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The Wasp Factory

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The Wasp Factory

By: Iain Banks
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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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.

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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)

All stars
Most relevant
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.

PERFECT

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

Like no other story I've ever heard

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I had never read this novel before and it was a great discovery. Dark, humouring and gripping.
5 stars

Exceptional

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Was recommended this on Sunday, had it finished by Wednesday. Could not stop listening at every opportunity. Gripped from the very start to the end, one of the best books I've ever read. Disturbing and moving in equal measure, I'm genuinely at a loss as to what to follow it up with. Not for the easily shocked or narrow minded. Can't wait to listen again.

Unforgettable and disturbing - brilliant!

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This was seriously incredible. Dark and twisty and reminiscent of Lord of Flies.

Listen to this, It will take you on one heck of a journey

WOW. What a book!

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