From Publishers Weekly
Orr, the otherwise unnamed protagonist of this Pynchonesque novel, is a successful Scottish engineer who's a bit fed up with life: his work doesn't really interest him anymore; years of doping and boozing have dulled him; his girlfriend has other lovers (he does too, but he would rather she was monogamous). Then one evening he crashes his classic Jaguar into a parked MG. The aftermath is coma and months of amnesiac trance, a condition that Orr apparently comes to prefer. The reader, however, only understands all this towards the end of the novel. Virtually the whole of the narrative consists of Orr's trauma-induced hallucinations. The bridge of the title is a fantastically ramifying construct in Orr's brain resembling an outer-space city in a science fiction movie. Banks's ( The Player of Games ) novel is satire, and its target turns out to be the British Isles' equivalent of American "yuppies." Deploying a wide range of stylistic devices, the narrative condemns fiercely an overly mechanistic society and its self-referential ethos. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
An amnesiac searching for his past finds his life dominated by the world of "the bridge," a gigantic structure whose ends have never been seen but which contains a lost library, a host of dreams and nightmares, and the key to another reality. From the expansive, macrocosmic scale of Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games , Banks turns inward to explore the complex, surreal microcosm of the human mind in a kaleidoscopic novel for sophisticated, literary readers of speculative fiction. Recommended.-- JCCopyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
In The Bridge, master storyteller and weaver of worlds, Iain Banks creates a mysterious structure that leads from nowhere to nowhere. Everyone lives on the Bridge, including a man named Orr, devoid of personality or memory, and haunted by dreams of war. Banks' engaging blend of the cutting-edge hypothetical and blistering reality collide in The Bridge . The Bridge is like none other: A multi-layered society of incredible cities, terrible war zones, humor, horror and lust. Now that John Orr -- victim of a terrible car accident -- has reached it, the question remains of what lies on the other side. "Banks is a phenomenon. Wildly successful, fearlessly creative...[with) gnarly energy and elegance!" -- William Gibson, author of Neuromancer"Banks never does the same thing twice. But he always does it sublimely." -- Los Angeles Times


About the Author
Iain M. Banks was born in Scotland in 1954.His first novel, The Wasp Factory , was published in 1984.His novels include Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games, The Bridge, Use of Weapons, and Against a Dark Background .

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In The Bridge, master storyteller and weaver of worlds, Iain Banks creates a mysterious structure that leads from nowhere to nowhere. Everyone lives on the Bridge, including a man named Orr, devoid of personality or memory, and haunted by dreams of war.

Banks' engaging blend of the cutting-edge hypothetical and blistering reality collide in The Bridge . The Bridge is like none other: A multi-layered society of incredible cities, terrible war zones, humor, horror and lust. Now that John Orr — victim of a terrible car accident — has reached it, the question remains of what lies on the other side.

"Banks is a phenomenon. Wildly successful, fearlessly creative...[with) gnarly energy and elegance!" — William Gibson, author of Neuromancer

"Banks never does the same thing twice. But he always does it sublimely." — Los Angeles Times

Author Biography: Iain M. Banks was born in Scotland in 1954. His first novel, The Wasp Factory , was published in 1984. His novels include Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games, The Bridge, Use of Weapons, and Against a Dark Background .

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Orr, the otherwise unnamed protagonist of this Pynchonesque novel, is a successful Scottish engineer who's a bit fed up with life: his work doesn't really interest him anymore; years of doping and boozing have dulled him; his girlfriend has other lovers (he does too, but he would rather she was monogamous). Then one evening he crashes his classic Jaguar into a parked MG. The aftermath is coma and months of amnesiac trance, a condition that Orr apparently comes to prefer. The reader, however, only understands all this towards the end of the novel. Virtually the whole of the narrative consists of Orr's trauma-induced hallucinations. The bridge of the title is a fantastically ramifying construct in Orr's brain resembling an outer-space city in a science fiction movie. Banks's ( The Player of Games ) novel is satire, and its target turns out to be the British Isles' equivalent of American ``yuppies.'' Deploying a wide range of stylistic devices, the narrative condemns fiercely an overly mechanistic society and its self-referential ethos. (May)

Library Journal

An amnesiac searching for his past finds his life dominated by the world of ``the bridge,'' a gigantic structure whose ends have never been seen but which contains a lost library, a host of dreams and nightmares, and the key to another reality. From the expansive, macrocosmic scale of Consider Phlebas and The Player of Games , Banks turns inward to explore the complex, surreal microcosm of the human mind in a kaleidoscopic novel for sophisticated, literary readers of speculative fiction. Recommended.-- JC

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING