Dead Air

Book Review

Ian Banks's «Dead Air» is a novel in which modernity sounds like a tense chord, and the voice of its protagonist, radio host Ken Nott, becomes a kind of echo of the age. Banks deftly weaves sharp satire and sarcastic humor into the narrative, allowing the reader to feel the pulse of early 21st-century London, where the personal and the public are inextricably entwined. Critics praise the liveliness of the dialogue, the precision of psychological insight, and the author's ability to create an atmosphere of nervous anticipation, as if the whole world is teetering on the brink of disaster. In «Dead Air» there are no easy answers, but there is a penetrating look at moral dilemmas, social hypocrisy, and the fragility of human bonds. Banks is unafraid of provocation; his prose is full of energy and inner tension, and his characters are complex and contradictory. This novel is not only a portrait of its time but also a challenge to the reader, an invitation to reflect on the nature of freedom, responsibility, and truth in a world where the noise of the airwaves drowns out genuine feelings and thoughts.