Dead Air

There's no question that the anticipation for each successive Iain Banks novel grows ever greater, and Dead Air is a literary event. The sardonic, inventive prose guarantees a unique reading experience with each new book (the misfires may be counted on one hand), and whatever genre he tackles, Banks is one of the most stimulating writers at work in Britain today. His protagonist here is Ken Nott, a character as penetratingly realised as ever. He's a committed contrarian, ekeing out a living as a left-wing radio shock-jock in London. He makes his home in a loft apartment in the East End, in a former factory due to Banks's subject here is nothing less than the survival of the individual in the face of a chaotic world. The destruction of personality under the lacerating values of modernity is a subject repeatedly addressed by JG Ballard (and that author's shadow is c Barry Forshaw, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW The kind of exhausting, careering ride of a novel adored by speed junkies. Possibly, it's just what we all need INDEPENDENT Banks has pulled off a great double - a deeply satirical and though-provoking thriller that will make you laugh but will also have you shredding your fingernails SUNDAY EXPRESS