Banks, Iain

• Use of Weapons (7)

  • This novel is set in a Universe where the "Culture" is a (perhaps) benign powerful civilization watching over the "lesser" civilizations in the Galaxy, often interfering surreptitously...which sometimes requires a real secret agent type. It's a very interesting premise (I think all Trek fans have a secret urge to see the Prime Directive violated willfully), and Banks has written many novels set in this milieu.

    This novel follows the exploits of Cheradenine Zakalwe, but it does so in a very confusing way. The book is set up as two parallel stories, alternating from one to the other with each chapter. The confusing part is that the alternate story (in the even chapters) is told _backwards_, and this is not revealed to the reader directly, though it can certainly be inferred from the chapter "numbers" and the story. Given the overwhelming number of difficult names and places and events introduced at the beginning of the novel, some readers might find that Banks has bitten off a little more complexity than the reader can successfully chew. I found this to be an interesting approach, but I'm not sure it added anything to the book for me.

    Anyway, both stories are certainly interesting, and I found myself treating Zakalwe's biographical interludes as short stories rather than as a continuous plot. They do have a tendency to stand alone. The "current" plot was interesting and at times humorous. Now that I'm familiar enough with Banks' Universe, I will certainly go back for more. I just wish series like this didn't have such a high "overhead" of jargon and such. It discourages new readers from branching out in the field and trying new authors, which may be one reason so many authors write bloated series these days.

• The Wasp Factory (8)

  • This short novel is really just standard fiction rather than speculative fiction. The story revolves around a very twisted little boy (Frank Cauldhame) and his family. Frank lives with his father on an isolated small island connected to the coast by a walking bridge. On the island, Frank rules a fantastical little empire that revolves around the torture and death of insects and animals, with a strong emphasis on bizarre and complex rituals.

    The real world maps very strangely onto Frank's tortured mental landscape. He perceives perfectly normal behaviors and events as earth-shattering threats, insults or dangers, and he responds murderously. Frank learns that his older brother (whose favorite activity is burning dogs alive) is returning for a visit, which sets off a crisis with his very unusual and secretive father. All in all, this is a bizarre, disturbing and absolutely interesting piece of work, and it has received its share of critical acclaim. If the sorts of behaviors I've described are not too big of a barrier for you to enjoy a novel, this one is worth a look. It will stick around in your mind for a long time afterwards.

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