The Business

Banks is so consistently excellent that when he stumbles just a little bit it can mean two things. One, the results are still highly readable because at the very least the man knows his way around a sentence and two, its a mild disappointment because we know what he's capable of normally. With the exception of "Crow Road", I find that I enjoy his "Iain M Banks" SF books better, his archness and sly sense of the absurd seems to lend itself better to snarky spaceships and farflung planetery politics. Here we have farflung global politics, all strung through the heart of a gigantic multi-national corporation that seems to have existed forever and is kind of doing a little bit of everything. Enter: the Business. On some level the Business seems to be a forerunner of the Culture from his SF novels, it has that same liberated and focused "anything goes" sensibility, a slight amorality and an aura of "we know what we're doing, so back off." Our narrator this time out is Kathyrn Tilman, a Level Three in the Business (going from top down) who has been working for them throughout most of her life. Through her eyes we see the inner workings of this huge nebulous company as they do their best to buy a country so they can get themselves a seat at the UN. Why? It's not quite clear, either because they think it will give them more leverage or simply because it might be fun to try. Tilman is one of Banks' usually excellent stabs at characterizations, never coming across as anything but real, confident in what she's doing but human enough to make mistakes or know when things are quickly spiralling out of control. Her story here spans the globe as the Business attempts to manuever her into their future plans, while she does her best to figure out what she really wants. Along the way we get flashbacks and snippets of her life and how it intertwines with those we meet along the way, princes and mad uncles and various sinister types. The problem is, this is all very nice, but it doesn't seem to add up to much. In some respects it seems like Banks is trying to write a full fledged extended family like he did so brilliantly in "Crow Road" while also making the book a fast paced Grisham-like thriller. But there's no real sense of peril or imminent danger here . . . while it's clear that the Business has some monkey business going on that we're not aware of, the plan is so nebulous and the extent of Kate's involvement isn't so clear until much later that even when the plan is explained, I'm still not sure whether I should be impressed at the plotting or gripping the pages in white-knuckled terror. The pacing never races above leisurely and the action consists of Kate visiting various places and interacting with people there, as a gradual plan begins to unfold. Even when a deathbed confession leads us to think that more is going on than is apparent, it's more like, "Oh, good, now we're getting down to it" than "Kate, run for it! Run for your life!" Yet,

Iain Banks was born in Scotland in 1954 and published his first book - "The Wasp Factory" - in 1984. In the years since, he's won critical acclaim, topped best-seller lists and has even written Science Fiction books under the cunning nom-de-plume `Iain M. Banks'. "The Business" was first published in 1999, and is his tenth non sci-fi book. The origins of the Business predate Christianity, and it - technically - owned the Roman Empire for an exceptionally short spell. (It turned out to be something of a mistake). The world headquarters are at Chateau d'Oex, in Switzerland, where there are - allegedly - some rather interesting items in their vaults. (These are rumoured to include a book that might just have made it into the Bible and some rather erotic doodlings sketched by Michelangelo). Although the Business has 'understandings' with several states and regimes, it is now planning to 'buy' its own country - allowing for a seat on the United Nations and diplomatic immunity for its senior executives. Officially, the country being considered if Fenua Uans, a small island in the Pacific. Kate Telman is senior executive officer, third level with the Business. She started with Security, though has been keeping an eye on technology trends in recent years - luckily, her suggestions on where to invest have been paying off significantly. (As a result, she reached Level Three a good deal more quickly than she had dared hope). Kate is thirty eight years old and was born in Scotland, but holds joint British - US citizenship. Although she is currently on sabbatical, she has been with the organisation since she left school. She had been effectively groomed for the Business by Elizabeth Telman since childhood, following a chance meeting on the roadside in 1968. Elizabeth adopted Kate after her natural mother died, four years later. Now, with Elizabeth also dead, Freddy Ferrindonald is the closest thing to family she has left. Freddy, a step-brother of Elizabeth's, is also a high-ranking Business employee, not to mention exceptionally rich and just a little odd. He lives at Blysecrag House, which might just qualify as a stately home. (It has three hundred rooms and its cellars extend for two miles). The pair certainly get on very well together, and Kate admits to being very fond of Freddy. Blysecrag is soon to be playing host to a very high-level meeting and some general hedonism - Kate is rather excited (and relieved) to have been invited. Unffortunately, Prince Suvinder Dzung from Thulan will also be among the other guests. Suvinder is a noted admirer of Kate's, but the admiration is entirely one way. Kate prefers Stephen Buzetski, another Business executive - unfortunately, he is proving to be stubbornly loyal to his wife. Events at Blysecrag lead to Kate doing a little more travelling and attending a few more meetings - leading to an offer she never seriously expected and didn't necessarily want. However, as time goes by, she becomes increasingly suspicious

This book was sooo good. Iain Banks has created a heroine for even the most accomplished woman. If only women got roles like this in the movies. Kudos to the author for creating Kate, a truly cosmopolitan character that epitomizes what we wordly women truly aspire to be: savvy and mysterious, smart and powerful, fun and heroic. I read this book while I was in London years ago and to this day, this book inspires me. A fast read, a wonderful read. So much fun. I highly recommend this book!

This is an excellent read that kept me rivetted to it and desperate to get an opportunity to carry on reading when I had to stop (I was reading it on the train, the bus, and even at my desk in my lunchbreak). The business is an ancient shadowy organisation that has strange things going on inside it that go all the way to the top. The hero(ine) is an unwitting pawn in some of this and you move through a twisty maze of cluse to the denouement.

A fortunate encounter plucks Kate Tellmann from a life of poverty and she is inducted into an organisation, The Business, which, since Roman Times has been a world-wide financial force. Kate rises through the corporate ranks and finds herself to be the love-interest of the prince of a small Himalayan country, which is also of interest to The Business. Kate's feelings lie with one of her colleagues, however, who refuses to be disloyal to his wife. But in the end, Kate has to balance what is good for The Business, the prince and his country, and her feelings.The Business is something of a departure for Iain Banks in that there isn't any of the grisly stuff one would associate with his books. I think this is a good thing for he has at last broken away from the type of material he is expected to produce, and has come up with something new to get his teeth into.