Asimov is a master and he manages to spring Read this review in context of my other readings of the time period at my substack post: Lemons Fall Apart
Asimov is a master and he manages to spring a surprise despite it all.
This time the Foundation, which you begin to root for after that heady first book (reviewed here). It follows the same style of taking big leaps of time jumps. But this time the Foundation is in serious peril and a new kind of an enemy has emerged.
But the comfortably smug citizenry of the Foundation is not afraid. Their belief lies in Seldon’s calculations. As Floyd Patterson said:
“Every fighter should be a little afraid of what could happen to him”
My qualms about a lack of female characters are squarely resolved. Would love to see more of them in the upcoming books in the series. While the book doesn’t match to the sheer novelty of the first one, it is an enjoyable read....more
I picked up this slim masterpiece by an autRead this review in context of my other readings of the time period at my substack post: Lemons Fall Apart
I picked up this slim masterpiece by an author from Nagaland. Embarrassingly I hadn’t read anything from the region. The book having recently won the Sahitya Akademi Award (2024) made it an easy decision. Very read worthy, vivid imagery and an enviable writing style. You often feel delirious as fantasmical things happen. It was reminiscent of Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo, which I had read many winters ago, and also of Achebe’s Things Fall Apart which I was to read in a few weeks. As another reviewer also pointed out from the book, it is full of aphorisms:
"The past is to be used to prepare the future. But the future is always more important than the past.... the only way to walk into a strong future is to leave the past behind."
The book is a tribal folklore with speaking of tribal wisdom and a distinct way of viewing the world. You do not stop and think what is the veracity of things, in such a story. You only try to experience it in full as it happens, or does not....more
I should have read this much earlier. It falls squarely in my zone of interest. However, a short story by Asimov that I disliked put me off of his worI should have read this much earlier. It falls squarely in my zone of interest. However, a short story by Asimov that I disliked put me off of his work for long. I was mistaken in my summary assessment of him from that short story. He is every bit the master that people credit him to be. Very well written, full of political intrigue and science fiction, the book is expansive in just the right manner. It holds to my criteria of what speculative fiction should do, which is to use the genre as a vehicle for the message and not the message itself.
It is a classic in as much as it set the framework for what a science fiction set in space could be. It discusses themes of colonialism, religion and imperialism. Rarely anything has been left unsaid about this torch bearer of space drama. So many that followed him tread his footsteps- Star Wars, Dune, Ender’s Game, etc. Even as lately as Arkady Martin’s Memory Called Empire and Traitor, Baru, Cormorant by Seth Dickinson seem too derivative of Asimov now.
The book does not particularly focus much on the individual lives of the characters involved. (There are however expressions of affection among colleagues and that of scorn between a husband and wife). This is a welcome change that is displayed by contemporary writers who derive from Asimov. Stories these days, necessarily and rather welcomingly, also include deep dives into inter-personal relationships among characters.
The one big qualm that I have of the book is the lack of female characters. If I remember correctly, there is but one female character who gets any relevant dialogue. I hope this remedies itself as I proceed with the several sequels and prequels of the book....more
A graphic memoir, of a time spent by the author in camp when she was a 15 year old. Coloured artwork that almost represents the free nature of a camp A graphic memoir, of a time spent by the author in camp when she was a 15 year old. Coloured artwork that almost represents the free nature of a camp while also showing the turmoil within a 15 year old as they struggle to discover, express and understand their sexuality and find their individuality among friends. So much of it is so specific to the ‘American High School’ experience that Millennials and Gen-Z have been fed by American media. But the troubles associated with balancing between expressing love and fears of overbearing is near universal and so is the failure to have love reciprocated on your terms. The graphic novel deals with the common issues that would crop up in the progression of the story very maturely. The art is soft on the edges and the colors are muted, which go well with the tender topics dealt with. It is a wholly good comic to read....more
Latest in the External Affairs Minister's growing oeuvre, this 2024 release puts forward the government’s foreign policy and aspirations authoritativeLatest in the External Affairs Minister's growing oeuvre, this 2024 release puts forward the government’s foreign policy and aspirations authoritatively as only he could. As he rightly states, he has had a ringside view of international affairs for some years. One can argue that he has in fact held the conductor’s baton for Indian Foreign Policy for a while now. However, the change of direction and character of India’s foreign relations, he continually credits to his Prime Minister. The Minister gives himself much less credit than is due. It is a fact well acknowledged that his years in diplomacy continue to make him a most efficient do-er of things and his credentials make him a perceptive analyst of the situation. This is most visible in the chapter on India-China relations, which is worth a read even independently. His years of service in China, contribute to his understanding.
The introduction asks us to ‘read between the lines’ and there is a lot in the book that warrants you to do that. There are veiled references to a host of players, both domestic and international, that are left for the reader to decipher.
Globally, there has been a de-hyphenation of India and Pakistan, in the past several years. The book too, focuses chiefly on India’s foreign policy beyond Pakistan. Very little space has been accorded to our immediate westward Neighbour. The only place where some time has been accorded to it has been in the chapter where the author analyses past mistakes made. This conscious decision, it seems, is representative of the changing outlook of Indian Foreign Policy that the book deals with. An outlook that is forward looking and more proactive.
It is unclear who talked about -“decades where nothing happens; and weeks where decades happen”. What no one would dispute however is the fact that the world has been living through several such weeks. And in this scenario, it is natural that some of this book would seem dated. It seems that while going to the presses the Israel-Palestine conflict hadn’t flared up as it eventually did. Neither was there any indication for the return of Donald Trump. Much more recently, the renewal of talks between India-China and the efforts to achieve pre-Galwan normalcy, would also change the equation. Some of this, to his credit, was foreseen by the author, while some was beyond any of our imaginations. It would be interesting to see how these developments, would have translated into the book. An essential read for anyone who wants to know about the path taken by the country in this sphere in the last decade and what route does it wish to tread henceforth....more
Mr. Bhatia is an extremely well read person and he never fails to tell you that. The book, keeping with expectations, in3.5/5 Gripping legal thriller.
