Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “The Blessed Very Reverend Gaia-Marie Isis Saraswati Minerva Mirza Whit of Luskentyre, Beloved Elect of God III--usually called just "Isis"--the spiritual leader-designate of the Luskentyrians, an obscure Scottish cult, is sent out into the unsaved wilds of Great Britain, even unto London, to find...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“The Blessed Very Reverend Gaia-Marie Isis Saraswati Minerva Mirza Whit of Luskentyre, Beloved Elect of God III--usually called just "Isis"--the spiritual leader-designate of the Luskentyrians, an obscure Scottish cult, is sent out into the unsaved wilds of Great Britain, even unto London, to find her missing cousin Morag. Then it gets complicated.
John Kelly wrote this review Saturday, October 16, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
On the way she tells us how her grandfather founded her cult; about their curious beliefs, by turns sybaritic and ascetic; and how she sees present-day British society. Iain Banks is fond of writing novels in which vastly different world-views collide, and this is a prime example. Isis reminded me of Candide, Huck Finn, and Odysseus (she's quick-thinking and self-reliant, and rarely loses her head).
Isis' journey and its ramifications kept me turning the pages; her eccentric charm made me a little sad as I neared the end of the book--I had come to enjoy her company.
Iain Banks (who also writes science fiction under the name "Iain M. Banks") is an intelligent and sometimes challenging writer who sometimes enjoys presenting a story in fragments that the reader must reassemble (as in "The Crow Road"), and sometimes yields to bloodthirstiness in depictions of violence (as in "Consider Phlebas"). This book has neither of those traits, the second of which I count as a flaw. It's a good introduction to Banks's fiction and a good read in itself.”
“Iain Banks on form. Familiar format of, in this case, a heroine, discovering there is a mystery in the complicated family and then resolving it. This one's about a cult.”
Peter J wrote this review Sunday, January 10, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A wonderfully constructed tale that asks questions about everything we (and others) hold dear in our almost certainly flawed belief systems. ”
Neil S wrote this review Sunday, April 5, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Isis has spent all her life in a small, fairly benign cult - a cross between the amish and a hippy commune. This is the story of her journey into the wider world in search of her cousin. As her quest continues she discovers that many of the certainties she holds dear are not what they appear to be. Through her eyes we see our own society in a different light and examine questions of faith, community and power.”
Alex F wrote this review Sunday, August 3, 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Displaying 1-6 of 6
