A solid 4-star rating was maintained in the back of my mind throughout the book. But then, the climax happened... and the world turned upside down!
LetA solid 4-star rating was maintained in the back of my mind throughout the book. But then, the climax happened... and the world turned upside down!
Let me first tell you the reason why I was initially bent on claiming a star. When sometimes, the reader feels things are getting sloppy, the surefire way to raise the stakes and get the reader engaged bang-on is death. If you kill a character, good; the reader will take notice. However if you kill off an important major character, great; the reader will sit up, abandon whatever he is doing and dive right inside. Physical death is of course the common go-to tool, but professional death or psychological death of a character can also suffice.
Now this whole series is based on the very concept of death and immortality. The problem is, people can be revived from death very easily here. So if someone dies, it does not catch your attention as much as it should, because you know they can be revived again. Moreover, when someone is permanently dead (gleaned) and yet you bring them again to life, that's where I get irritated. It happened in the first book when a major character died but we later discovered it was not so, and it happened here again. These come-back-to-life entry sequences work really good for shock value and thrill (I admit I enjoyed it), but at the same time, I feel cheated, as if the author told me to believe something and now he turned his back to me and asked me to believe something else.
But then the climax happened... My every problem with the book, every complaint got vanished in the air. I dare say this is THE MOST AMAZING CLIMAX I have ever read! Two HUGE twists occur back to back in a span of four chapters. EVERY. THING. CHANGED. Whoaaaaaa!!!
Also, I would like to mention the novelty factor. Generally in a fantasy YA series, much of the world-building happens in the first book. But here, I think the Scythe World expanded more in the second book than the first. You don't feel for a second that things are getting repetitive, because either the author has a plot-twist or a new world aspect ready for you every two or three chapters.
P.S. - If you want to read the series (and you absolutely should), it's best to go in blind. Don't google the book, don't talk about it with your friends, don't even read the blurbs. Go in COMPLETELY BLIND. That way, you would enjoy it the most....more
This book is not unlike a short-stories book. Short-story books have always been a case of hit-or-miss for me. And so was this book.
The overarching thThis book is not unlike a short-stories book. Short-story books have always been a case of hit-or-miss for me. And so was this book.
The overarching theme of the book is this: Which scientific concept can improve everyone's cognitive toolkit? Various prominent scientists, almost all of whom are authors in their specialized fields of expertise, including the likes of Daniel Kahneman, Steven Pinker, Clifford Pickover and Jonathan Haidt, proceed to answer the question what they think is the 'best' cognitive tool.
Some essays are absurdly long, unnecessarily detailed and filled with scientific jargon, while some consist of just a couple paragraphs, spelling the concept but explaining nothing at all. You forget them as soon as you turn the page. Some were worth rereading, while most of them did not move me at all. John Brockman's work as editor is not satisfactory; it seems to me that he just compiled all the submissions without sparing a thought as to which ones are truly worth our attention and which ones should better be left out.
If you are a connoisseur of anything science, pick up something more concrete, lucid and empirical. This one would simply not suffice to satiate your curiosity....more
As of the day of writing this review, 57 chapters have been officially published online for the world to read. I think there will be somewhere around As of the day of writing this review, 57 chapters have been officially published online for the world to read. I think there will be somewhere around 65-70 chapters, but after reading all the published chapters till date, I can safely write an informed review here. So, first thing's first - don't expect anything remotely Harry Potter-ish from the book. It is what it claims - a fairy tale about the importance of truth and kindness meant for 7 to 10-year olds.
To all those who are "boycotting" the book because of the author's controversial comments on transgenderism, which of course are not at all related in any way whatsoever with the book, I wish you unceasing unpleasant nightmares! To criticize an author because you did not like the book is acceptable, but to disregard a creative work because of something its creator said is a strand of tomfoolery I won't ever understand. Regardless of whether you agree with the author's personal opinion on any social issue, this is not a suitable barometer to rate their professional work.