Mr. Bhatia is an extremely well read person and he never fails to tell you that. The book, keeping with expectations, includes everything from on-the-nose references to the Indian legal system to callbacks and inspirations from academic or borderline obscure works on polity from around the world. An appendix informs you of any reference you might have missed.
Maybe it is in the tradition of the genre to have the story serve merely as a vestibule for the arguments and philosophy that the author wishes to display, because that is all that the story does. I have no major qualms with it except that maybe I'd like the characters to not talk to each other in the (didactic?) way that they do....more
The foreword provides a general overview of the history of the Sikh religion and a finer look at the sequence of events leading up to the writing of tThe foreword provides a general overview of the history of the Sikh religion and a finer look at the sequence of events leading up to the writing of the Zafarnama by the tenth Guru. It also briefly mentions the chain of events that followed it, all the way to the death of the tenth Guru. I always prefer poetry translations that also include the translated text alliterated in roman letters. Helps to get the rhythm of the piece. ...more
Masterful work full of beauty, blood and the sea. There is a love story in here, along with the story of a group of young boys seeking to find that whMasterful work full of beauty, blood and the sea. There is a love story in here, along with the story of a group of young boys seeking to find that which is truthful and beyond the false world of adults.
And what great mastery over prose, Mishima has attained, by the time he writes this. Taut but emotive, not a word amiss.
Mishima describes the passions of the flesh, with great skill. The same is the case for the desire for glory. Both of these were a part of Confessions of a Mask, the previous Mishima I read, but here Mishima does a much better job.
The blurb calls it "a novel of the century" and certainly a case could be made for that. But despite that debate, it is a pleasure to read for its own sake
Good immersive book, in his characteristic art style.Mid way you feel the repetitive nature of the panels. Eventually you realise that the oppressive Good immersive book, in his characteristic art style.Mid way you feel the repetitive nature of the panels. Eventually you realise that the oppressive feeling you are experiencing is meant to mirror the experience of the protagonist. Very good book....more
Had good insightful parts but, despite being aware that this is not exactly my genre, it just didn't work for me. Maybe I was not in a zone of mind toHad good insightful parts but, despite being aware that this is not exactly my genre, it just didn't work for me. Maybe I was not in a zone of mind to receive this book. After a point the brain just stops taking in any more of the same emotions, and the bleakness that the book exudes was already in me when I started it. After a point I just shut off. I decided to not feel that way. If I remember correctly, this was also my response to another book I read recently (which one I can't recollect). ...more
Agha Shahid Ali seems to have had a resurgence in popularity this last year. A biography came out (A Map of Longings) and web portals were bringing ouAgha Shahid Ali seems to have had a resurgence in popularity this last year. A biography came out (A Map of Longings) and web portals were bringing out his poetry again. I also saw bookstores in Delhi re-stocking his works. I came across his work two years ago when one of the aforementioned web portals re-posted arguably his most famous ghazal- 'Tonight'. From there I went through a collection of his ghazals- 'Call me Ishmael Tonight' which I found quite agreeable. This collection too was not disappointing.
I bought this with my first pay cheque from one of the aforementioned bookstores in Delhi. The ghazal 'Tonight' (still my favourite of his works) also appears in this.
This book is what Mir, the Delhi poet, would have called 'Shahr-a-Ashob' ie. the lament of a city. It was the lament of Kashmir. For Shahid the 'Country' without a post office is Kashmir. According to the aforementioned biography of which I read excerpts- Shahid Ali was born in Kashmir and later migrated to America where he lived out his days. In America he was widely celebrated as a poet of longing, signifying a displacement which as I have come to understand (from migrating friends) is a prominent marker of the 'american experience'.
Here too he laments the situation of Kashmir and his displacement from it. While I may not agree with Shahid's politics and the stance on the issue, his skill as a poet is undeniable. The melancholy in his voice is deep. I believe in this collection he truly is one of the great poets of longing. Unsurprisingly however I felt distanced from his lived experience in a manner which was oddly predictable. I have not lived in Kashmir, I have no immigrant experience either. I still live within marathon distance to all the places I have ever lived. But in addition to that, I have also not had the culturally privileged upbringing that Shahid has had- Bilkis Bano the legendary singer of shows up, and Faiz is known to have been a close friend to his family. Maybe it was this distancefrom his altitude in the social ladder that I felt detached from his poetry in some parts. Maybe this is common to all his readers- for a poet lamenting a supposed loss of a syncretism spanning a millennia, detachment is as good a meter as any. Whatever the reason, one understands why Shahid Ali's Poetry is referred with the epithet of 'the Translated verse'
But despite it all he is a powerful poet and credited with introducing the Ghazal format to the english language. As many of his readers have claimed, I too was moved to write poetry upon reading Shahid Ali. (If I may warrant a guess, this happens because when anglophonic Indians come across his English Ghazals, they find themselves armed with a tool (the english language) which they are comfortable with being made capable of expressing a very Indian palette of emotions and feelings)
Good read. Good Poet. Harrowing and beautiful. Would definitely read more of him. Happy New Year to All...more
It is short selection from a voluminous work. A dilletante look into the subject at best, it could have benefitted with at least a few more gathas. NeIt is short selection from a voluminous work. A dilletante look into the subject at best, it could have benefitted with at least a few more gathas. Nevertheless, a good view into a form and era of poetry hitherto unexplored by me.
Some couplets are really wonderful. Adds to the universality and cross temporal nature of good poetry. The afterword is also quite good. ...more