Not quite the business... (The Business - Iain Banks)

Member Name: moronboy

Product:	The Business - Iain Banks
Date:	07/07/00 (8 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quiet and intelligent

Disadvantages: The ending is a damp squib

Given the mayhem of some of Banks' other works, 'The Business' is intriguing in that very little actually happens in it. The most important thing is the idea, a company which has existed since the era of the ancient Roman empire, whose influence stretches across the world and into every avenue of life. The book is narrated by Kate Telman, an insider working on technology research who is moved to a remote Himalayan nation which the Business intends to buy, and get a seat on the UN.

Banks hasn't really written a bad book (wearing his non-sci-fi hat, anyway), and this is a quietly involving thriller, though seemingly devoid of events and action. Gradually, he unravels his surprisingly plausible tale, leading to what you have to assume is a dark conclusion. When it comes, the end is subdued, and you might wonder what all the clever detail was for. But still, it's a civilised read, and better than any airport paperback you might encounter this summer.

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