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Complicity
A few spliffs, a spot of milkd S&M, phone through the copy of tomorrow's front page, catch up with the latest from your mystery source - could be big, could be very big - in fact, just a regular day at the office for free-wheeling, substance abusing Cameron Colley, a fully paid-up Gonzo hack on an Edinburgh newspaper. The source is pretty thin, but Cameron senses a scoop and checks out a series of bizarre deaths from a few years ago - only to find that the police are checking out a series of bizarre deaths that are happening right now. And Cameron just might know more about it that he'd care to admit...
313 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
160 people are currently reading
6,898 people want to read
About the author
Iain Banks
32books4,653followersThis author also published science fiction under the pseudonym Iain M. Banks.
Banks's father was an officer in the Admiralty and his mother was once a professional ice skater. Iain Banks was educated at the University of Stirling where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology. He moved to London and lived in the south of England until 1988 when he returned to Scotland, living in Edinburgh and then Fife.
Banks met his wife Annie in London, before the release of his first book. They married in Hawaii in 1982. However, he announced in early 2007 that, after 25 years together, they had separated. He lived most recently in North Queensferry, a town on the north side of the Firth of Forth near the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge.
As with his friend Ken MacLeod (another Scottish writer of technical and social science fiction) a strong awareness of left-wing history shows in his writings. The argument that an economy of abundance renders anarchy and adhocracy viable (or even inevitable) attracts many as an interesting potential experiment, were it ever to become testable. He was a signatory to the Declaration of Calton Hill, which calls for Scottish independence.
In late 2004, Banks was a prominent member of a group of British politicians and media figures who campaigned to have Prime Minister Tony Blair impeached following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In protest he cut up his passport and posted it to 10 Downing Street. In an interview in Socialist Review he claimed he did this after he "abandoned the idea of crashing my Land Rover through the gates of Fife dockyard, after spotting the guys armed with machine guns." He related his concerns about the invasion of Iraq in his book Raw Spirit, and the principal protagonist (Alban McGill) in the novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale confronts another character with arguments in a similar vein.
Interviewed on Mark Lawson's BBC Four series, first broadcast in the UK on 14 November 2006, Banks explained why his novels are published under two different names. His parents wished to name him Iain Menzies Banks but his father made a mistake when registering the birth and he was officially registered as Iain Banks. Despite this he continued to use his unofficial middle name and it was as Iain M. Banks that he submitted The Wasp Factory for publication. However, his editor asked if he would mind dropping the 'M' as it appeared "too fussy". The editor was also concerned about possible confusion with Rosie M. Banks, a minor character in some of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves novels who is a romantic novelist. After his first three mainstream novels his publishers agreed to publish his first SF novel, Consider Phlebas. To distinguish between the mainstream and SF novels, Banks suggested the return of the 'M', although at one stage he considered John B. Macallan as his SF pseudonym, the name deriving from his favourite whiskies: Johnnie Walker Black Label and The Macallan single malt.
His latest book was a science fiction (SF) novel in the Culture series, called The Hydrogen Sonata, published in 2012.
Author Iain M. Banks revealed in April 2013 that he had late-stage cancer. He died the following June.
The Scottish writer posted a message on his official website saying his next novel The Quarry, due to be published later this year*, would be his last.
* The Quarry was published in June 2013.
Banks's father was an officer in the Admiralty and his mother was once a professional ice skater. Iain Banks was educated at the University of Stirling where he studied English Literature, Philosophy and Psychology. He moved to London and lived in the south of England until 1988 when he returned to Scotland, living in Edinburgh and then Fife.
Banks met his wife Annie in London, before the release of his first book. They married in Hawaii in 1982. However, he announced in early 2007 that, after 25 years together, they had separated. He lived most recently in North Queensferry, a town on the north side of the Firth of Forth near the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge.
As with his friend Ken MacLeod (another Scottish writer of technical and social science fiction) a strong awareness of left-wing history shows in his writings. The argument that an economy of abundance renders anarchy and adhocracy viable (or even inevitable) attracts many as an interesting potential experiment, were it ever to become testable. He was a signatory to the Declaration of Calton Hill, which calls for Scottish independence.
In late 2004, Banks was a prominent member of a group of British politicians and media figures who campaigned to have Prime Minister Tony Blair impeached following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In protest he cut up his passport and posted it to 10 Downing Street. In an interview in Socialist Review he claimed he did this after he "abandoned the idea of crashing my Land Rover through the gates of Fife dockyard, after spotting the guys armed with machine guns." He related his concerns about the invasion of Iraq in his book Raw Spirit, and the principal protagonist (Alban McGill) in the novel The Steep Approach to Garbadale confronts another character with arguments in a similar vein.
Interviewed on Mark Lawson's BBC Four series, first broadcast in the UK on 14 November 2006, Banks explained why his novels are published under two different names. His parents wished to name him Iain Menzies Banks but his father made a mistake when registering the birth and he was officially registered as Iain Banks. Despite this he continued to use his unofficial middle name and it was as Iain M. Banks that he submitted The Wasp Factory for publication. However, his editor asked if he would mind dropping the 'M' as it appeared "too fussy". The editor was also concerned about possible confusion with Rosie M. Banks, a minor character in some of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves novels who is a romantic novelist. After his first three mainstream novels his publishers agreed to publish his first SF novel, Consider Phlebas. To distinguish between the mainstream and SF novels, Banks suggested the return of the 'M', although at one stage he considered John B. Macallan as his SF pseudonym, the name deriving from his favourite whiskies: Johnnie Walker Black Label and The Macallan single malt.
His latest book was a science fiction (SF) novel in the Culture series, called The Hydrogen Sonata, published in 2012.
Author Iain M. Banks revealed in April 2013 that he had late-stage cancer. He died the following June.
The Scottish writer posted a message on his official website saying his next novel The Quarry, due to be published later this year*, would be his last.
* The Quarry was published in June 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 497 reviews
March 17, 2017
Really enjoyed this. But keep mixing it up with another Iain Banks I read roughly at the same time.
March 6, 2013
iain banks' sci-fi is fabulously complex and his thrillers can feel almost ostentatiously stripped-down. this is one of the latter. rather good, although rather junior league joyce carol oates as well. specifically j.c. oates under her thriller pseudonym, rosamund smith... he shares the same interest in doubles and obsessions and two characters who reflect each other's passions and weaknesses. there are also some unsurprisingly sharp critiques of materialism and various other classic and modern evils... the victims are a veritable Who's Who of Assholes Deserving Slaughter... the killer, demented as he may be, is something of a robin hood, taken to the next level (down). my main issue with the novel, besides the rather rote use of doubling, is that the lead character becomes somewhat tedious, at least to this reader. still, the writing is solid and the narrative is often riveting.
i particularly appreciated . indeed, that nonchalance is a hallmark of the entire novel, despite its potentially lurid subject matter.
i particularly appreciated . indeed, that nonchalance is a hallmark of the entire novel, despite its potentially lurid subject matter.
