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sunflowerjess's review
2.0
I really like most of Iain Banks’ books, but this one did not do it for me at all. I found the protagonist horribly annoying and pretentious, and while there is some beautiful prose in the book, it was not a redeeming quality for me.
0xjm's review
2.0
Beautifully written, but the misanthropy that permeates this book is hard to take sometimes. Nobody is redeemed, or redeemable.
ianbanks's review
4.0
After the comparative niceness of the last few books we are back into full-on grimdark mode for this edge-of-war novel, set in an unnamed place with a deeply complex and amoral protagonist trying to stay alive as a band of soldiers take over his ancestral home. Not really one for those who thought The Crow Road had a bit of a sarcastic edge, I fear. Great for everyone else, though.
survivalisinsufficient's review
3.0
This book was strange, for many reasons, but I really enjoyed the writing (it's in 2nd person, incidentally, which works most of the time) and found it interesting, if not engrossing.
cjdavey's review
5.0
A song of stone is extremely dark. Abel is the epitome of the Banks protagonist/narrator; unpleasant, unreliable, controlling. While his recollections of his relationship with (half-sister?) Morgan are consensual, his unreliability and her silence suggest something altogether less savoury: in many ways Morgan seems to loom over his fate in echoes of her Arthurian namesake, although ultimately her fate is tied more closely to that of the lieutenant.
Loot is the only character that comes through with any real credit. She's by no means morally upright, but her authority keeps her men in check. Her humanity shows in the way she ensures the quick despatch of the young soldier at the start, in her treatment of the castle staff, in her preservation and (limited) protection of Abel and Morgan. She represents a fulcrum, balancing the old order clinging to its nonsensical heirarchies against the marauding rapine of those in her command.
This isn't an easy read, but it's worth it. Banks as a stylist is on top form, and the writing is terse and atmospheric. One of his best.
Loot is the only character that comes through with any real credit. She's by no means morally upright, but her authority keeps her men in check. Her humanity shows in the way she ensures the quick despatch of the young soldier at the start, in her treatment of the castle staff, in her preservation and (limited) protection of Abel and Morgan. She represents a fulcrum, balancing the old order clinging to its nonsensical heirarchies against the marauding rapine of those in her command.
This isn't an easy read, but it's worth it. Banks as a stylist is on top form, and the writing is terse and atmospheric. One of his best.
nicoledragos26's review against another edition
1.0
I want to throw this book out the window. I'm just being honest here. Sorry if this isn't the book review you wanted.
It began okay, I guess, quite liked it. Well, all appear from those sexual connotations which were just so out of place and uncomfortable. But by the time I reached the middle and near the end of the book , I genuinely wanted to throw it out the window. Burn it. I don't think I could exactly pin point why, but it's just how I felt.
I need to compare this book to the Road by Cormac McCarthy, im still thinking about it - if not , I will try Concrete Island by Ballard.
So in conclusion, I'd never read this again :)
It began okay, I guess, quite liked it. Well, all appear from those sexual connotations which were just so out of place and uncomfortable. But by the time I reached the middle and near the end of the book , I genuinely wanted to throw it out the window. Burn it. I don't think I could exactly pin point why, but it's just how I felt.
I need to compare this book to the Road by Cormac McCarthy, im still thinking about it - if not , I will try Concrete Island by Ballard.
So in conclusion, I'd never read this again :)
giant_crab86's review
4.0
This is a truly fascinating book. Pretty much every character is a terrible person, including the protagonist, and the setting is grim grim grim, but it's so brilliantly and beautifully written that, despite the unpleasant subject matter, I immediately wanted to re-read it. The writing style has the same hallucinatory, hypnotising quality to it seen in not just Banks' The Wasp Factory but also JG Ballard's work, like The Drowned World and Crash. However horrific and nasty the things you're reading, you can't look away.
somesuchlike's review
3.0
I’m not going to lie: I picked this book up entirely because of the cover. I really love the aesthetic of this partly line of Iain Banks covers (way more than I like the current editions) so seeing one in a charity shop, I just had to grab it.
I regret nothing, even though this is probably my least favourite of his books, that I’ve read to date. I feel like part of the problem might be that I’m missing out on some important cultural context (I think it might have been written against a backdrop of civil war in Europe that I’m too young to remember? I’m not sure which one.)
It’s certainly a dark read, and more grounded that I anticipated. An Iain Banks novel is never going to be a light-hearted read, but the blurb suggested something more surreal and detached from reality, but other than the ambiguity and strangeness of the setting, it’s a bleakly realistic story.
And Iain Banks being Iain Banks, it’s written wonderfully, poetic, stark and strange. I did find it overwrought at times – there’s an, um, flashback to the protagonist’s childhood involving mud – but for the most part, an enthralling read.
Unfortunately, the characters were all just too unpleasant for me. The narrator is vile, his lover is barely even a character, the Lieutenant is the most sympathetic of the bunch (somehow!) but still thoroughly nasty. I understand that this was a deliberate and highly literary creative decision, but it just didn’t work for me.
The ending of the novel is horrible, but I didn’t come to care about any of the characters to feel genuinely saddened by it, just slightly sick.
I regret nothing, even though this is probably my least favourite of his books, that I’ve read to date. I feel like part of the problem might be that I’m missing out on some important cultural context (I think it might have been written against a backdrop of civil war in Europe that I’m too young to remember? I’m not sure which one.)
It’s certainly a dark read, and more grounded that I anticipated. An Iain Banks novel is never going to be a light-hearted read, but the blurb suggested something more surreal and detached from reality, but other than the ambiguity and strangeness of the setting, it’s a bleakly realistic story.
And Iain Banks being Iain Banks, it’s written wonderfully, poetic, stark and strange. I did find it overwrought at times – there’s an, um, flashback to the protagonist’s childhood involving mud – but for the most part, an enthralling read.
Unfortunately, the characters were all just too unpleasant for me. The narrator is vile, his lover is barely even a character, the Lieutenant is the most sympathetic of the bunch (somehow!) but still thoroughly nasty. I understand that this was a deliberate and highly literary creative decision, but it just didn’t work for me.
The ending of the novel is horrible, but I didn’t come to care about any of the characters to feel genuinely saddened by it, just slightly sick.
zivan's review
4.0
What if a European nation collapsed into the kind of chaos we find in failed States.
and did this in Iain Banks wonderful prose.
and did this in Iain Banks wonderful prose.