This is a wonderfully written book that does what really good fiction should do: it stays with you and makes you rethink its characters' motives and actions over and over.

I write this in response to the reviews which call this book irresponsible and/or perverse and/or glorying in immoral behavior. I find this critique to be without basis. If reading books or watching plays about immoral activities is immoral, then let's start with banning Macbeth and move on from there.

Yes, this book is creepy, but that's the point. It is extremely effective creepiness.

This was a hard book. It's well-written technically, and the Scottish dialect gives it a certain charm. The first third, at least, was pretty enjoyable. But the subject, this apparently well-adjusted man's descent into madness and jealous brutality, makes it hard to recommend. I tend to try and encourage my wife to read books I've finished and enjoyed, but not this one.

One thing that bothers me about the book is that there's no investigation as to what causes Robbie to descend into this madness: apparently he hasn't always been this way, or at least no one else has noticed it, but he sinks deeper and deeper into this ghastly, inexorable schizophrenia. It sort of has the feel of a play in that regard, something from Tennesee Williams or Ibsen.

As an aside, I saw the author at a reading shortly after the book came out, and he certainly didn't seem like the sort of person who would have crafted a book so bleak and brutal.

Painful to read (mentally, physically, and Psychologically), Bunker Man is one of those novels you keep reading in hopes it will get better only to have your hopes battered mercilessly. Rob's disregard for everyone, the students he is supposed to protect, and even for his own wife makes him a very unsympathetic character. You almost wish he would be institutionalized if not killed by Bunker Man, as the novel's cover sets you up for. Despite being the title character, Bunker Man is barely present in the novel. This is one of the most offensive novels I've ever read. It overflows with crudity that sinks the weak almost non exsistant plot. It seems at many times that MacLean doesn't care about any of his characters which I find lacks discernment. I fail to see how anyone could praise this fault ladden novel, yet alone publish it. If you could rate this book for what it deserves, I would rate it a black hole.

Bunker's a clunker, and even one star is too generous.

As literature (and I have to use the term loosely to apply it to this text) this book stinks out loud. Bunker Man is offensive on many levels, and poor writing is definitely one. The plot is pathetically predictable (a flaw McLean couldn't mask even by breaking up the story's continuity with incoherent, unnecessary scenes promoting random acts of violence) and the characters are so flat they function more like pawns than people.

Perhaps the only interesting thing about this book (and this is a stretch) was the characters use of Scottish words (but since the author is actually from Scotland, this can hardly be hailed as a feat of technical genius.) And, unfortunately, the brief pleasure of learning that to "ken" something was to "know" it, soon faded as I discovered that crossing the `language barrier' had brought me to the appalling place where I "kenned" far more about certain things than was necessary.

To say this book is unsettling would be somewhat misleading. As horrific as I found the story and language, I was sickened less by the graphic, perverted content than by the realization that not only is there a person in the world who would choose to write something like this, there are people who would agree to publish it because (perhaps most disturbing of all) they thought there would be a market for it.

This was the most appaling piece of literature that I've ever read. Rob, the main character, is never presented as remotely likeable or sympathetic due to the terrible and unremorseful ways in which he acts. Ultimately, Rob hurts every other character in this book (especially the females) both physically and mentally. The worst part for me was that never once does the prose stop to consider the consequences of his actions on the rest of the characters. I realize that creating such a mentally ill character such as Rob so craftily may be viewed as a real literary feat on the author's part. On the other hand, I don't feel as if the plot and the repercussions of the character's actions were dealt with responsibly by McLean. It was a struggle to get through the entirity of this novel due to Mr. McLean's sadistic and misogynist imagination. I felt as if it all went from bad to worse. I would also give Bunker Man the negative star rating if it was an option.