April 27, 2011
Complicity is my second Banks novel, after . Both are 5 star reads, the main reason being that Banks is a captivating storyteller capable of evoking sympathy when the reader may not necessarily feel comfortable with the feeling. If life had not regularly intruded, then I would have happily and easily read this book in one sitting.
The book was unpredicatble. I was meerly guessing until approximately two-thirds through, rather far into the book when compared to what I am used to. And when I thought about the story after finishing, everything felt complete, with that wonderful deceptively-simple quality and an ending I approved of.
The novel contains large amounts of violence, in and out of the bedroom type violence, as well as scenes of torture. Instead of simply being gratuitous, the violence creates potential for discussion, in the reader and oh, maybe some awesomely twisted book club. I have always been a fan of vigilante, greater good, moral right, and capital punishment debates, and this book at least dabbles with each of these topics, to varrying degrees.
What really made this book stand out and pushed it into a 5 star rating was how Banks told the story. Portions of it were told in second person narrative and, surprisingly, it worked perfectly. I truly felt as though I were in the story and believe me, the second-person narrative scenes are nothing I ever want to experience.
I also loved how Banks introduced and wove into the story the protagonist's memories and real-time drug use.
In the end, this book felt as more of a tragedy than crime-horror fiction, but a tragedy well worth reading. The Wasp Factory was disturbing in more ways in my personal opinion but Complicity is the better written novel.
The book was unpredicatble. I was meerly guessing until approximately two-thirds through, rather far into the book when compared to what I am used to. And when I thought about the story after finishing, everything felt complete, with that wonderful deceptively-simple quality and an ending I approved of.
The novel contains large amounts of violence, in and out of the bedroom type violence, as well as scenes of torture. Instead of simply being gratuitous, the violence creates potential for discussion, in the reader and oh, maybe some awesomely twisted book club. I have always been a fan of vigilante, greater good, moral right, and capital punishment debates, and this book at least dabbles with each of these topics, to varrying degrees.
What really made this book stand out and pushed it into a 5 star rating was how Banks told the story. Portions of it were told in second person narrative and, surprisingly, it worked perfectly. I truly felt as though I were in the story and believe me, the second-person narrative scenes are nothing I ever want to experience.
I also loved how Banks introduced and wove into the story the protagonist's memories and real-time drug use.
In the end, this book felt as more of a tragedy than crime-horror fiction, but a tragedy well worth reading. The Wasp Factory was disturbing in more ways in my personal opinion but Complicity is the better written novel.
September 14, 2010
Sex and violence says Manny. An inferior anti-Thatcherite fantasy says Paul.
And I say�.
It is about hopes and disappointments, unrequited love, bravery and cowardice. Technically, it’s a quintessentially modern English novel. There are two stories travelling at once. Neither of them is told chronologically � heaven forbid we should start at the beginning and end at the end, too passe. We do indeed have exposed sex, unexpurgated violence and a Thatcherite setting. But as well as this:
‘…because I had a quick, quiet wank earlier � don’t come too quickly�
we have this:
Lovely prose.
We have Cameron, our doomed hero, who freezes whenever he shouldn’t, runs when he should stand and fight; Cameron who dreams every night of what he sees as his failings and yet, horrific as they are, he doesn’t face the one that hurts him most. The one where he finally gets sent to the Middle East to be a real reporter and yet again he freezes. He is completely unable to tell his readers what he sees.
Ah. But he does tell us, not knowing we are there, I suppose.
But this is not what he writes. He files stories about war is hell and peace too if you are female in this part of the world. He smokes good dope. He goes home. And this is the failure that haunts him so much he can’t even dream of it.
Rollicking good yarn of sex and violence, a small political education for those who don’t know Thatcherite England; but also this other thing, a story of a little boy who happens to have forced upon him by circumstance terrible decisions to make, decisions adults shouldn’t have to make, let alone children, and what it does to his life. The violence and sex really don’t matter, you can skip them and you are left with the guts of a moving tale about complicity and its impact on our hero.
I have to say, it took me as long to read the first five pages as the rest of the book put together. I trapped myself, plane trip to see my mother, it was either the other 307 pages or the airplane what to do in an emergency card. I’m very pleased to report Complicity won.
And I say�.
It is about hopes and disappointments, unrequited love, bravery and cowardice. Technically, it’s a quintessentially modern English novel. There are two stories travelling at once. Neither of them is told chronologically � heaven forbid we should start at the beginning and end at the end, too passe. We do indeed have exposed sex, unexpurgated violence and a Thatcherite setting. But as well as this:
‘…because I had a quick, quiet wank earlier � don’t come too quickly�
we have this:
Summer in Strathspeld: the first really hot day that year, air warm and thick with the coconut smell of gorse � swatched richly yellow on the hills � and the sweet sharpness of pine resin, lying dropleted on the rough trunks in thick translucent bubbles. Insects buzzed and butterflies filled the glades with silent flashes of colour; in the fields the corncrake stooped and zoomed, its strange, percussive call stuttering through the scent-laden air.
Lovely prose.
We have Cameron, our doomed hero, who freezes whenever he shouldn’t, runs when he should stand and fight; Cameron who dreams every night of what he sees as his failings and yet, horrific as they are, he doesn’t face the one that hurts him most. The one where he finally gets sent to the Middle East to be a real reporter and yet again he freezes. He is completely unable to tell his readers what he sees.
Ah. But he does tell us, not knowing we are there, I suppose.
Oh God help me here on the island of the dead with the crise of the tormented, here with the angel of death and the acrid stench of excrement and carrion taking me back in the darkness and the pale fawn light to the place I never wanted to go back to, the man-made earthly black hell and the human scrapyard kilometres long. Here down amongst the dead men, midst-ways with the torn-souled and the wild, inhuman screams; here with the ferryman, the boatman, my eyes covered and my brains scrambled, here with this prince of death, this prophet of reprisal, this jealous, vengeful, unforgiving son of our bastard commonwealth of greed; help me help me help me�
�.
I can hear the dead men, hear their flayed souls, wailing on the wind to no ear save mine and no understanding at all. The view behind my eyelids goes from pink to red and then purple into black, and is suffused with a rumblin shift into a terrible, tearing roaring noise, shaking the ground, filling the air, pounding my bones, dark going dark, black stinking hell o mum o dad o no no please don’t take me back there
*
And I’m there, in the one place I’ve hidden from myself� not that cold day by the hole in the ice or the other day in the sunlit woods near the hole in the hill � days deniable because I was then not yet the me I have become � but just eighteen months ago; the time of my failure and my simple, shaming incapacity to reap and work the obvious power of what I was observing; the place that exposed my incompetence, my hopeless inability to witness.
Because I was there, I was part of it, just a year and a half ago, after months and months of badgering and cajoling and entreating Sir Andrew he finally let me go when the deadline was up and the trucks and tracks and tanks were about to roll I got my wish, I got to go, I was given the chance to do my stuff and show what I was made of, to be a genuine front-line journalist, a rootin-tootin-tokin-tipplin God-bijayziz gonzo war correspondent, bringing the blessed Saint Hunter’s manic subjectivity to the ultimate in scarifying human edge-work: modern warfare.