As far as the contents of the book are concerned, I admit I did not find it enjoyable. It was not anything we have not read before; the same ol' same ol' short stories we used to read as a kid in school (with a mandatory moral at the end). I know the book was meant for children but I did not mind picking it up. You know why. Harry Potter was also meant for children and look where it brought us! No adult I know of has ever complained they found Harry Potter books to be childish. So I picked it up in the same vein. But as I said, the author clarifies - no scratch that, she 'warns' - on the home page of the Ickabog official website itself that 'The Ickabog is not Harry Potter'.
I am rating it two stars because of two reasons: One, there's a genuine shocker at the end of chapter fifty. I totally did not see it coming. Two, the target audience would absolutely love the book. I might have grown up too much to enjoy it, but this story is exactly what children crave for before bed. Credit where credit is due.
Blame it on my huge expectations or the fact that we have come to anticipate no less of Rowling, or on the monotonous mindless plotting, this one didn't tick. At all....more
A great book for chess aficionados. The stated function of the book is to improve your chess skills if you are a beginner. However, it does more than A great book for chess aficionados. The stated function of the book is to improve your chess skills if you are a beginner. However, it does more than that. It educates, as well as entertains, making you feel as if you are watching a nail-biting game live.
It has its own share of problems though. First, you can only truly understand what's written if you are actually recreating every move on a chessboard in front of your eyes. (If you are a superhuman by any chance who has a super eidetic memory and can follow every move in your mind's eye, this comment is not for you).
Second, making a sense of this is hard: 53 rookxe4 bishopxd3 54 a4 knight8h3 55 queenxc4! Kingb3 56 0-0-0 bishopxd7. Even if you know what the symbols mean and even if you are actively following every move on a material chessboard, reading and comprehending statements like 'If (a long line of symbols), then (again a litany of symbols)' can get real frustrating real quick.
Chess is an acquired taste. It is a de-facto difficult game to master. For someone who wants to peel at the hidden complexities of the game, the symbolic representation can work as a deterrent force. I wish there were some other simple way to decode this awesome game in words, but there isn't. And maybe this is for the best, for chess deserves to be mysterious and playful. I like it the way it is....more
First-off: The plot of this book was exceptional. Thrilling. Fascinating. Bloody AWESOME! I am overjoyed, awed by the premise of the book. It will linFirst-off: The plot of this book was exceptional. Thrilling. Fascinating. Bloody AWESOME! I am overjoyed, awed by the premise of the book. It will linger long in my subconscious.
Let's talk about the writing. It's easy-to-read, a tad much too easy I should say. But the plot itself carries enough weight to make you overlook the missing flair. I found the word-building a tad sloppy too ('Publicar'? Ummm, okay) but heck, I am just nitpicking here. The fast pace of the book more than compensated for these minor infractions.
Though I have to claim a star for those infractions which cannot be overlooked. The author has not even made an attempt to explain why death by fire has not yet been conquered when all other kinds of death are annulled? Why humanity has not yet conquered space when they have so stupendously conquered mortality? I hope these questions will get answered in successive books. Also, the conversations around death turn comical at times. If that is intentional, meant to evoke laughs from us around a subject as grim as death, it's so not cool. But I think it's unintentional comedy, which makes it an even worse sin in the world of writing.
All that said, the plot itself is enough to make me pick up the sequels. You don't encounter such a strong premise daily....more
What a load of bullshit! Never expected Amish to write this banal, done-to-death story - a foreign invader attacks ancient India, a warrior rises abovWhat a load of bullshit! Never expected Amish to write this banal, done-to-death story - a foreign invader attacks ancient India, a warrior rises above all, unites the divided kingdoms and takes him head on, with an unecessary love story thrown in. We have seen and read some version of this story played out innumerable times. We didn't need one more. To give you a recent example, I felt like I was reading a novelization of the movie 'Tanhaji'.
