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  • The Wasp Factory

  • By: Iain Banks
  • Narrated by: Peter Kenny
  • Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,136 ratings)
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The Wasp Factory cover art

The Wasp Factory

By: Iain Banks
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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Summary

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. 

"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 that I was going through."  

Enter - if you can bear it - the extraordinary private world of Frank, just 16, and unconventional, to say the least.

©2007 Hachette Audio (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"One of the most brilliant first novels I have come across." (The Telegraph)

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

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

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What listeners say about The Wasp Factory

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    576
  • 4 Stars
    346
  • 3 Stars
    145
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    208
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    11
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    267
  • 3 Stars
    132
  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

PERFECT

Excellent narration of a brilliantly constructed story. Listening to some books, I drift off and miss what's been said for the last 5 minutes. This had me hanging on every word. An absolute must read/listen.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly read that brings the story to life

This was one of my books I had to read as coursework but I am badly dyslexic so I relied on the audio book to bring it to life. Which it did beautifully. All I can say is that I recommend it and thank you.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

The Wasp Factory

Peter Kenny's 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. Frank lives life with a strong sense of rhythm and ritual, which is interrupted by the imminent return of an elder brother.

Frank calmly unfolds the story of an unusual upbringing where things are not at all what they seem.

A macabre delight where the unpleasant happenings are balanced by the charm of the character.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fucking mad

If crazy/ disturbing, with a touch of humour is what your after then continue to read. Also prepare to be confused and full of wonder

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Dark, funny and perfectly read

One of the best books I have read/listened to in a long time. Frank is a wonderfully developed character, and all the side characters are interesting too. Despite the rather horrific narrative this book is often very funny, and the phone calls between Frank and Eric had me in stitches.

The narration is perfect, I could listen to Peter Kenny's voice all day.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Review: "The Wasp Factory" by Iain Banks

Overall, I loved this book. It is a short read (or listen), but it has something about it that demands you only nibble at it and chew on each little mouthful to savour the taste. I can see why it popped up when I asked for recommendations for the boys as I've never read about a character's toilet activities in such detail... is it judgemental for me to chalk that up as something a lad might giggle at? Sorry if it is, but I think Banks made certain aspects of his narrative overtly "male". Frank tries very hard to be seen as a manly man...

I'm not sure my review can do this book justice as I feel reviews shouldn't give too much of the game away. I feel like I could go back to my roots a bit and thoroughly enjoy analysing this book, quotes and bibliography and all! If that isn't praise then I'm not sure what is!

I'm giving this four and a half stars. I'm holding back half a star only because I guessed the ending at almost the very start of the book. Even so, I loved every second.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Jo
  • 04-01-19

Like no other story I've ever heard

Very dark humour, very slick and very clever. I'm not sure 'enjoyed' is the right word, but I certainly couldn't stop listening!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dark but brilliant

This book surprised me in a few ways. I wasn't sure about the premise being my kind of thing but gave it a go as I've enjoyed other Banks stuff. This is dark, told from the mind of a very disturbed young man, and Peter Kenny's performance really enhanced the extreme moments. The story is odd, intriguing and well paced. There are a lot of slow reveals that are satisfying to try figure out as you listen.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant and disturbing

Banks at his best. Very dark, very funny, brutally honest and tart writing. Peter Kenny’s narration does justice to Banks' brilliance.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Slightly disturbing

I've read 'The Crow Road' by the same author and really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd try another. It's pretty bleak. The main character is slightly unhinged, but his past is revealed in such a matter-of-fact way that it seems the author is suggesting his personality isn't so far from normal. In fact, the whole thing is so far from normal that it loses credibility. I was a bit relieved when I finished it. Good narration, though.

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3 people found this helpful