And forgetting the fact the drinks were few and far between and that the whole media-managed event was so unsportingly one-sided and mostly happened far away from any journos, tendance gonzoid or not, when it came to it � and it did come to it, it was put right there in front of me practically screaming at me to fucking write something - I couldn’t do it; couldn’t hack it as a hack; I just stood there, awestruck, horrorstruck, abosrbing the ghastly force of it with my inadequate and unprepared private humanity, not my public professional persona, not my skill, not the face I had laboured to prepare to face the sea of faces that is the world.
And so I was humbled, scaled, down-sized.
I stood on the sunless desert, beneath a sky black from horizon to horizon, a rolling, heavy sulphurous sky made solid and soiled, packed with the thick, stinking effluence squeezed erupting from the earth’s invaded bowels, and in that darkness at noon, that planned, deliberated disaster, with the bale-fire light of the burning wells flickering in the distance with a dirty, guttering flame, I was reduced to a numb, dumb realisation of our unboundedly resourceful talent for bloody hatred and mad waste, but stripped of the means to describe and present that knowledge.
I crouched on the tar-black grainy stickiness of the plundered sands, within scorching distance of one of the wrecked wells, watching the way the fractured black metal stub in the centre of the crater gouted a compressed froth of oil and gas in quick, shuddering, instantly dispersing bursts and bubbles of brown-black spray into the furious, screaming tower of flame above; a filthy hundred-metre Cypress of fire, shaking the ground like a never-ending earthquake and bellowing madly in a strident jet-engine shriek, shuddering my bones and jarring my teeth and making my eyes tremble in their sockets.
My body shook, my ears rang, my eyes burned, my throat was raw with the acid-bitter stench of the evaporating crude, but it was as though the very ferocity of the experience unmanned me, unmade me and rendered me incapable of telling it.
Later, on the Basra road, by that vast linearity of carnage, a single strip of junk-yard destruction stretching � again � from horizon to horizon on the flat fun face of that dusty land, I wandered the scorched, perforated wreckage of the cars and vans and trucks and buses left after the A10s and the Cobras and the TOWs and the miniguns and the thirty-mill cannons and the cluster munitions had had their unrestrained way with their unarmoured prey, and saw the brown-burned metal, the few bubbled patches of sooty paint, the torn chassis and ripped-open cabs of those Hondas and Nissans and Leylands and Macks, their tyres slack and flattened or quite gone, burned to the steel cording inside, I surveyed the spattered shrapnel of that communal ruin rayed out across the sands, and I tried to imagine what it must have been like to be caught here, beaten, retreating, running desperately away in those thin-skinned civilian vehicles while the missles and shells rained in like supersonic sleep and the belching fire burst billowing everywhere around. I tried, too, to imagine how many people had died here, how many shredded, cindered bodies and bits of bodies had been bagged and removed and buried by the clean-up squads before we were allowed to see this icon of that long day’s slaughter.
But this is not what he writes. He files stories about war is hell and peace too if you are female in this part of the world. He smokes good dope. He goes home. And this is the failure that haunts him so much he can’t even dream of it.
Rollicking good yarn of sex and violence, a small political education for those who don’t know Thatcherite England; but also this other thing, a story of a little boy who happens to have forced upon him by circumstance terrible decisions to make, decisions adults shouldn’t have to make, let alone children, and what it does to his life. The violence and sex really don’t matter, you can skip them and you are left with the guts of a moving tale about complicity and its impact on our hero.
I have to say, it took me as long to read the first five pages as the rest of the book put together. I trapped myself, plane trip to see my mother, it was either the other 307 pages or the airplane what to do in an emergency card. I’m very pleased to report Complicity won.
July 9, 2022
2.5 Stars
This book is really messed up. I sought out to read disturbing books this year and, well, I found another one. Assume this book has all the content warnings from rape to explicit violence. I can handle a lot of dark content, but I will admit that this one pushed the envelope. My lower rating however is actually more about the writing, which was quite rough.vThis is a book to read for the plot, not the prose. The narrative was very messy and distracted from the story. I did like the inclusion of a second person perspective but otherwise was frustrated by the narrative structure. I would only recommend this one to other readers seeking stories that will make them very uncomfortable.
This book is really messed up. I sought out to read disturbing books this year and, well, I found another one. Assume this book has all the content warnings from rape to explicit violence. I can handle a lot of dark content, but I will admit that this one pushed the envelope. My lower rating however is actually more about the writing, which was quite rough.vThis is a book to read for the plot, not the prose. The narrative was very messy and distracted from the story. I did like the inclusion of a second person perspective but otherwise was frustrated by the narrative structure. I would only recommend this one to other readers seeking stories that will make them very uncomfortable.
January 3, 2012
Isn't it nice to read a novel where you're familiar with the landscape? Iain Banks makes me feel like I've come home with his descriptions of Edinburgh, the A9, Inchmickery and the Grassmarket and he even chucks in throw-away comments about places like Carnoustie (carousing on a computer spell check). This will mean nowt to those of you who've not been to Scotland but all of the places and many of the landscape props described by Banks are real, accurately described and correct in their geographical placements i.e. not brought closer together, pushed further apart or aged/renovated at the authors convenience to fit in with the plot.
Knowing that this aspect of Banks' work is accurate, well researched and true is therefore a comfort as it then lulls me into the secure belief that all aspects of his fiction are produced along similar parallels (any aliens/off-world dwellers out there care to comment on the accuracy of his sci-fi work?). For example, Cameron Colley: protagonist, gonzo journo - whispering prayers to the great St Hunter - coke snorting, drink fuelled, lady humping, cig toting, speed licking 1980/90s oober male. Bound to be totally accurate, right? Possibly. Anyway, Colley finds himself in the midst of what can only be described as a journalistic wet-dream when a story of such epic proportions (handily also helping to enlighten one on Banks' political leanings during the 1980s) basically turns up at his doorstep with a bow wrapped round and it and screams "Write me!" into his face. Little does Cameron know that there's another darker side to an already fairly sinister set of torture/murders and that he is about to become the all singing, all dancing star of the show.
I do actually know two bonafide journos, one of whom works for the BBC and the other works for The Times. I'll not name either of them here of course lest they seek some kind of goodreads super injunction, but tragically neither of them are particularly gonzo. I am yet to solicit their opinions on Cameron Colley but will keep you posted.
Knowing that this aspect of Banks' work is accurate, well researched and true is therefore a comfort as it then lulls me into the secure belief that all aspects of his fiction are produced along similar parallels (any aliens/off-world dwellers out there care to comment on the accuracy of his sci-fi work?). For example, Cameron Colley: protagonist, gonzo journo - whispering prayers to the great St Hunter - coke snorting, drink fuelled, lady humping, cig toting, speed licking 1980/90s oober male. Bound to be totally accurate, right? Possibly. Anyway, Colley finds himself in the midst of what can only be described as a journalistic wet-dream when a story of such epic proportions (handily also helping to enlighten one on Banks' political leanings during the 1980s) basically turns up at his doorstep with a bow wrapped round and it and screams "Write me!" into his face. Little does Cameron know that there's another darker side to an already fairly sinister set of torture/murders and that he is about to become the all singing, all dancing star of the show.
