The wasp factory is the first novel by scottish writer iain banks published in 1984before the publication of the wasp factory banks had written several science fiction novels that had not been accepted for publication banks decided to try a more mainstream novel in the hopes that it would be more readily accepted and wrote about a psychopathic teenager living on a remote scottish island. The wasp factory had been on my radar for quite some time a highly recommended novel from a celebrated writer that i just never seemed to get started on always jockeying for position in my mile high tbr pile im often told its a sure horse to bet on so i finally made a point of reading it and my expectations were high. The wasp factory was written almost 30 years ago by iain banks who sadly died in 2013 having previously read and enjoyed the crow road and raw spirit and having watched and read tributes to him at the time of his death i wanted to read his first novel i didnt know what to expect but it certainly wasnt that. The polarizing literary debut by scottish author ian banks the wasp factory is the bizarre imaginative disturbing and darkly comic look into the mind of a child psychopathmeet frank cauldhame just sixteen and unconventional to say the least two years after i killed blyth i murdered my young brother paul for quite different and more fundamental reasons than id disposed of blyth and