The monotonous plot aside, the writing is too childish to engage you. Amish's writing was already overtly simplistic when he started out with Shiva Trilogy. The level of richness and flair of the language dumbed down even further in Ramchandra Series. Here though, it is watered down to the point of absurdity. A first-grader could have written way better English than this.
The thing that annoyed me most was modern references. If the book is set around 1030 AD, how can the characters allude to quotes by Mahatma Gandhi? ('If they strike you on left cheek, offer them your right one', 'An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind', etc.) And I kid you not, I even spotted a line directly copied and pasted from the recent Hrithik Roshan's flick 'Super 30'! (When you are firing an arrow, you don't have to fire at where the target is,you have to fire at where the target will be when the arrow lands'.)
I have always been his fan since his first book came out and I will continue to read his books. But if this downward trend continues further for a book or two, I will abandon his books completely.
P.S. I will strongly advise to ignore this book and save your time and money, but for those who still want to read the book, please be informed that the cover and title of the book have been changed. ŷ has not yet updated it. The book is now called 'Suheldev - The King Who Saved India'....more
1) It does not read like it's written by Collins. The writing is vastly different from the original trilogy. Nearly everything is wrong with the book.
1) It does not read like it's written by Collins. The writing is vastly different from the original trilogy. Throughout the book, I was getting this unnerving feeling that it read more like fan-fiction, or even worse, written by an amateur who didn't know when to move on.
2) LENGTH! No, ma'am, we didn't need such an overstretched and boring account. I can understand if a book is stretched some 20-30 pages for effect, but here it felt like it could have been 200 pages shorter!
3) I didn't really root for Snow. Essentially, the book is Snow's origin story (which nobody asked for in the first place). Katniss is sorely missed. But even if the writer decided to tell Snow's story, couldn't she have gone for a more interesting plot? Why such a dull, unnecessarily long story?
4) I probably wouldn't have written all these points in detail if it had been a stand-alone book. But with series like these (Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc.), you are emotionally invested. Just like Rowling tainted HP with The Cursed Child, Collins blotched the exciting childhood HG memories with this one. You could not help but feel it was written merely to cash out on the series' popularity. In a bid to earn more money, the author has deceived her fans.
I don't think I would pick up a book by Collins ever again....more
Easily the best book I have read this year (as of the day of writing).
My jaws literally dropped open and remained like that for 10 seconds when Hans pEasily the best book I have read this year (as of the day of writing).
My jaws literally dropped open and remained like that for 10 seconds when Hans presented the first comparison diagram. I could not believe it even then. It took a whole book (and the author's whole life) to make me see otherwise. Bit by bit, chapter by chapter, he lays bare the falsities of our instincts and thought-patterns.
The book is not only highly informative, it is also refreshingly entertaining. The anecdotes from author's life appearing at regular intervals throughout the book are pure fun to read.
Picking up this one is a no-brainer. You simply can't afford to miss this. Our knowledge is outdated. We need a strong dose of factfulness to update it....more
From a not-so-good-looking Punjabi guy to a Bollywood star, Ayushmann's journey is undoubtedly inspirational, more so when you look at the fact that BFrom a not-so-good-looking Punjabi guy to a Bollywood star, Ayushmann's journey is undoubtedly inspirational, more so when you look at the fact that Bollywood does not usually launch guys whose names do not end with either 'Kapoor' or 'Khan'.
His writing is a different matter. While he clarifies in the very first paragraph of the first chapter that he does not intend to be preachy, he ends up becoming it nonetheless. The not-so-subtle pop-up one-liner lessons titled 'Code' and 'Notes to self' are nothing if not preachy. He is urging the reader to please take note and underline these sentences. While it's not a crime to teach and share what your life has taught you, it's definitely not good practice to deliver them on your nose, especially as a writer.
Ayushmann's fans will enjoy the book most. Even if you are not a fan, I suggest you can go through it once if you have two hours to spare. It's entertaining, motivating and a short breezy read, just like his films....more
I was NOT planning to rate it 5 stars. Even before I picked up the book, an inner voice was telling me the book would turn out complete garbage and I I was NOT planning to rate it 5 stars. Even before I picked up the book, an inner voice was telling me the book would turn out complete garbage and I shouldn't waste my time on it. I don't know why, but ultimately I did pick it up against my instincts because... well, Big Bang Theory.