I do actually know two bonafide journos, one of whom works for the BBC and the other works for The Times. I'll not name either of them here of course lest they seek some kind of goodreads super injunction, but tragically neither of them are particularly gonzo. I am yet to solicit their opinions on Cameron Colley but will keep you posted.
March 24, 2014
Novels. Doncha just love them! This one was Vincent-Price-in-Theatre-of-Blood (ha ha - you worm!) crossed with the collected Marxism Today editorials of the 1980s crossed with Carry On Camping. Just, in fact, like Jonathan Coe's What a Carve Up! which came out around the same time, like when Hollywood comes out with two suspiciously similar movies at once (A Bug's Life & Antz, Capote and Infamous).
I didn’t care for it and I can't think it would stand up these days. But there should be more political novels. I was thinking of writing one myself, set at the time of the Cuban Missile crisis, in which a doo wop group infiltrates the CIA and engineers a coup d'etat based on the seductive properties of the standard three chord progression. They commandeer the tv stations and announce : "We have come to harmonise international relations"...no, perhaps not. Politics is a bit crap and shoddy these days. We've seen that all these idiots we vote for (well, not me, it must be YOUR FAULT these goons are there wielding their private parts and their natty suits on behalf of the common good) are just wizards of ooze, you know, TAKE NO NOTICE OF THE SMALL MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN, we know they can't do anything and they're all like nattily suited private parted corks bobbing around on vast rumbly seas of international finance. They haven't got a clue. This is where all the conspiracy theories come from - the desperate hope that SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE is pulling the strings - that there ARE STRINGS - I mean that's probably absurd right there, I mean WHAT STRINGS? And are they tuned to a natural E ?
You know it really is time for that alien invasion we were promised in 1957. They're late. I want my aliens!
November 17, 2017
I spent the first two thirds of this book hating it. It was a mystery thriller and I had already worked out who had done it and why they had done it, and was just painfully keeping going because I couldn’t believe something could be so obvious. Suddenly near to the end , I realized it wasn’t a mystery thriller, but was a moral tale, a political statement, and a criticism of modern society, and the whole thing had a significance I hadn’t expected. It wasn’t the best book I have read, and I wouldn’t even say it really deserves the four stars I have given it, but I am glad I read it and , yes, it did make me think. What else can you ask from a book?
April 26, 2022
Прилично списан криминален трилър, малко поовехтял естетвено - публикуван е за първи път през далечната вече 1993 година.
Добре ми вървеше, но вече четох книга на Лорънс Блок с донякъде подобен сюжет тази година, та не се въодушевих прекалено. Отделно, твърде рано разкрих "лошия" и някак не останах очарован от мотивите му и като цяло от края на книгата. Хареса ми обаче умело вплетената в сюжета еротика.
Моята оценка - под 2,5*.
Все пак, авторът е световно известен със sci-fi творбите си, сигурно има и защо. Трябва да се чете на английски, май само две произволно подбрани негови книги са преведени на български до сега.
Добре ми вървеше, но вече четох книга на Лорънс Блок с донякъде подобен сюжет тази година, та не се въодушевих прекалено. Отделно, твърде рано разкрих "лошия" и някак не останах очарован от мотивите му и като цяло от края на книгата. Хареса ми обаче умело вплетената в сюжета еротика.
Моята оценка - под 2,5*.
Все пак, авторът е световно известен със sci-fi творбите си, сигурно има и защо. Трябва да се чете на английски, май само две произволно подбрани негови книги са преведени на български до сега.
September 24, 2013
"Complicity": the clue's in the title. To what extent are we complicit in what happens to us? This is an atmospheric, compelling, intelligent Scottish crime thriller that - like the best genre fiction - also has plenty to say on our messed up world and the human condition. I raced through this satisfying story of how dysfunctional local journalist Cameron Colley may have triggered a series of horrific revenge incidents (murder, torture etc.). The two narrative voices kept this tale tense and interesting as the police conclude that Cameron knows far more than he is letting on. Just how complicit is he?
April 7, 2013
The first book I read by Banks - chosen foremostly due to its paperback exterior, and also by randomly picking it from the lending library shelf. And I must admit retrospectively that the book chose me!
Set in a real place in Scotland - also the author's homeland - I could easily picture the surroundings thanks to Banks' descriptive imagery. He skillfully entwines interesting plots such as crime, politics and sex with sub-plots such as drug use and computer games to create a rich read that leaves you hooked for life! I found these sub/plots recurring in part or in parallel in the subsequent books I read by Banks, ScienceFiction or not. Thus Banks also spins a weave amongst his chain of books, making the reader fall into his literary trap in the same way that some of the main characters in the books spiral inside the novels.
I was so intrigued by this book that I bought an original DVD of the movie based on the book. But I admit without shame that I did not watch the movie before re-reading the book for the second time!
Banks writes in a way I have never experienced: one minute he's spending long chapters describing a grey, dull-looking building. Then he shoots an image overladen by sex and drugs; the next is a discussion about Tory and Labour politics. And don't be surprised if you find a humorous touch inside a murder scene that is otherwise gory and unforgiving!
Banks is a true must for avid readers, and I recommend this book as a first introduction to Banks to anyone.
Set in a real place in Scotland - also the author's homeland - I could easily picture the surroundings thanks to Banks' descriptive imagery. He skillfully entwines interesting plots such as crime, politics and sex with sub-plots such as drug use and computer games to create a rich read that leaves you hooked for life! I found these sub/plots recurring in part or in parallel in the subsequent books I read by Banks, ScienceFiction or not. Thus Banks also spins a weave amongst his chain of books, making the reader fall into his literary trap in the same way that some of the main characters in the books spiral inside the novels.
I was so intrigued by this book that I bought an original DVD of the movie based on the book. But I admit without shame that I did not watch the movie before re-reading the book for the second time!
Banks writes in a way I have never experienced: one minute he's spending long chapters describing a grey, dull-looking building. Then he shoots an image overladen by sex and drugs; the next is a discussion about Tory and Labour politics. And don't be surprised if you find a humorous touch inside a murder scene that is otherwise gory and unforgiving!
Banks is a true must for avid readers, and I recommend this book as a first introduction to Banks to anyone.
July 3, 2019
An entertaining, well written crime thriller that is critical of modern society, it’s politics, greed and overall morality. Journalist, Cameron Colley gets a lead into what promises to be a big story, only to find himself under suspicion by the police for being a serial killer. Cameron, via his tip off leads, happens to be near the site of a number of murders. What further implicates him is that the murders are of the type of people Cameron openly criticises in his articles.
