(And yes, this is the book that garnered the famous pearl-clutching "fuck God" Amazon review.)

@lilithsaintcrow Oh wow. Do you do trade shows/book signings? If so, you should get that printed on a tee shirt and wear it to one. Badge of honor, that.

@ColesStreetPothole Isn't it just the BEST? One can't buy marketing this good!

@lilithsaintcrow @ColesStreetPothole

"It is a sick, sick world when the confidence and investment of an astute firm of publishers is justified by a work of unparalleled depravity."

From The Irish Times' review of "The Wasp Factory" by Iain Banks. (Their literary reviewer got pride of place on the cover of the paperback for that one! The while review is worth a look.)

The Wasp Factory reviews - Iain Banks

"It is a sick, sick world when the confidence and investment of an astute firm of publishers is justified by a work of unparalleled depravity."

Iain Banks (iainbanks.co.uk)

@lilithsaintcrow also: god forbid a character start out 'unlikable' then later improve or do better later, gotta just write them off forever (like im guessing they do w real people too.. )

i mean its also just 'f--- god' im mildly religious and im not even bothered about that,

@lilithsaintcrow That's precious.

@Li @lilithsaintcrow I never understood people who are driven to action over perceived insults to their deity. Says a lot more about the impotence of their deity than it does about the person delivering the insult.

@cstross @lilithsaintcrow
"A work of unparalleled depravity." Say no more!

@ColesStreetPothole @lilithsaintcrow

Or at least promotional bookmarks

@ColesStreetPothole @cstross Yeah, like, I’m sold! Where do I buy this fine bit of depravity?

@dresstokilt @Li The number one comment I get when I reference this review tends to be a version of, “…this person has never attended a friend’s funeral, I take it”, followed closely by, “God’s got better things to worry about than a fictional character cussing.” And I just have to laugh.

@dresstokilt @Li @lilithsaintcrow
This.

I generally think that people who are offended by someone insulting their deity are basically non-believers who want to be seen as believers. A simple insult or blasphemy is something a deity can/will take care of itself - believers save their energy for protecting people.

@lilithsaintcrow @ColesStreetPothole It's Iain's first novel from 1984 and IIRC everything Iain wrote is still in print in the UK. The Wasp Factory is published by Saga Press in the USA and is available on Kindle—it's really a gothic horror novel disguised as mainstream, rather than overt SF. (It's also darkly hilarious.)

@cstross And now it's MINE!! ALL MINE TO READ! <insert maniacal laughter here>

@lilithsaintcrow @ColesStreetPothole