Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

25 reviews

rylee_the_captain_krane's review against another edition

Very pedantic and I just couldn't get into the story with the way the author writes. I also couldn't find a reason to care about the outcome of the characters; I just wasn't invested. I stopped sooner rather than later because it's such a short book that if I'm already a third of the way in and I don't care, I likely won't start caring by the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood

Heavy animal cruelty, so be cautious if that is something that affects you.

moonmoonsun's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Child death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria

animal deaths and torture: dogs, rabbits, mice, sheep wasps

ab1gail_g's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Murder, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Blood, Animal death, Death, and Gore

readerofdafuk's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Hot damn this was a fucked up little book of a fucked up kind and family and Jesus christ I never want to meet this kid in an alley. Like the twist at the end was interesting, but idk if that really explains everything about the fucked up little mind that Frank has in his head

The part with the wasp factory was probably the most disturbing part 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child death, Gore, Blood, Death, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Murder

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Animal death, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Murder, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Mental illness, Medical content, Racism, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Honestly with all the warnings I listed it still doesn’t feel like enough

shysheepys's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Read for a challenge, found on Book-tok. Don't think I'd ever pick this one up ever again, nor do I want to think on it ever again. I do think the overall theme was intersting, and it reads from an interesting, unreliable narrator, which is one of my favorite book types. Spoiler ahead:

A lof of people seem to hate that Frank turned out to be trans. I don't think that is the problem with this book. the gross over use of animal abuse is really the biggest turn-off for me. Overall, realizing that Frank was done wrong by the only person he ever trusted or seemed to love in his life was the hardest part of all. I think the part with Frank assuming that his dad was trans was a really intersting thought to consider, and the reveal of Frank being AFAB as an "expieriment" is equally frustrating but horrifying, and isn't that part of being a horror novel?

Definately made me sad, but I wouldn't reccomend this to anyone nor share that I had read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, and Sexism

Moderate: Transphobia, Dysphoria, and Blood

Minor: Suicide and War

revolution666's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Animal death, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Misogyny, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Racism, Alcoholism, Cursing, Rape, Transphobia, Vomit, and Blood

karaboureview's review against another edition

dark funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Murder, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Transphobia, Sexism, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Blood, Alcoholism, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Gaslighting, Torture, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Violence, Infertility, Animal cruelty, Death, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Child abuse, Ableism, Homophobia, Vomit, Excrement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Outing, Cursing, Body horror, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Incest, Confinement, Abandonment, Alcohol, Racism, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Infidelity

This might be just a me thing, but the chapter titled

"What Happened to Eric" really redefines body horror, in my book,

and deserves a content warning all its own. Also, this isn't a tag option, but:

mutilation of animals both dead and living, and the (implied and actual) mutilation of people.

lottieingham's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

‘Sometimes the thoughts and feelings I had didn't really agree with each other, so I decided I must be lots of different people inside my brain.’ 🐝

The Wasp Factory is an unsettling tale of a young psychopath: the thoughts, rituals and beliefs of the young Frank amid his unconventional upbringing. 

This novel is a hard-hitter of the horror genre and not for the faint of heart. It doesn’t shy away from the taboos of

animal torture, deaths of children or the devastating effects of human curiosity gone too far

. 

The writing of the intriguing yet grossly deranged protagonist forces the reader to distance themselves from any empathy on his part…until other figures appear bewilderingly worse. 

What Banks achieves so well is this juxtaposition of the innocence of teenage angst and naivety alongside the nauseating depictions of Frank’s sadistic hobbies. The dark humour and self-deprecating thoughts and insecurities of the young protagonist paradoxically keep the story optimistic, despite some of the most grotesque descriptions I’ve encountered within the genre. 

Whilst some claim this novel should be banned due to its raw and unashamedly twisted depictions of violence, I think it is a welcome addition to the horror genre and one that sends chills down the spine without the need to resort to any supernatural or outer-world monstrosities.

Banks’s horror comes from humankind and how traumatic experience can blur the line between right and wrong. By the end, even the reader finds themselves guilty for feeling empathetic towards a delusional psychopath. 🔪

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Animal death, Blood, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, and Toxic friendship

abbieinwonderland's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Murder, Sexism, Alcohol, Violence, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Torture, Gore, and Vomit

Moderate: Suicide