Here is an example of Iain Banks writing style:
‘The point is, there is no feasible excuse for what are, for what we have made of ourselves. We have chosen to put profits before people, money before morality, dividends before decency, fanaticism before fairness, and our own trivial comforts before the unspeakable agonies of others.�
Here is an example of Iain Banks writing style:
‘The point is, there is no feasible excuse for what are, for what we have made of ourselves. We have chosen to put profits before people, money before morality, dividends before decency, fanaticism before fairness, and our own trivial comforts before the unspeakable agonies of others.�
November 21, 2008
An extremely superior piece of sex and violence. You know, like Hamlet or the Duchess of Malfi or something, but more explicit. Totally unputdownable.
January 30, 2019
Иън Банкс със сигурност е от авторите, които знаят каква е тайната рецепта за написването на успешен трилър. Писан, преди близо 30 години, романът му „Съучастие� от 1993 година, може да се смята за показно в жанра как се грабва и задържа читателското внимание. „Съучастие� е част от каталога на издателство „Колибри�, в превод на Венцислав Венков.
Романът започва с ужасяващо престъпление, а интригата се заплита умело още в първите редове. Главната роля в книгата е възложена на шотландския журналист Камерън Коли, който не е типичният гелосан представител на гилдията. Напротив, Коли е от лошите момчета в бранша � пие, друса се, с уличен речник, играе по цяла нощ видео игри, прави безразборен секс, но може би именно заради това се занимава с разследването на изключително тежки и сериозни престъпления и измами.
Животът на Камерън поема в неочаквана посока, когато анонимен господин, представящ се като мистър Арчър, започва да се свърза с него на служебния телефон, и лъжичка по лъжичка му предоставя интригуваща информация относно грандиозна афера. И когато Камерън си мисли, че е напът да направи най-голямото разкритие в журналистическата си кариера, именно той се оказва заподозрян за няколко престъпления, заради липсата на алиби. Оказва се, всичките разобличени от Камерън престъпници, са убити мистериозно и събраните улики от полицейското разследване водят криминалистите именно към него. Възможно ли е този, който търси истината, да е този, който раздава правосъдие с пистолет в ръка?
Какво е общото между тези престъпления, Камерън и неговото „ушенце� � мистър Арчър? Търсенето на отговор на тези въпроси ще ви въвлекат в ъндърграунд живота на журналиста и неговите слабости, ще откриете, че той със сигурност не е лош човек, въпреки първите впечатления.
„Съучастие� е непредвидим трилър, а Банкс е отличник в изграждането на герои и заплетени ситуации. Книгата е добре балансирана смесица от хумор, ужаси, насилие, кримка и впечатляващи сексуални сцени, които създават невероятно ярка история и сложен сюжет. Развитието на литературата и жанровете й със сигурност предполагат съвсем скоро да има и подразделение Класически трилъри, инак смятани за булевардни и преходни книги, в която графа трябва да попадне и „Съучастие�.
Иън Банкс (1954 - 2013) е шотландски автор на научна фантастика и мейнстрийм романи. Произведенията му са отличени с десетки награди, сред които „Локус�, „Хюго�, „Артър С. Кларк�, „Джо� У. Кембъл�, „Бритиш фентъзи� и наградата на Британската асоциация за научна фантастика, а в. „Таймс� го слага сред 50-те най-големи британски писатели, родени след 1945 г.
Романът започва с ужасяващо престъпление, а интригата се заплита умело още в първите редове. Главната роля в книгата е възложена на шотландския журналист Камерън Коли, който не е типичният гелосан представител на гилдията. Напротив, Коли е от лошите момчета в бранша � пие, друса се, с уличен речник, играе по цяла нощ видео игри, прави безразборен секс, но може би именно заради това се занимава с разследването на изключително тежки и сериозни престъпления и измами.
Животът на Камерън поема в неочаквана посока, когато анонимен господин, представящ се като мистър Арчър, започва да се свърза с него на служебния телефон, и лъжичка по лъжичка му предоставя интригуваща информация относно грандиозна афера. И когато Камерън си мисли, че е напът да направи най-голямото разкритие в журналистическата си кариера, именно той се оказва заподозрян за няколко престъпления, заради липсата на алиби. Оказва се, всичките разобличени от Камерън престъпници, са убити мистериозно и събраните улики от полицейското разследване водят криминалистите именно към него. Възможно ли е този, който търси истината, да е този, който раздава правосъдие с пистолет в ръка?
Какво е общото между тези престъпления, Камерън и неговото „ушенце� � мистър Арчър? Търсенето на отговор на тези въпроси ще ви въвлекат в ъндърграунд живота на журналиста и неговите слабости, ще откриете, че той със сигурност не е лош човек, въпреки първите впечатления.
„Съучастие� е непредвидим трилър, а Банкс е отличник в изграждането на герои и заплетени ситуации. Книгата е добре балансирана смесица от хумор, ужаси, насилие, кримка и впечатляващи сексуални сцени, които създават невероятно ярка история и сложен сюжет. Развитието на литературата и жанровете й със сигурност предполагат съвсем скоро да има и подразделение Класически трилъри, инак смятани за булевардни и преходни книги, в която графа трябва да попадне и „Съучастие�.
Иън Банкс (1954 - 2013) е шотландски автор на научна фантастика и мейнстрийм романи. Произведенията му са отличени с десетки награди, сред които „Локус�, „Хюго�, „Артър С. Кларк�, „Джо� У. Кембъл�, „Бритиш фентъзи� и наградата на Британската асоциация за научна фантастика, а в. „Таймс� го слага сред 50-те най-големи британски писатели, родени след 1945 г.
August 10, 2019
You can definitely tell that this is one of Banks' early(ish) works - the dark thread which runs through it - the drugs, sex and general disgust with the human condition - is so prevalent that at times you could be reading Irvine Welsh.
Solid plot - a good thriller with a lot to say about the state of the world (depressingly applicable to today's society despite it being written in 1993). Engaging characters - couldn't help but like the protagonist though I think he's actually kind of a dick, classic Banks. All in all a great read.
Solid plot - a good thriller with a lot to say about the state of the world (depressingly applicable to today's society despite it being written in 1993). Engaging characters - couldn't help but like the protagonist though I think he's actually kind of a dick, classic Banks. All in all a great read.
July 2, 2019
This is the Iain Banks I like best. A clever plot, well executed with a likeable protagonist. The second-person narrative to describe the murders is a clever device that makes the reader complicit in the crimes and helps Banks to defer identifying the murderer until it was absolutely necessary.
Masterful storytelling.
Masterful storytelling.
August 4, 2011
Banks's simple yet descriptive imagery made this book increasingly addictive as I read through the chapters. A wee confusing at first because Banks alternates chapters and subject of narration to switch between the two main characters: the murderer and the journalist. At one point he merges the style in order to confuse the reader and make you think the journalist is a highly probable suspect. Especially intriguing was the contrast between the explicit sexual scenes and the detailed torturing and gory scenes. Investigation and thriller dynamics just add more texture to this attractive, blood-stained fabric. Threads of humor and witty verses add the luxury detail to the whole cut. Recommended by a Scottish friend, he assured me the places and buildings mentioned in this book (which are mostly in Scotland matter-of-factly) are real and existing.