So this is not a memoir. It is a collection of stories from his life. I cannot help but compare it to Trevor Noah's 'Born a Crime' - both authors are foreigners, both come to America, make it big in Hollywood and go on to write a book about their lives which are not memoirs but a collection of essays - except that 'Born a Crime' was an underdog story. Trevor Noah was a poor kid in an apartheid-era South Africa whose mother was shot. Unlike that book, there is no tragedy here. Kunal has always been a rich privileged kid and has led a life most of us can just dream of. Having said that, it is imperative to acknowledge his hard work and struggle in the beginning of his acting career.
That was probably the reason I was innately prepared to dislike the book. Majority of us won't relate to it. So what made me like the book? (Scratch that, LOVE the book). Kunal knows he's not an underdog and claiming to be one certainly won't help. So what he has done instead is lace almost every paragraph with boundless on-the-cheek humour. Books can easily make you cry, but they can't make you laugh. This is the first book I've read that consistently made me laugh throughout. By 'laugh', I mean a full-on chortle straight up from the belly.
I guess mingling with TBBT writers who consistently delivered guffaws in every single episode for 12 seasons made him a prolific writer too. I was not expecting such finesse, such elegance in his writing, barring a couple grammatical errors.
One more thing: The book is written in such a way that it is primarily meant for American readers. He keeps going out of his way to explain about Indian festivals to readers, which obviously are meant for Americans' understanding. But Indians will enjoy the book more in my opinion, especially the parts where how he deals with culture shocks.
Out of jealousy or sheer curiosity, pick it up. Go for the love of the show, stay for the author....more
For me, it was not just a book, it was literally (ha!) a consciousness-expanding machine.
It built vastly on my current knowledge and it also introduceFor me, it was not just a book, it was literally (ha!) a consciousness-expanding machine.
It built vastly on my current knowledge and it also introduced me to some whole new things I absolutely did not know about earlier.
I can't think of a single reason why it shouldn't be read. It's educational, entertaining and almost fiction-like. In other words, a prime example of how reality is stranger than fiction.
No matter what genre of books you normally read, this is the book that will not disappoint you....more
The artwork is great as usual. RC has come a long way since patchy sketches of 1980s. I particularly liked the design of 'Gaadad-yaan' - Nagayan's couThe artwork is great as usual. RC has come a long way since patchy sketches of 1980s. I particularly liked the design of 'Gaadad-yaan' - Nagayan's counterpart to Ramayan's Pushpak Vimaan.
The story again feels a bit dragged like its predecessor. Second and third part could have been strung together, but I imagine it would have spawned a different set of problems. For starters, the story surely would have felt rushed and incomprehensible.
The plot does not move forward a great deal in this part. When the comic is titled 'Haran Kand' and you know that the female protagonist is going to be kidnapped, then they should have shown it soon and moved forward. Again, you can't help but feel it's being dragged unnecessarily....more
The story dipped a little in this follow-up after an explosive start. The 'grahan' (eclipse) part, the eponymous hurdle which was supposed to be a higThe story dipped a little in this follow-up after an explosive start. The 'grahan' (eclipse) part, the eponymous hurdle which was supposed to be a high-stake do-or-die situation gets resolved very easily at the end. Everyone gets out unscathed and you are quickly introduced to the villains' new scheme. It's an on-your-nose kinda build-up for the third part.
You can't help but wonder this book was more of a filler than offering any substantive contribution to the main plot. Interestingly, this suspicion of mine got confirmed when I read the previous book's 'green page' on RC website. One of the authors of the series clarifies to the readers in the letter that Haran Kand was originally planned after Varan Kand, but the writers came up with such interesting developments in the process of writing the first part that the book got so long they had to insert Grahan Kand in between as a separate book.
