Continued from here.
Parnasala - Y Veerendranath. Have to admit that I never really warmed up to this author. He’s pretty highly rated but I have scarred memories from high school when I went through one of his self-improvement books (looking at you too, Shiv Khera). He is criticized for lifting a lot of parts from foreign books and his writing style is not smooth. He’s too melodramatic. He uses archaic Telugu in some places and full English words at other places unnecessarily. Of course several of his novels were made into successful movies but give me Malladi Krishnamurthy (only read two of his – Chantabbay, Rendu Rellu Aaru) any day over him. I’m gonna give him one final chance though – will pick up the highly rated Tulasi Dalam some time this year and if that disappoints, then I’m gonna stay away from all his books. 2/5
A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley. Grim, morose, disturbing, dark, scary, depressing, horrific, distressing. Huxley’s dystopian novel deals with the future where women are no longer viviparous (first encountered the word here), human birth is all done through surrogates (I suppose the equivalent of ‘alcohol in his blood surrogate’ is our very own ‘were you dropped on your head?’), people undergo hypnopaedic lessons as children, adults get soma-induced holidays and a host of other things (“play” school – dayyum!). First chapter has too many technical details about the Hatcheries and Conditioning Centre. But once you cross that, the story is interesting at least till the halfway stage. It is of course unavoidable to compare and contrast this with George Orwell’s 1984. Bernard Marx initially gave me the impression of Winston Smith (someone who feels like an outsider in the society) and there was so much potential to make Lenina Crowne as Julia but it’s a pity they didn’t turn out like that. Around half of the book after the halfway stage felt a bit weak – though I’m not sure if that’s an emotion or an analysis. Or if it’s an analysis by subconscious mind which the conscious can only recognize as a ‘feeling’ – maybe that’s what rational emotion means? The book picks up strongly in the final chapters though but Huxley took Mr. Savage a bit too far into the opposite extreme. And surprisingly the World Controller Mustapha Mond didn’t really sound like O’Brien in 1984. I suppose true test of insanity depends on how much one agrees with Mond’s views in the end. Oh also, coccyx – another word I first read here. The 2nd part of the book has several pages dedicated to Shakespeare (and the title is obviously taken from a verse in Tempest). Special recommendation for poetry enthusiasts! 4/5
Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson – Final Empire, Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages
I can see why Brandon Sanderson took over WoT series. His writing is pretty good, the story moves fast and there is a lot of magic. I liked the connection between magic and metals – allomancy. The first book can be read as standalone as there is no cliffhanger in the end. The climax may be fairly predictable but the real story starts in the 2nd book. I was bored till halfway of Well of Ascension as there was less magic and more narration (and the budding romance between Vin and Elend - bleurgh). The final book is where everything unravels. I can understand the criticism that the final part is a bit repetitive but it’s a problem only if you've finished the series in a week. For those who religiously followed the books over 3 yrs, there was probably a necessity to retell some parts from previous books to refresh their memory. I heard there’s a 4th one – Alloy of Law – which is set 300 yrs later. That trilogy includes 2 more books to be finished in 2016. And Sanderson is writing 36 novels all set in Cosmere, under which Mistborn is a little part. Oh great, who needs social life anyway? 4/5
Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud – Amulet of Samarkand, Golem’s Eye, Ptolemy’s Gate, Ring of Solomon
Adventures of smart arse djinni and its master. Bartimaeus parts are hilarious and if the series had only those chapters, I’d have given it a 8/5 rating. But I had to endure Kitty and Nathaniel (most of those were boring in Golem’s Eye), uff. Nathaniel transforms from smart yet innocent kid in Amulet of Samarkand to cocky and proud minister in Ptolemy’s Gate and irritated the heck out of me. But Barty, oh my, what a wisecracking djinni! The first three books were good and the final one was something like a prequel but it’s not necessary to read it to follow the story line of actual trilogy. But Ring of Solomon has Bartimaeus extensively so it was a fun read too. All the Twilight brigade should give those up and pick up Bartimaeus instead under Young Adult category. Whenever he says "I’m Bartimaeus of Uruk, Sakhr-Al Djinni, Serpent of the Silver Plumes!" I roared. I hope Jonathan Stroud writes more standalone books including the adventures of Bartimaeus. 4/5