I'm officially an Iain Banks fan now and reading one of his sci-fi books for the first as well. It's intersting to pass on the famous Iain Banks cliche: his published sci-fi works are presented under the name of Iain M. Banks whereas thriller/horror works are shown written by Iain Banks. His very first published book is "Wasp Factory", which I just received by post today and tingling right-through to death to start reading it!
I'm officially an Iain Banks fan now and reading one of his sci-fi books for the first as well. It's intersting to pass on the famous Iain Banks cliche: his published sci-fi works are presented under the name of Iain M. Banks whereas thriller/horror works are shown written by Iain Banks. His very first published book is "Wasp Factory", which I just received by post today and tingling right-through to death to start reading it!
July 27, 2018
This is the first book in ages I've felt a real compulsion to read and finish, which is not to say it's necessarily better than the last few books I've read, just that it's the kind of book that's utterly compelling.
I loved particularly the use of first and second person perspectives and the switching between them, used particularly deftly right at the end of the book. I also loved how well balanced the book was, as a reader you really have no idea what's going on, you know you have no idea what's going on but there's enough given to you that you don't feel lost or frustrated.
The mix of humour, horror, emotion, and unflinchingly graphic scenes makes for an incredibly vivid story and the plot is suitably complex that even with these elements toned down it would be a great book, as it is though it's something quite special. It's really the sort of book Irvine Welsh seems to be trying to write, but can't.
It's only my second Iain Banks, after The Wasp Factory, I'll be working my way through plenty more, I have no doubt.
I loved particularly the use of first and second person perspectives and the switching between them, used particularly deftly right at the end of the book. I also loved how well balanced the book was, as a reader you really have no idea what's going on, you know you have no idea what's going on but there's enough given to you that you don't feel lost or frustrated.
The mix of humour, horror, emotion, and unflinchingly graphic scenes makes for an incredibly vivid story and the plot is suitably complex that even with these elements toned down it would be a great book, as it is though it's something quite special. It's really the sort of book Irvine Welsh seems to be trying to write, but can't.
It's only my second Iain Banks, after The Wasp Factory, I'll be working my way through plenty more, I have no doubt.
January 22, 2016
Too much violence, sex and profanity but otherwise a great job of writing. Very violent, thriller. Gonzo journalist, pathological killer are intertwined in this story. The author is a good writer but way to much profanity and the details of the violence and sex was over the top.
July 13, 2011
The most masterful quality of Iain Banks' novel titled Complicity is its use of first and second person narration. Cameron Colley is a drug abusing journalist who is barely making it and is betting his reputation on a mysterious source giving information on a series of murders from five years ago. We read his story through his eyes, in first person. Alternately we are vicariously led by second person narration through a series of murders and humiliation assaults in present day London. These two stories eventually meet but the trip to the junction is strewn with Banks' beautiful prose and nail-biting descriptions. We also get have a socio-political point to this novel but to describe it would spoil the journey. The best thing to say about it is that The author may have set his story in the Hatcherite England of the 90s but his commentary still rings true. This is only the second Iain Banks novel I read, The Wasp Factory being the first, but it will not be the last.
March 9, 2013
4 stars to this smart, well-written novel by Iain Banks. Hell, it hurts me not to give it even a 4.5 besides not listing it among my favourites, but I have my reasons for that.
To start with, 'Complicity' is a psychological thriller set in Scotland & its protagonist Cameron Colley is an Edinburgh-based journalist. When he writes a pro-leftist piece criticising a few right-wing politicians in it & the same politicians start turning up dead in mysterious circumstances, Colley is unable to provide alibis & becomes the prime suspect in the case. The investigating officer however seems to believe in his innocence & when he suggests that the killer's identity might be found in Colley's past, the flashbacks reveals a lot of truths & suddenly each of the characters don't look the decent individuals you presumed they would be.
There are a lot (and I mean it) of good things about this book. The book is written in Gonzo style, which basically means the story is being narrated in first person. Where the brilliance of this approach lies is that Banks uses this tool both for the protagonist Colley as well as the mysterious serial killer. As a result, you are perplexed as to whether Colley is indeed the culprit. The reader needs to be alert as Banks keeps switching the narration between Colley & the killer in almost every chapter until the identity of the killer is revealed. It all might seem a bit confusing at first but one gets used to it.
The descriptions of all the murders that take place is excellent - you feel as if you are right there watching the killer do it. It's all bloody & gory with a sexual element to it (sometimes), but it's one of the strongest points of the book. There's also a generous amount of sex in it as well, but it doesn't dampen your view of the book even one bit.
I also loved how Banks indulges in concepts like morality, greed & the darker side of human beings. He also explores the socio-economic theories of capitalism & socialism, besides dabbling a bit in political ideologies through discussions among his book's characters.
The only thing I disliked about this book was how the protagonist goes on & on about his gaming habits. I understand that the guy is an avid gamer & it might be important to mention that in the process of characterisation, but it just irritated the heck out of me reading about what world he's building in this game named Despot & how he's installing drainage pipes in his city, taking over feudal lords & what not. Way too much space is wasted on that which made reduce one star from what otherwise was near-perfect.
All in all, 'Complicity' is an ingenious & devilishly good crime thriller & I highly recommend it for fans of crime fiction.
To start with, 'Complicity' is a psychological thriller set in Scotland & its protagonist Cameron Colley is an Edinburgh-based journalist. When he writes a pro-leftist piece criticising a few right-wing politicians in it & the same politicians start turning up dead in mysterious circumstances, Colley is unable to provide alibis & becomes the prime suspect in the case. The investigating officer however seems to believe in his innocence & when he suggests that the killer's identity might be found in Colley's past, the flashbacks reveals a lot of truths & suddenly each of the characters don't look the decent individuals you presumed they would be.
There are a lot (and I mean it) of good things about this book. The book is written in Gonzo style, which basically means the story is being narrated in first person. Where the brilliance of this approach lies is that Banks uses this tool both for the protagonist Colley as well as the mysterious serial killer. As a result, you are perplexed as to whether Colley is indeed the culprit. The reader needs to be alert as Banks keeps switching the narration between Colley & the killer in almost every chapter until the identity of the killer is revealed. It all might seem a bit confusing at first but one gets used to it.
The descriptions of all the murders that take place is excellent - you feel as if you are right there watching the killer do it. It's all bloody & gory with a sexual element to it (sometimes), but it's one of the strongest points of the book. There's also a generous amount of sex in it as well, but it doesn't dampen your view of the book even one bit.
I also loved how Banks indulges in concepts like morality, greed & the darker side of human beings. He also explores the socio-economic theories of capitalism & socialism, besides dabbling a bit in political ideologies through discussions among his book's characters.
The only thing I disliked about this book was how the protagonist goes on & on about his gaming habits. I understand that the guy is an avid gamer & it might be important to mention that in the process of characterisation, but it just irritated the heck out of me reading about what world he's building in this game named Despot & how he's installing drainage pipes in his city, taking over feudal lords & what not. Way too much space is wasted on that which made reduce one star from what otherwise was near-perfect.
All in all, 'Complicity' is an ingenious & devilishly good crime thriller & I highly recommend it for fans of crime fiction.
