'A poisoned bonbon, a bitter fairy tale' Independent Kate Telman is a senior executive officer in The Business, a powerful and massively discreet transglobal organisation. Financially transparent, internally democratic and disavowing conventional familial inheritance, the character of The Business seems, even to Kate, to be vague to the point of invisibility. It possesses, allegedly, a book of Leonardo cartoons, several sets of Crown Jewels and wants to buy its own State in order to acquire a seat at the United Nations. ...
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'A poisoned bonbon, a bitter fairy tale' Independent Kate Telman is a senior executive officer in The Business, a powerful and massively discreet transglobal organisation. Financially transparent, internally democratic and disavowing conventional familial inheritance, the character of The Business seems, even to Kate, to be vague to the point of invisibility. It possesses, allegedly, a book of Leonardo cartoons, several sets of Crown Jewels and wants to buy its own State in order to acquire a seat at the United Nations. Kate's job is to keep abreast of current technological developments and her global reach encompasses Silicon Valley, a ranch in Nebraska, the firm's secretive Swiss headquarters, and a remote Himalayan principality. In the course of her journey Kate must peel away layers of emotional insulation and the assumptions of a lifetime. She must learn to keep her world at arm's length. To take control, she has to do The Business. Praise for Iain Banks: 'The most imaginative novelist of his generation' The Times 'His verve and talent will always be recognised, and his work will always find and enthral new readers' Ken MacLeod, Guardian 'His work was mordant, surreal, and fiercely intelligent' Neil Gaiman 'An exceptional wordsmith' Scotsman
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Very good. This book is in stock now, in our UK premises. Photos of our books are available on request (the pictures you see on Alibris are NOT our own).
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Good in good dust jacket. Outline: -Who Do You Work For? The Business a nearly omnipotent enterprise is so infinitely discreet that even its top executives are vague about its actual business. It predates the Christian church and counts among its vast riches dozens of Michelangelo`s pornographic paintings and several sets of Crown jewels. The only thing it lacks is political clout a problem the Business plans to solve by buying a nation and joining the United Nations. Kate Telman the Business`s foremost expert on emerging technologies is chosen to lead the effort. As this beautiful ambitious American woman pursues the ultimate prize for her highly secretive transglobal employer Iain Banks--whom The Times of London calls "the most imaginative British novelist of his generation"--offers a portrait of today`s ubiquitous multinational corporations. Already a bestseller in England The Business paints a picture that is at once wickedly satirical and frighteningly familiar. -> the publisher of this PAPERBACK book is Little Brown and Company The date of this copy is 1999 booksalvation have grade it as Good and it will be shipped from our UK warehouse This book is from the Series. Shipping is Free for UK buyers and at a reasonable charge for buyer outside the UK.
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
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Very Good. 1999. hardcover. Good clean copy showing light age and shelfwear, with light nicks & tears to dust jacket.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
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Very Good in Very Good jacket. 1st Printing. 8vo-over 7ð-9ð" tall. pp. 416. First edition, first printing Large octavo hardback. 416 pp. Very Good condition in Very Good, unclipped dust jacket. No inscriptions.
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Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
I'm not sure what possessed me to pick this book up, except perhaps the description of the book as a corporate satire about a company that goes back to Roman times that essentially has its finger in every conceivable industry around the world.
The most interesting part of the story is that it's told by the main character, Kathryn Telman. Her voice is a good one, acerbic and intelligent and - at least from this guy's perspective - honest. It sounds like a woman, albeit an edgy one with a vocal lack of maternal instinct. (And in truth, her love for another character never wholly rings true, as if this was difficult for Banks to pull off so he just largely avoided it, despite it being a major plot point.)
The downside of the book is...the plot is very flimsy. It's a clever book, and the plot is there - but it is held together loosely and involves some characters we don't see enough to understand their relevance. In some ways, this might have even worked better as a movie than a book for that reason, and that's probably not a great compliment.
Enjoyable? Yes. Would I read another book by Banks (who, I've discovered, is much more known for science fiction)? Probably not.
