minor masterpiece perhaps. The wasp factory describes the childhood of frank cauldhame, who lives on an island with his father. Jun 27, 20 the wasp factory was written almost 30 years ago by iain banks, who sadly died in 20. You really want me to believe that an individual like him has never been in. Books about childhoods shattered by pain and suffering both fiction and nonfiction are commonplace today but they have a long history dating back to the english tale of the babes in the wood in the 16th century. To what extent can the wasp factory and the catcher in the rye be seen as attacks against the societies the writers live.
The book has appeared on a number of greatest horror lists and in a poll was even named one of the top 100 novels of the century. Iain banks debut novel, the wasp factory, caused a storm of controversy when it was first published in 1984 and became an immediate classic. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. The wasp factory, by iain banks, has garnered many accolades since its initial release in 1984. According to banks, this allowed him to treat the story as something resembling science fiction. Most readers will find that they sympathize with and even like frank, despite his three murders each of. Misogyny is an apparent issue in each novel, and the cruelty shown to women is a large part of the narrative. Books like in the miso soup, wasp factory or the stranger hi all, could you please recommend me a book to read similar to the ones listed above. O f course iain banks wanted to give us some horror. Find books like the wasp factory from the worlds largest community of readers.