November 3, 2017
This is just the sort of thing I expect from Banks - a weird little story focused on a small group of people, many of whom aren't even that likeable, but you get sucked in and it's hard to stop reading as you just need to find out what the hell is going on!
We follow Cameron Colley, a journalist with a mild drug, drink and gaming habit. He doesn't actually seem to do much work, but runs around after an anonymous source called Archer, who is hinting at links between the deaths of Nuclear scientists and associated people. But what is going on is far more sinister. There's a series of brutal murders across the country and suddenly Cameron is arrested. He knows he didn't do them, but can he be sure he's not complicit in the crimes!
I didn't like Cameron at all. But the book moves quickly enough that liking him or not doesn't matter. As the story switches between his memories and his present, interspersed with the serial killer at work, the layers start to build until the sudden revelation. You then start to feel sorry for him instead - everything goes to shit very, very quickly and, although a lot of it is brought on by himself, there's obviously something out there trying to get him.
As usual, the writing is excellent and the language brilliant - raw and vulgar when it needs to be, poetic and calming in other places. Maybe not my favourite Banks book, but I would think it's pretty close.
We follow Cameron Colley, a journalist with a mild drug, drink and gaming habit. He doesn't actually seem to do much work, but runs around after an anonymous source called Archer, who is hinting at links between the deaths of Nuclear scientists and associated people. But what is going on is far more sinister. There's a series of brutal murders across the country and suddenly Cameron is arrested. He knows he didn't do them, but can he be sure he's not complicit in the crimes!
I didn't like Cameron at all. But the book moves quickly enough that liking him or not doesn't matter. As the story switches between his memories and his present, interspersed with the serial killer at work, the layers start to build until the sudden revelation. You then start to feel sorry for him instead - everything goes to shit very, very quickly and, although a lot of it is brought on by himself, there's obviously something out there trying to get him.
As usual, the writing is excellent and the language brilliant - raw and vulgar when it needs to be, poetic and calming in other places. Maybe not my favourite Banks book, but I would think it's pretty close.
January 7, 2010
Cameron Colley is a 30-ish Scottish journalist with liberal leanings, a tendency to binge on alcohol and other (illicit) stimulants, and an ongoing clandestine relationship with his childhood sweetheart Yvonne. Unfortunately for Cameron, Yvonne is married to their mutual friend William. A more serious problem is presented by the exploits of a Dexter-like serial killer, who is engaged in a spree of execution-style killings of prominent business leaders and corrupt politicians for which he is systematically framing Cameron.
Iain Banks weaves these plot ingredients into a well-constructed, fast-paced story that draws the reader in and doesn't let go. There are similarities with some of his other books - in particular, Cameron bears a marked resemblance to the main protagonists of "The Crow Road" and " The Steep Approach to Garbadale" (smart, funny, twenty-something loner, with a lurking childhood secret which he will have to come to terms with before the story finishes). But this is a minor criticism - like the narrators in the other two books Cameron is good company - always engaging, and generally entertaining. And Iain Banks has the writing chops to pull it all together with - what's the expression I'm looking for? - oh yes, considerable aplomb .
Iain Banks weaves these plot ingredients into a well-constructed, fast-paced story that draws the reader in and doesn't let go. There are similarities with some of his other books - in particular, Cameron bears a marked resemblance to the main protagonists of "The Crow Road" and " The Steep Approach to Garbadale" (smart, funny, twenty-something loner, with a lurking childhood secret which he will have to come to terms with before the story finishes). But this is a minor criticism - like the narrators in the other two books Cameron is good company - always engaging, and generally entertaining. And Iain Banks has the writing chops to pull it all together with - what's the expression I'm looking for? - oh yes, considerable aplomb .
August 18, 2013
Currently reading a succession of Iain Banks novels (not his sci fi yet). Great writer. Why did I not discover him before? So far I've read Stonemouth, good not great. Whit and Complicity great, ingenious. Solid plots, narrative I feel like reading aloud. Just started The Crow Road. So far so interesting.
December 4, 2015
4,5 πολύ δυνατή γραφή
October 3, 2017
Iain Banks writes how I wish I were able. I never find myself forgetting them or whatat happened in them because I'm truly within them while reading.
October 30, 2021
За мен тази книга е изключително слабо написана. Слаб криминален заряд, безинтересен опит за смяна на гледните точки, лесно разкриваем престъпник. Авторът се опитва да спаси историята чрез вулгаризъм и акцент върху кървавите и брутални сцени, но цялостния вид на разказа прави опитите му доста неприятни, нелепи и ненужни. Главният герой изглежда като чисто и просто... лайно.
Имаше някои добри разсъждения по политически теми, които смятам, че изглеждат актуални и днес, въпреки че книгата вече е на почти 30 години. Между другото, на места преводът ѝ изглежда прекалено модерен и се получават някакви смущаващи усещания у читателя. Понеже не съм сигурна, че през 1993-та, когато е написана книгата, меме-тата вече са имали широка популярност и прочие подобни детайли в сленга и жаргона, които не отговарят на времето, в което се развива действието. По-скоро преводът (който е от 2018-та) звучи като опит да придаде на книгата по-модерен и привлекателен вид.
А най-много ми хареса следният случай, с който спокойно може да се илюстрира твърдението ми, че са се опитвали да осъвременят книгата - героят бива заставен да влезе в патрулна кола с марката "Ягуар" и си мисли: "...и там, и тук - все "Форд", ха-ха!". При което получаваме следната бележка под линия: "Фирмата "Форд" придобива английската автомобилостроителна компания "Ягуар" през 1999 г."... Чакай, чакай малко, авторът в бъдещето ли вижда? :D Защото, според мен, дори през '93-та вече да се говори как "Форд" смятат да придобият "Ягуар", това още не се е случило и авторът едва ли би сложил в устата на героя си такава шегичка, би измислил нещо по-актуално и уместно като за '93-та...
Малко ме е яд, че не получих нещо по-добро. Шотландците са ми толкова симпатични...
Имаше някои добри разсъждения по политически теми, които смятам, че изглеждат актуални и днес, въпреки че книгата вече е на почти 30 години. Между другото, на места преводът ѝ изглежда прекалено модерен и се получават някакви смущаващи усещания у читателя. Понеже не съм сигурна, че през 1993-та, когато е написана книгата, меме-тата вече са имали широка популярност и прочие подобни детайли в сленга и жаргона, които не отговарят на времето, в което се развива действието. По-скоро преводът (който е от 2018-та) звучи като опит да придаде на книгата по-модерен и привлекателен вид.
А най-много ми хареса следният случай, с който спокойно може да се илюстрира твърдението ми, че са се опитвали да осъвременят книгата - героят бива заставен да влезе в патрулна кола с марката "Ягуар" и си мисли: "...и там, и тук - все "Форд", ха-ха!". При което получаваме следната бележка под линия: "Фирмата "Форд" придобива английската автомобилостроителна компания "Ягуар" през 1999 г."... Чакай, чакай малко, авторът в бъдещето ли вижда? :D Защото, според мен, дори през '93-та вече да се говори как "Форд" смятат да придобият "Ягуар", това още не се е случило и авторът едва ли би сложил в устата на героя си такава шегичка, би измислил нещо по-актуално и уместно като за '93-та...
