mrears0_0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
danteo's review against another edition
2.0
A sixteen year old protagonist with a propensity for violence against small animals and a weird fascination for rituals, who describes his murders committed as a child as ‘going through a phase.’ A recently escaped lunatic brother who set dogs on fire and forces kids to eat maggots. And a troubled relationship with the father that revolves around power. In the hands of a master storyteller, these are the ingredients for a brilliant satire tinged with psychological and philosophical implications. Unfortunately, Iain Banks in his first novel is far from accomplishing that distinction.
Having said that however, The Wasp Factory is not entirely without merit. What you cannot deny Banks are his fertile imagination and his black humour. Despite the graphic violence, his writing is at times funny, and his ideas inventive. However, the main complaint I have is that he opts too often for shock value and witticisms instead of exploring the inner psyches of his characters and the dynamics of their relationships. As a result, the entire story remains rather shallow and unsatisfactory, as I found myself yearning for a better understanding of the characters and their motives, and the plot never exceeds the level of a mediocre slasher. The fact that his ideas contained so much rich potential in the first place only made it more disappointing.
Until the end however, I retained some measure of hope that the revelation would resolve some of my nagging questions, but that turned out to be an even bigger disappointment than the rest of the book. After doing a decent job of building up anticipation, the conclusion just fell completely flat on its face. The twist was laughable (unintentionally in this case); it felt forced and completely detached from the preceding events, and in the end I was left wondering what the point was of the story. A harsher fate is scarcely imaginable for a book that supposedly tackles so many important subjects.
This review may not have been all that positive, but I will still be looking forward to reading his other works, including his SF works. He did show some potential in this novel, and has shown he is not afraid to stray from the beaten path, a trait that needs to be treasured even if it didn’t work out too well in this case. Seeing that he is still a prolific writer with quite a following, I have plenty of hope that he has been able to deliver on his potential in his later novels.
Having said that however, The Wasp Factory is not entirely without merit. What you cannot deny Banks are his fertile imagination and his black humour. Despite the graphic violence, his writing is at times funny, and his ideas inventive. However, the main complaint I have is that he opts too often for shock value and witticisms instead of exploring the inner psyches of his characters and the dynamics of their relationships. As a result, the entire story remains rather shallow and unsatisfactory, as I found myself yearning for a better understanding of the characters and their motives, and the plot never exceeds the level of a mediocre slasher. The fact that his ideas contained so much rich potential in the first place only made it more disappointing.
Until the end however, I retained some measure of hope that the revelation would resolve some of my nagging questions, but that turned out to be an even bigger disappointment than the rest of the book. After doing a decent job of building up anticipation, the conclusion just fell completely flat on its face. The twist was laughable (unintentionally in this case); it felt forced and completely detached from the preceding events, and in the end I was left wondering what the point was of the story. A harsher fate is scarcely imaginable for a book that supposedly tackles so many important subjects.
This review may not have been all that positive, but I will still be looking forward to reading his other works, including his SF works. He did show some potential in this novel, and has shown he is not afraid to stray from the beaten path, a trait that needs to be treasured even if it didn’t work out too well in this case. Seeing that he is still a prolific writer with quite a following, I have plenty of hope that he has been able to deliver on his potential in his later novels.
fishglub's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Fun read. Recommend, only down side was I waited for the big crazy finale but it’s a pretty chill ending.
mirandaandtitania's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
At first, Frank really reminded me of Merricat from we have always lived in the castle, due to the isolation and the witchcraft. Then about halfway through it took a turn and dang. This book made me feel so many things, most of them 'ew!'
Maybe I'm just squeamish but wow.
Frank is clearly very disturbed but it's almost justified by the extent to which his father has abused him.
Would like to read more creepy kid books, they're quite fun:').
Also when Eric was trying to get in their cellar, that scene was so tense!!
Maybe I'm just squeamish but wow.
Frank is clearly very disturbed but it's almost justified by the extent to which his father has abused him.
Would like to read more creepy kid books, they're quite fun:').
Also when Eric was trying to get in their cellar, that scene was so tense!!
trauermaerchen's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
orcacharm's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bfishyo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ellesbelles94's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sweetchoas's review against another edition
2.0
Oh well. It was a very disturbing read, with sick (& very delusional) characters and a meh ending.
It was fascinating though to get a look the MC's deeply deranged mind, especially how he thought of himself as the sanest individual in a wicked world (very delusional like i said).
Overall not the best book I read but not horrible either. And once again the ending was quite empty, I needed something more.
It was fascinating though to get a look the MC's deeply deranged mind, especially how he thought of himself as the sanest individual in a wicked world (very delusional like i said).
Overall not the best book I read but not horrible either. And once again the ending was quite empty, I needed something more.