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smcleish's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in July 2000.
The Business is a shadowy commercial operation which has been in existence for thousands of years, and which now aims to buy itself a country, so its senior executives can gain the privileges which go with a diplomatic passport. Kate Telman, the narrator, is not quite up to that level, but is one of the rising stars in the Business, and it is not particularly surprising when she is asked to become an ambassador of sorts to the Himalayan kingdom of Thulahn to arrange the purchase of the country from the reigning prince, particularly as he is known to have a strong fancy for her.
The Business is, of course, designed by Banks to be the kind of organisation which attracts conspiracy theories, even if Kate is quite vehement in denying them ("We're not a cover for the CIA. They're the Company, not the Business."). This aspect of the novel is entertaining and unusual: most conspiracy theory novels are written from the point of view of an external investigator, rather than someone closely involved in what could clearly appear sinister to an outsider even if considered relatively innocent by herself. Kate has strong reasons to be grateful to the Business, which lifted her out of the deprived background in which she was born, but she is not entirely naive about the organisation and some of its senior members. She is one of several female point of view characters used by Banks ([b:Canal Dreams|290566|Canal Dreams|Iain Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328666008s/290566.jpg|1494165], [b:Whit|290569|Whit, or Isis Amongst the Unsaved|Iain Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173454481s/290569.jpg|2133], and [b:Against a Dark Background|422452|Against A Dark Background|Iain M. Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174599757s/422452.jpg|809748] provide other examples), and is reasonably convincing if a little bland.
The star of The Business is Thulahn, which is an exaggerated version of Bhutan or Nepal, content to remain one of the remotest parts of the world. The people may be poor, but at least they're happy. The questionable benefits of Business sponsored development programmes begin to make Kate think twice about the whole deal, but in the end the country's portrayal is too idyllic for the issues to have real meaning.
If The Business has a message, it is one it shares with Whit. This is that it is possible - and maybe easier - to be happy without the distractions of modern Western culture, without the consumer luxuries with which we are surrounded. (Whit makes this point more effectively, as its narrator is one of those on the outside of consumer culture, while Kate lives a life of corporate luxury.) Banks is surely trying to say that we should look at our own lives to see what in the material world is really important, what really brings us happiness.
This is one of the reasons why The Business lacks the significance of Banks' earlier novels - or other novels about the third world. Compared to, say, [b:The God of Small Things|9777|The God of Small Things|Arundhati Roy|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166054170s/9777.jpg|810135], it has nothing to say; it lacks the brilliance of [b:The Bridge|249606|The Bridge |Iain Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173129611s/249606.jpg|1494168] or the immense shock value of [b:The Wasp Factory|567678|The Wasp Factory|Iain Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1303915010s/567678.jpg|3205295]. Banks seems to have become a bit too comfortable, but is still a good writer and extremely entertaining.
The Business is a shadowy commercial operation which has been in existence for thousands of years, and which now aims to buy itself a country, so its senior executives can gain the privileges which go with a diplomatic passport. Kate Telman, the narrator, is not quite up to that level, but is one of the rising stars in the Business, and it is not particularly surprising when she is asked to become an ambassador of sorts to the Himalayan kingdom of Thulahn to arrange the purchase of the country from the reigning prince, particularly as he is known to have a strong fancy for her.
The Business is, of course, designed by Banks to be the kind of organisation which attracts conspiracy theories, even if Kate is quite vehement in denying them ("We're not a cover for the CIA. They're the Company, not the Business."). This aspect of the novel is entertaining and unusual: most conspiracy theory novels are written from the point of view of an external investigator, rather than someone closely involved in what could clearly appear sinister to an outsider even if considered relatively innocent by herself. Kate has strong reasons to be grateful to the Business, which lifted her out of the deprived background in which she was born, but she is not entirely naive about the organisation and some of its senior members. She is one of several female point of view characters used by Banks ([b:Canal Dreams|290566|Canal Dreams|Iain Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328666008s/290566.jpg|1494165], [b:Whit|290569|Whit, or Isis Amongst the Unsaved|Iain Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173454481s/290569.jpg|2133], and [b:Against a Dark Background|422452|Against A Dark Background|Iain M. Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174599757s/422452.jpg|809748] provide other examples), and is reasonably convincing if a little bland.