I am not however discouraged in the least bit to read further. I just hope things get better from third part onwards....more
This is the first comic of an 8-part Nagayan series which is set in an alternate universe. The basic character backgrounds are same as in previous comThis is the first comic of an 8-part Nagayan series which is set in an alternate universe. The basic character backgrounds are same as in previous comics, but they are slightly altered for the plot here. Even if you are not a regular RC consumer, essential character information has been outlined for you in the initial pages.
Nagayan is an unprecedented project for RC. The first book introduces us to multiple characters and their motivations. It mainly lays down the groundwork for further build-up. The potential is huge, as a few parallel plots unfold in the very first book. I am excited to see where this leads and how everything connects.
Deducting a star because it tends to be confusing for a new reader at times. I suspect the plot will get further convoluted in the coming parts. We are just getting started....more
Twelve years back, I purchased this comic at Ahmedabad Railway Station when I was a bumbling 13-year old. Little did I know that it was my first trystTwelve years back, I purchased this comic at Ahmedabad Railway Station when I was a bumbling 13-year old. Little did I know that it was my first tryst in the world of Raj Comics. I developed an infatuation with Indian Superheroes which continues till this date. I remember collecting around 25-30 comics of Super Commando Dhruv and Naagraj, which were later burned by my cousin's dad. It is a different story altogether, but I want to talk about my experience with this particular book in this section.
I loved this book so much that I started taking it to school everyday alongwith academic books. I had read it for God knows how many times, but I could not get enough. Whenever I got a free period, I would take it out and read it again. A teacher discovered me reading the comic one day and confiscated it. I reclaimed it from the drawer after the period was over but a student complained to her behind my back. She seized it again the next day and threw it in the class dustbin to humiliate me in front of all students. I was so hell-bent on defying her that I extracted it again at the end of the day. The same student rattled again. This time, she instructed my best friend to throw the comic out of the window.
She would later confide in me when I cried inconsolably that she did not mean it; she had said it just to discourage me from bringing it to school despite repeated warnings, but my friend took her word seriously. He actually dumped out the book from the window when I was outside the class (he and I are best friends till date). By the time I ran downstairs to pick up the book, some student had inevitably grabbed it.
Years later, I stumbled upon a soft copy online. I still re-read it again and again when I get the time.
This is not a review. I cannot review the book without jutting out my emotional bias, so I have not even tried to review it. This is a confession, a love story; love for the book that plummeted me inside the world of comics. Gradually, I would elevate from Hindi comics to English comics to English novels to English non-fiction. This was the book that started it all, my journey of reading and lifelong love for books....more
An eloquent account of the 'other side'. Some arguments are noteworthy, but justifying killing in the name of Hindutva does not sit well with me. FlamAn eloquent account of the 'other side'. Some arguments are noteworthy, but justifying killing in the name of Hindutva does not sit well with me. Flaming the sparks of communal hatred cannot be acceptable no matter what....more
This is the third autobiography I have consecutively read. This is very different though from my last two books (Kunal Nayyar's 'Yes, My Accent is ReaThis is the third autobiography I have consecutively read. This is very different though from my last two books (Kunal Nayyar's 'Yes, My Accent is Real' and Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Cracking the Code'). Those two were similar in quite a few aspects, as both were written by actors. This book is completely different.
It is choke full of blood, gore and violence, quite a difficult book to read. The events described are so heart-wrenchingly dreadful that I was forced to wonder whether this indeed happened or the author has written it just to grab eyeballs. How can human beings be so cruel?
It is a prime example of how reality is stranger than fiction. The movie 'Shikara' which is loosely based on this book does not do justice to the story. If you want to have a clear picture of what happens with Kashmiri Pandits on ground level, pick up the book....more
![ग्रहण काण्ड [Grahan Kand]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389357324l/17368424._SX50_.jpg)
![किरीगी का कहर [Kirigi Ka Kahar]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389356977l/12742741._SX50_.jpg)
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