Airframe - Michael Crichton. Breathtaking. Unputdownable. After a couple of dull Crichton books (Prey, Sphere, Andromeda Strain – not bad, but a bit average), I'm glad to come across this one by luck. I gifted this to my sister for Rakhi and she lent me the same recently as I ran out of books. Btw, it made me hate media even more (if that is even possible) – not everyone, just the ones who are after TRPs and try to make everything sound sensational. Those who focus less on the actual content and more on manipulating it – umm alright, that makes it almost everyone. 4.5/5
Dilbert Principle - Scott Adams. The Bible. Was written nearly two decades ago but I was nodding profusely for every single line. I read a review which said that the book comes across as condescending but I think Adams got the tone just right. He starts the book by saying everyone’s an idiot and give an example of his own stupidity. On initial thoughts it seems tailor made for IT employees, but it is applicable in all places where there is – vision, business statement, mission statement, quality teams, cubicles, disgruntled employees, stupid managers, emails, trackers, employee engagement activities, human resources, reward programs, downsizing, diversity, offshore, etc. I take back my words from previous para where I said Dilbert Principle is a serious book – it isn't. It’s a hilarious read for those who like self-deprecating humor. 5/5
Guns of Navarone - Alistair MacLean. If you can plod through the first 100 pages, it’s a brilliant book. I usually struggle at the start of MacLean novels before I understand the context of the err, expedition. But after that, it’s a very pacy read. I heard there’s a brilliant movie too – but that has to wait while I swim in the genius of MacLean. The 2nd half is some extremely impressive story telling. I screamed huzzah!when it ended. 4.5/5
Lord of the Flies William Golding – I know Animal Farm is one of the best allegorical novels ever written but this has to rank up there among the best surely. A bunch of schoolboys are plane wrecked on an uninhabited island and the book traces the deterioration of their society. My reaction flow through the book – meh kids --> what stupid kids --> are you insane? --> OMG, NOT HIM TOO! --> you fucking savages* --> damn you all to hell. The final page of the book has “wept for the end of innocence” – what beautiful and poignant line! I was able to relate each character to what they were supposed to represent, except maybe the conch. Had to refer to Wiki for that. I miscalculated my reading speed and went out of town on a weekend with only this book in hand – got the chance to read it twice within two days. All’s well. 4.5/5
* not related to Savage from A Brave New World
Blog post continues further here.
Parnasala - Y Veerendranath. Have to admit that I never really warmed up to this author. He’s pretty highly rated but I have scarred memories from high school when I went through one of his self-improvement books (looking at you too, Shiv Khera). He is criticized for lifting a lot of parts from foreign books and his writing style is not smooth. He’s too melodramatic. He uses archaic Telugu in some places and full English words at other places unnecessarily. Of course several of his novels were made into successful movies but give me Malladi Krishnamurthy (only read two of his – Chantabbay, Rendu Rellu Aaru) any day over him. I’m gonna give him one final chance though – will pick up the highly rated Tulasi Dalam some time this year and if that disappoints, then I’m gonna stay away from all his books. 2/5
A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley. Grim, morose, disturbing, dark, scary, depressing, horrific, distressing. Huxley’s dystopian novel deals with the future where women are no longer viviparous (first encountered the word here), human birth is all done through surrogates (I suppose the equivalent of ‘alcohol in his blood surrogate’ is our very own ‘were you dropped on your head?’), people undergo hypnopaedic lessons as children, adults get soma-induced holidays and a host of other things (“play” school – dayyum!). First chapter has too many technical details about the Hatcheries and Conditioning Centre. But once you cross that, the story is interesting at least till the halfway stage. It is of course unavoidable to compare and contrast this with George Orwell’s 1984. Bernard Marx initially gave me the impression of Winston Smith (someone who feels like an outsider in the society) and there was so much potential to make Lenina Crowne as Julia but it’s a pity they didn’t turn out like that. Around half of the book after the halfway stage felt a bit weak – though I’m not sure if that’s an emotion or an analysis. Or if it’s an analysis by subconscious mind which the conscious can only recognize as a ‘feeling’ – maybe that’s what rational emotion means? The book picks up strongly in the final chapters though but Huxley took Mr. Savage a bit too far into the opposite extreme. And surprisingly the World Controller Mustapha Mond didn’t really sound like O’Brien in 1984. I suppose true test of insanity depends on how much one agrees with Mond’s views in the end. Oh also, coccyx – another word I first read here. The 2nd part of the book has several pages dedicated to Shakespeare (and the title is obviously taken from a verse in Tempest). Special recommendation for poetry enthusiasts! 4/5
Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson – Final Empire, Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages
I can see why Brandon Sanderson took over WoT series. His writing is pretty good, the story moves fast and there is a lot of magic. I liked the connection between magic and metals – allomancy. The first book can be read as standalone as there is no cliffhanger in the end. The climax may be fairly predictable but the real story starts in the 2nd book. I was bored till halfway of Well of Ascension as there was less magic and more narration (and the budding romance between Vin and Elend - bleurgh). The final book is where everything unravels. I can understand the criticism that the final part is a bit repetitive but it’s a problem only if you've finished the series in a week. For those who religiously followed the books over 3 yrs, there was probably a necessity to retell some parts from previous books to refresh their memory. I heard there’s a 4th one – Alloy of Law – which is set 300 yrs later. That trilogy includes 2 more books to be finished in 2016. And Sanderson is writing 36 novels all set in Cosmere, under which Mistborn is a little part. Oh great, who needs social life anyway? 4/5
Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud – Amulet of Samarkand, Golem’s Eye, Ptolemy’s Gate, Ring of Solomon
Adventures of smart arse djinni and its master. Bartimaeus parts are hilarious and if the series had only those chapters, I’d have given it a 8/5 rating. But I had to endure Kitty and Nathaniel (most of those were boring in Golem’s Eye), uff. Nathaniel transforms from smart yet innocent kid in Amulet of Samarkand to cocky and proud minister in Ptolemy’s Gate and irritated the heck out of me. But Barty, oh my, what a wisecracking djinni! The first three books were good and the final one was something like a prequel but it’s not necessary to read it to follow the story line of actual trilogy. But Ring of Solomon has Bartimaeus extensively so it was a fun read too. All the Twilight brigade should give those up and pick up Bartimaeus instead under Young Adult category. Whenever he says "I’m Bartimaeus of Uruk, Sakhr-Al Djinni, Serpent of the Silver Plumes!" I roared. I hope Jonathan Stroud writes more standalone books including the adventures of Bartimaeus. 4/5
Airframe - Michael Crichton. Breathtaking. Unputdownable. After a couple of dull Crichton books (Prey, Sphere, Andromeda Strain – not bad, but a bit average), I'm glad to come across this one by luck. I gifted this to my sister for Rakhi and she lent me the same recently as I ran out of books. Btw, it made me hate media even more (if that is even possible) – not everyone, just the ones who are after TRPs and try to make everything sound sensational. Those who focus less on the actual content and more on manipulating it – umm alright, that makes it almost everyone. 4.5/5
Dilbert Principle - Scott Adams. The Bible. Was written nearly two decades ago but I was nodding profusely for every single line. I read a review which said that the book comes across as condescending but I think Adams got the tone just right. He starts the book by saying everyone’s an idiot and give an example of his own stupidity. On initial thoughts it seems tailor made for IT employees, but it is applicable in all places where there is – vision, business statement, mission statement, quality teams, cubicles, disgruntled employees, stupid managers, emails, trackers, employee engagement activities, human resources, reward programs, downsizing, diversity, offshore, etc. I take back my words from previous para where I said Dilbert Principle is a serious book – it isn't. It’s a hilarious read for those who like self-deprecating humor. 5/5
Guns of Navarone - Alistair MacLean. If you can plod through the first 100 pages, it’s a brilliant book. I usually struggle at the start of MacLean novels before I understand the context of the err, expedition. But after that, it’s a very pacy read. I heard there’s a brilliant movie too – but that has to wait while I swim in the genius of MacLean. The 2nd half is some extremely impressive story telling. I screamed huzzah!when it ended. 4.5/5
Lord of the Flies William Golding – I know Animal Farm is one of the best allegorical novels ever written but this has to rank up there among the best surely. A bunch of schoolboys are plane wrecked on an uninhabited island and the book traces the deterioration of their society. My reaction flow through the book – meh kids --> what stupid kids --> are you insane? --> OMG, NOT HIM TOO! --> you fucking savages* --> damn you all to hell. The final page of the book has “wept for the end of innocence” – what beautiful and poignant line! I was able to relate each character to what they were supposed to represent, except maybe the conch. Had to refer to Wiki for that. I miscalculated my reading speed and went out of town on a weekend with only this book in hand – got the chance to read it twice within two days. All’s well. 4.5/5
* not related to Savage from A Brave New World
Blog post continues further here.
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