The book has appeared on a number of greatest horror lists and in a poll was even named one of the top 100. Nov 10, 2011 iain banks meets james naughtie and readers at the national library of scotland in edinburgh to talk about his debut novel the wasp factory, first published in 1984. Nov 08, 2011 if you know the wasp factory, the book that launched iains serious writing career 27 years ago, you will know why the question arose. The wasp factory, by iain banks, has garnered many accolades since its initial release in 1984. Frank, no ordinary sixteenyearold, lives with his father outside a remote scottish village. Two years after i killed blyth i murdered my young brother paul, for quite different and more fundamental reasons than id disposed. Iain banks on the wasp factory iain banks speaks to john mullan about his novel the wasp factory and takes questions from. Iain banks on the wasp factory iain banks speaks to john mullan about his novel the wasp factory and takes questions from the audience at the guardian book club. The wasp factory ebook by iain banks 9780748109951.
Franks story, which gives the book its shape and its. Behind each of the 12 numerals on the clock face is a trap which leads to a different ritual death for example burning, crushing, or drowning in franks urine for the wasp that. Frank and angus both keep secrets from one another, damaging the relationship they might have had as parent and child. The guardian books podcast guardian book club podcast. Fathers and sons, fiction, serial murders, teenage boys, murderers, psychopaths, modern fiction. Iain banks speaks to john mullan about his novel the wasp factory and takes questions from the audience at the guardian book. Written by iain banks, audiobook narrated by peter kenny. Read the wasp factory the stunning and controversial literary debut novel by iain banks available from rakuten kobo. The wasp factory that the title refers to is a mechanism invented by frank, consisting of a huge clock face, salvaged from the local dump, encased in a glass box. 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. In the last week i listened to it and im so glad my friends have such impeccably messedup taste. 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.
Time magazine included the book in its list of the 100 best englishlanguage. A literary experience unlike any i had before, or have had since. Listen to the wasp factory the stunning and controversial literary debut novel by iain banks available from rakuten kobo. The wasp factory audible audiobook unabridged amazon uk. So i started the audio book and read along with the voice and it. My main gripe with it is all the violence against animals. In 20, the composer ben frost and librettist david pountney devised an unconventional opera piece inspired by the 1984 psychological horror novel the wasp factory. A novel of extraordinary originality, imagination and comic ferocity. Since then he has gained enormous popular and critical acclaim with further works of fiction and, as iain m. The wasp factory is the first novel by scottish writer iain banks, published in 1984. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. If you know the wasp factory, the book that launched iains serious writing career 27 years ago, you will know why the question arose. Nov 20, 2014 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. Mar 04, 2020 the wasp factory provides a compelling and depraved glimpse into the mind of a deranged teenager.
The wasp factory provides a compelling and depraved glimpse into the mind of a deranged teenager. For a previously unknown author, banks created quite a stir with this first publication. Barbour the wasp factory, by iain banks, has garnered many accolades since its initial release in 1984. The wasp factory was the response i got from a few buddies who recommended it with a whole bunch of enthusiasm.
Before the publication of the wasp factory, banks had written several science fiction novels that had not been accepted for publication. The wasp factory was written almost 30 years ago by iain banks, who sadly died in 20. The controversy is a bit puzzling in retrospect, because there is little to object to in this novel, if youre familiar with genre horror. Goodreads members who liked the wasp factory also liked. Franks story, which gives the book its shape and its spirit. Jun 27, 2008 the wasp factory itself, we eventually find out, is an elaborately constructed mechanism. 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. 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. 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 scottish novels. The wasp factory ends with frances reconnecting with eric. So i started the audio book and read along with the voice and it worked, it started going in.
Jan 07, 2018 he died and met god, and he wasnt ready. Jun 27, 20 the wasp factory was written almost 30 years ago by iain banks, who sadly died in 20. The next day, early in the morning, frank does his morning ritual and goes upstairs to the factory. Fashioned from a giant clock face that frank has discovered on the town dump, it is a precise network of. The effect of secrets on both the secretkeeper and the ones secrets are kept from is a major theme that runs throughout the wasp factory.