The star of The Business is Thulahn, which is an exaggerated version of Bhutan or Nepal, content to remain one of the remotest parts of the world. The people may be poor, but at least they're happy. The questionable benefits of Business sponsored development programmes begin to make Kate think twice about the whole deal, but in the end the country's portrayal is too idyllic for the issues to have real meaning.
If The Business has a message, it is one it shares with Whit. This is that it is possible - and maybe easier - to be happy without the distractions of modern Western culture, without the consumer luxuries with which we are surrounded. (Whit makes this point more effectively, as its narrator is one of those on the outside of consumer culture, while Kate lives a life of corporate luxury.) Banks is surely trying to say that we should look at our own lives to see what in the material world is really important, what really brings us happiness.
This is one of the reasons why The Business lacks the significance of Banks' earlier novels - or other novels about the third world. Compared to, say, [b:The God of Small Things|9777|The God of Small Things|Arundhati Roy|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166054170s/9777.jpg|810135], it has nothing to say; it lacks the brilliance of [b:The Bridge|249606|The Bridge |Iain Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173129611s/249606.jpg|1494168] or the immense shock value of [b:The Wasp Factory|567678|The Wasp Factory|Iain Banks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1303915010s/567678.jpg|3205295]. Banks seems to have become a bit too comfortable, but is still a good writer and extremely entertaining.
danmart1n's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing breathtaking - a pretty middle-of-the-road effort from Banks to be honest, but an interesting enough read.
bobareann's review against another edition
3.0
I was hoping for a big reveal or surprise ending like in Wasp Factory, but it just ended in an unremarkable way. Perhaps the idea of an all powerful, ancient, and corrupt business is just to normal these days.
edders's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure whether to give it 3 or 4 stars - ideally 3.5, I think. The Business seems in some ways a precursor to Transition, but only in the concept of world organisations. The usual witty dialogue, the usual interesting development. Basically this is what I expect from Banks' fiction.
tenisonpurple's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Got interested in the main character and carried along by her viewpoint
m_ess's review against another edition
3.0
A light corporate thriller, a techno-picaresque flavored with the ominous frisson of ancient conspiracy and the ultra-rich's amorality. Written in an engaging and wry voice. Precise. Playful. Filled with disturbingly relevant references and specific details. Prescient of both current concerns and the type of book William Gibson would be writing about them three years later, post 9/11, with the world looking very different and also very much the same.
A portrait of a lady who for all her power and wit is surrounded by horrible, horny men—with lots to say about their bad, bland ideas—who hit on her constantly. That she finds love with the least dashing and most empathetic of the lot, and absconds off to a remote area to turn her maternal instincts and management skills into a passion project, reminds one of the ending of Little Women.
A portrait of a lady who for all her power and wit is surrounded by horrible, horny men—with lots to say about their bad, bland ideas—who hit on her constantly. That she finds love with the least dashing and most empathetic of the lot, and absconds off to a remote area to turn her maternal instincts and management skills into a passion project, reminds one of the ending of Little Women.
marrije's review against another edition
5.0
Just lovely. Banks must have had such fun writing his books - this just sparkles with wit and joy and delightfulness. Wonderful, also on the second reading.
davida's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book, although I'm hard-pressed to think of a specific reason why. It's basically a low-key conspiracy within the confines of a mysterious, mulit-national corporation. It was an enjoyable, easy, fun read.
scottish_kat's review against another edition
3.0
The concepts in this book are so close to the reality of today that it didn't read like fiction at all.
Well worth reading, even if the ending is a bit meh.
Well worth reading, even if the ending is a bit meh.
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