Technically I have not finished this and do not intend to. I could not take it anymore despite my insistence of finishing up books once started. The 1Technically I have not finished this and do not intend to. I could not take it anymore despite my insistence of finishing up books once started. The 1- star rating does not reflect the merits or demerits of the book. I am sure it would have been an outstanding work for some. But not my type of book. I stopped reading this half-way through....more
There are books and there is Stephen King. I only wish I had discovered him much earlier in my heyday! This is my second King and I am glad I bought aThere are books and there is Stephen King. I only wish I had discovered him much earlier in my heyday! This is my second King and I am glad I bought a few more. This is one hell of a ride. I couldn't keep the book down once I finished the first 100 pages.
Cold Mountain Penitentiary with its Green Mile gives you the creeps. This is the prison corridor on Block E with its green linoleum flooring where prisoners serving death sentences are brought and housed on their last leg. But what rattles you more are the inmates especially John Coffey convicted of raping and murdering two girls. The other main characters in the book are Mr. Jingles the mouse, Green Mile and Old Sparky, the electric chair (yes both can be considered as characters).
It is a story about how good wins over evil in strange ways. Without too many spoilers, I only wished somehow I could find John Coffey at the end of the book. This is not a horror genre but should be categorized as "magic". The image of actor Michael Clarke Duncan from the film by the same name starring Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecombe, hovers everytime John Coffey appears on the scene in the book. I hope to pick up the next one by King soon....more
This is the second instalment of Agni Prakash and his adventures. In the first book, we saw Agni Prakash battling Naganara the necromancer along with This is the second instalment of Agni Prakash and his adventures. In the first book, we saw Agni Prakash battling Naganara the necromancer along with his friends Minothi and Dharami. In this book too, they help him to overcome Nayima the stone witch who is unleashing terror on humanity. He is approached by Mara the agrami or the leader of the kimkaras to find the samayakalas (Vela, Pari and Vasana) keepers of time, to unwind and reverse the time to avoid humanity being decimated by Nayima. There is also a brief appearance by Naganara, his old adversary from the first book, who has changed for the good. All in all a very interesting read.
I liked it better than the first book. The writer has a good command over the language and the prose flows naturally. I have not come across another fantasy novel in the Indian context and the author has exploited this genre superbly. Readers better read her first book to get a hang of her language and more importantly, to familiarise with the characters, almost all of them are present in the sequel.
Thank you Anuja for providing me with a copy in exchange for a review....more
Note - Free copy from the author in exchange of a review. Thank you Anuja Chandramouli for the copy. I was intrigued by the title so I agreed to revieNote - Free copy from the author in exchange of a review. Thank you Anuja Chandramouli for the copy. I was intrigued by the title so I agreed to review this.
The book is a fantastically written (pun intended). It deals with a young lad Agni Prakash, a human being, who is anointed as Yama's lieutenant to fight the evil forces out to conquer the three worlds i.e. heaven, hell and earth with the help of a kritya, a divine woman with magical powers. Agni Prakash is heartbroken over his twin sister Varu's death and brooding over his sense of loss. One fine day, he is recruited by a goddess Taravarsha to save the three worlds from Naganara, a necromancer.
The plot flits between the mythical and the real world, weaving an interesting story of Agni Prakash and his travails in battling with the arakshas who have escaped the nether world and wreaking havoc on the earthlings. There is also another thread with a backstory of Yama in the form of a book written by Varu before her death. So little is known about Yama, the lord of death and the netherworld. This is like an eye-opener.
This was my first book in the fantasy genre by an Indian author. I am not a keen fan of books on fantasy, however I was not disappointed. Published by Random House India, you can expect a top-notch quality product, no less. After a long time, I have reviewed a book which is tightly edited and the language is absolutely superb. The author has a mastery over the language with a wide repertoire in vocabulary. The prose flows beautifully. However, I found the first hundred pages a bit of a drag with so many multiple characters flitting in and out that I almost lost track of the plot. However, Varu's book on Yama and his emergence as the lord of the netherworld kept me hooked.
Overall, I liked it and for those interested in fantasy / mythology, go grab it ! ...more
This was my first fantasy fiction and to say that this was stupendous and magnificent would be an understatement. The story flowed like a river. The iThis was my first fantasy fiction and to say that this was stupendous and magnificent would be an understatement. The story flowed like a river. The imagination and the creativity of the author is commendable. I loved the slight twist of common words which we use everyday which the author has used in the book ("Ser" for sir, "name day" for birthday, "Maester" for master and such others) to give it a medieval touch. The book has a wide array of characters and each of the character stays unless he or she dies. There is never a dull moment and you want to go on turning the page and never keep the book down. I took about 45 days to finish this tome and now I have a GOT hangover . I think it will stay for a couple of days more.
The story is about a king who dies leaving the kingdom to be reigned by his closest confidante and friend called the Hand of the Sword who is the lord of Winterfell. The kingdom is then usurped by the king's son in connivance with his mother who executes the lord. There are plots and sub-plots with multiple twists and turns. The characters are etched so beautifully, that you feel for each of them for the travails they go through. Believe it or not, there are even ferocious direwolves and you will love them for their unshakeable loyalty ! I loved the characters of Eddard, Robb Stark, Ser Jorah Mormont, Jon Snow and Arya Stark. But Tyrion Lannister takes the cake. The dwarf with the meatiest role. You will just love him for his go-to-hell kind of attitude. The whole book feels like beautiful painting painstakingly drawn by the author. No wonder this got made into a TV series.
Still 5 more to go on my shelf in this series !! I am totally impressed. ...more
Loading...
