Product Description

The man who wakes up in the extraordinary world of a bridge has amnesia, and his doctor doesn't seem to want to cure him. Does it matter? Exploring the bridge occupies most of his days. But at night there are his dreams. Dreams in which desperate men drive sealed carriages across barren mountains to a bizarre rendezvous; an illiterate barbarian storms an enchanted tower under a stream of verbal abuse; and broken men walk forever over bridges without end, taunted by visions of a doomed sexuality. Lying in bed unconscious after an accident wouldn't be much fun, you'd think. Oh yes? It depends who and what you've left behind. Which is the stranger reality, day or night? Frequently hilarious and consistently disturbing, THE BRIDGE is a novel of outrageous contrasts, constructed chaos and elegant absurdities.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48758 in Books
• Published on: 1992-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
* 'Represents significant progress in the flowering of an exceptional talent. a totally absorbing read' - THE TIMES * 'Iain Banks of THE WASP FACTORY eclipses that sensational debut. a real dazzler' - DAILY MAIL

DAILY MAIL
'Iain Banks of THE WASP FACTORY eclipses that sensational debut...a real dazzler'

About the Author
Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY in 1984. He has been a hugely popular writer of fiction ever since, and, as Iain M Banks, of science fiction.

Customer Reviews

Great idea, mediocre execution.
Banks is without doubt a remarkably inventive and talented author and "The Bridge" highlights some of his best features - the story is initially gripping and some of the imagery is inspired. Unfortunately the story flags towards the end, losing focus and meandering and not maintaining the mystery and intrigue of the earlier chapters. Whilst I appreciate that this may have been a deliberate ploy to better portray what our main character is experiencing, imagery is no substitute for a tight story-line and cannot carry a book alone. I really wanted to like "The Bridge" but for me, it wasn't quite up to the standard of some of Banks' other works.

A graet - if challenging - read
This is the first of his books I have read. At the start I was a bit annoyed. Making up dreams seemed a bit cheap. But then the suspension of disbelief got in there and the the narrative and the description of this place took over.
A brilliant "other place" that completely takes you over. The vision of the place is completely visual - you can see it on the page.
The chapters with the dialect I found hard going and for preference I would have prefered a text that kept the pace going.

A brilliant read and I am shopping for more.

Virtually perfect example of this writing style
I bought this book many years ago on a whim, I'd heard of the writer but not read any of his work. I read it on holiday in Edinburgh (a coincidence)and it blew me away. The overlapping stories are confusing but patience and a good memory reward the reader. Having read a number of books in this flashback style I have to say this is a virtually perfect example of the style, Mr Banks certainly likes to challenge the reader and meeting that challenge is half the fun of this book, although I've found some of his later books virtually unreadable (Feersum Endjin for one) in this book everything works. Mr Banks skillful narative and pacing create a genuine sense of tension as the book reaches a climax and upon finishing you can only sit back and say 'wow'. This is definitely a book that deserves a second and third reading, there is so much packed in that can only be appreciated second time round. The book will not be to everyones taste, but if you have enjoyed any other Iain Banks book you will enjoy this, read it once, read it twice - you won't be disappointed.