The Business, by Iain Banks

Reviewed by: Lloyd (Wyrmtongue, Nov. 1999)

Iain Banks has long been a favourite author of the Society. He appeared at several conventions at Imperial College - and then he got famous... His new books are often a hot topic of conversation. This latest book is about a weird corporation, which has existed for millennia, owned the Roman Empire for two months (via a puppet Emperor) and is attempting to buy a seat at the United Nations. The protagonist is a 30-something executive of the Business, Kate, who is caught between the plots of those at the top of the company. The online reviews are mixed, along the lines of "This is okay but ..." From my reading of the book, I would say that it is probably not his best, but it has the usual style, and is worth buying eventually, although not quite good enough to get as a hardback.

We have "The Business" in the library, along with several other books by Iain (M) Banks - please see the database for details.