His first science fiction novel, consider phlebas, came out in 1987. Before the publication of the wasp factory, banks had written several science fiction novels that had not been accepted for. So i made it a priority to spend one of my trusty audible credits on the audio version of the book. Iain banks meets james naughtie and readers at the national library of scotland in edinburgh to talk about his debut novel the wasp factory, first published in 1984.
The wasp factory is a bizarre, imaginative, disturbing, and darkly comic look into the mind of a child psychopath. Review of the wasp factory by iain banks navigating the. Jan, 2019 open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Iain banks on the wasp factory iain banks speaks to john mullan about his novel the wasp factory and takes questions from the audience at the guardian book. Jun 21, 20 in fact, he was witty as hell even when he was writing about his own mortality.
But drafts of phlebas and the next two culture novels, player of games and use of weapons, all predate the wasp factory. The webs source of information for ancient history. 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. The wasp factory peter kennys soft spoken and convincing narrative draws the listener into the strange world of the teenage frank who lives on the edge of a small community in scotland. The wasp factory audiobook by iain banks 9781405503563.
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 then a year after that i did for my young cousin esmerelda, more or less on a whim. The universe is worse without him, but was improved by his 59 years of existence. In the ceremony i smeared the metal, rubber and plastic of the new device with earwax, snot, blood, urine, bellybutton fluff and toenail cheese, christened it by firing the empty sling at a wingless wasp crawling on the face of the factory, and also fired it at my bared foot, raising a bruise. He sets the jar with the previously captured wasp on an alter decorated with other powerful objects the skull. The wasp factory is a tale about an isolated and very eccentric clan of scotsmen, ensconced on an island in northern scotland. So, thinking about him and unable to sleep, i finally picked up the wasp factory to see if it was as distressing as everyone had told me it was. Named one of the top 100 novels of the century by the independent, the wasp factory. One nearly universal truth about fans of the horror genre is that we can handle almost anything fictional involving people, but wed prefer if animals were. Download the wasp factory, free, via the independent and.
Having previously read and enjoyed the crow road and raw spirit, and having watched and read. 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 then a year after that i did for my young cousin esmerelda, more or less. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. In the ceremony i smeared the metal, rubber and plastic of the new device with earwax, snot, blood, urine, bellybutton fluff and toenail cheese, christened it by firing the empty sling at a wingless wasp crawling on the face of the factory. He sets the jar with the previously captured wasp on an alter decorated with other powerful objects the skull of the snake that killed blyth, a fragment of the bomb that killed paul, a piece of fabric from the kite that killed esmerelda, some of old saul s teeth. 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 then a year after that i. The book sold well, but was greeted with a mixture of acclaim and criticism, due to its gruesome depiction of. Frank cauldhame, the teenager from whose viewpoint the book. 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. 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.
First published back in february of 1984 by macmillian, the wasp factory introduced scottish author iain banks to the world, with this shockingly controversial debut novel. The wasp factory is a work of horrifying compulsion. 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. Books similar to the wasp factory 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. Find books like the wasp factory from the worlds largest community of readers.
Peter kenny frank, no ordinary sixteenyearold, lives with his father outside a remote scottish village. 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. Frank lives life with a strong sense of rhythm and ritual, which is interrupted by the imminent return of an elder brother. Tempted as you may be to skip this, do not do so, as its slightly different from what you may expect, as you can see. Which is to say that the broad shape of bankss career is misleading. The wasp factory iain banks 184 pages published in 1984 before you can start to read the wasp factory, you have to wade through the obligatory few pages of quotes praising the book. Imagine, if you would, catcher in the rye, if holden caulfield was really, truly, batshit insane and completely detached from reality. Please note that the video contains flashing images and audio.
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