Малко ме е яд, че не получих нещо по-добро. Шотландците са ми толкова симпатични...
July 22, 2020
This is only the second Banks novel I've read - I'm late to the party here. A friend of mine recently sent me "The Crow Road" as a gift, and I really enjoyed it, so when I spotted this in a charity shop, I thought I'd give it a go.
I won't make this lengthier than it needs to be. It's blindingly obvious that Banks was extraordinarily talented. Here, he portrays a journalist with a complex and messy life, who inadvertently gets embroiled in some grisly murders of high-profile people. He gets stitched up for them, and has to try and figure out who is responsible.
The main character is convincing and very well-developed, and a series of flashbacks gradually reveals significant events and relationships in his life. There's loads of rich details here. As in The Crow Road, there's a wonderful cast of supporting characters too, some of whom are truly ghastly people. Banks has an ability to deal very well with the much murkier side of human life.
It's all set in Edinburgh and a range of other Scottish locations, some real, some fictional, but all the real ones are perfectly described, and it's great to read about places I know well. The story was written in the early nineties and is set at that time, describing real events that went on at the time, and this really brings the book to life.
Very gripping, with plenty going on, and lots of twists and turns, especially towards the end. Satisfyingly conclusive and open-ended at the same time too. Really enjoyable, and sufficient to provoke plenty of thought on why people behave the way they do. Excellent stuff.
I won't make this lengthier than it needs to be. It's blindingly obvious that Banks was extraordinarily talented. Here, he portrays a journalist with a complex and messy life, who inadvertently gets embroiled in some grisly murders of high-profile people. He gets stitched up for them, and has to try and figure out who is responsible.
The main character is convincing and very well-developed, and a series of flashbacks gradually reveals significant events and relationships in his life. There's loads of rich details here. As in The Crow Road, there's a wonderful cast of supporting characters too, some of whom are truly ghastly people. Banks has an ability to deal very well with the much murkier side of human life.
It's all set in Edinburgh and a range of other Scottish locations, some real, some fictional, but all the real ones are perfectly described, and it's great to read about places I know well. The story was written in the early nineties and is set at that time, describing real events that went on at the time, and this really brings the book to life.
Very gripping, with plenty going on, and lots of twists and turns, especially towards the end. Satisfyingly conclusive and open-ended at the same time too. Really enjoyable, and sufficient to provoke plenty of thought on why people behave the way they do. Excellent stuff.
January 28, 2016
****
Over the last 30 years, Scotland has produced several eclectic bands who have left some influential traces in the general evolution of rock music: The Jesus and Mary Chain; Primal Scream; Cocteau Twins; Belle and Sebastien; even Franz Ferdinand. When I first approached Banks with this novel, I wondered whether the same eclecticism existed in contemporary Scottish literature. I started to feel my ears (and eyes) pricking up when his main protagonist, Gonzo journalist Cameron Colley, used a Pixies tape in his car to keep him awake on a nightly drive home. Banks, in depicting Colley, lived up to the Gonzo ethics: very little objectivity, strong social critique, self-deprecating humor, constant reference to personal experiences (including illicit ones), first-person narration (except for the murderer, which is interestingly in the second person), frequent use of profanity. Without spoiling the story, I would say that the murder mystery plot was quite interesting, intricate but still linear, and that the character development was well executed. I have no issues with the language or the sexual content of the novel (it pales in comparison to American Psycho). Not a dull moment throughout the book. If this is apparently not his best novel, I look forward to reading some more Banks.
Over the last 30 years, Scotland has produced several eclectic bands who have left some influential traces in the general evolution of rock music: The Jesus and Mary Chain; Primal Scream; Cocteau Twins; Belle and Sebastien; even Franz Ferdinand. When I first approached Banks with this novel, I wondered whether the same eclecticism existed in contemporary Scottish literature. I started to feel my ears (and eyes) pricking up when his main protagonist, Gonzo journalist Cameron Colley, used a Pixies tape in his car to keep him awake on a nightly drive home. Banks, in depicting Colley, lived up to the Gonzo ethics: very little objectivity, strong social critique, self-deprecating humor, constant reference to personal experiences (including illicit ones), first-person narration (except for the murderer, which is interestingly in the second person), frequent use of profanity. Without spoiling the story, I would say that the murder mystery plot was quite interesting, intricate but still linear, and that the character development was well executed. I have no issues with the language or the sexual content of the novel (it pales in comparison to American Psycho). Not a dull moment throughout the book. If this is apparently not his best novel, I look forward to reading some more Banks.
September 13, 2020
5 días y +300 páginas después (+4900 scrolleadas en Kindle). El segundo libro que leo del autor, y tenía muchísimo sin leer dos libros seguidos de un mismo autor.
¿Por qué decidí leer este libro? Porque la sinopsis realmente me engancho, es una sinopsis que realmente puede ser hecha para mi: novela negra, sátira, drogas y miseria personal.
Digamos que por idea "original" es el porque le estoy dando 5 estrellas, porque creo que la narrativa tiene un poco de oportunidad y sí suele ser un poco muy brusca en los cambios de tiempo. Algo tiene la narración en primera persona que me encanta, sobre todo el detalle que es cuando se narran los asesinatos lo hace muy personal.
No deseo revelar muchos detalles de la historia, pero es una ambientación que me agrada bastante. Además leer un poco de ficción transgresores con thriller y sátira es muy agradable para los moods mundiales.
En cuanto a los personajes, me agradaron bastante. Pero lo que más rescato son las descripciones sexuales y los asesinatos. Me agradaron mucho, y me hacen pensar en cómo es que el autor sabe tanto. Excelente empatía.
Probablemente habrá reseña, porque es un libro interesante, y a mi parecer más impactante que La fábrica de avispas. En fin, es mi opinión.
¿Por qué decidí leer este libro? Porque la sinopsis realmente me engancho, es una sinopsis que realmente puede ser hecha para mi: novela negra, sátira, drogas y miseria personal.
Digamos que por idea "original" es el porque le estoy dando 5 estrellas, porque creo que la narrativa tiene un poco de oportunidad y sí suele ser un poco muy brusca en los cambios de tiempo. Algo tiene la narración en primera persona que me encanta, sobre todo el detalle que es cuando se narran los asesinatos lo hace muy personal.
No deseo revelar muchos detalles de la historia, pero es una ambientación que me agrada bastante. Además leer un poco de ficción transgresores con thriller y sátira es muy agradable para los moods mundiales.
En cuanto a los personajes, me agradaron bastante. Pero lo que más rescato son las descripciones sexuales y los asesinatos. Me agradaron mucho, y me hacen pensar en cómo es que el autor sabe tanto. Excelente empatía.
Probablemente habrá reseña, porque es un libro interesante, y a mi parecer más impactante que La fábrica de avispas. En fin, es mi opinión.
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