Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children...
The book gives a vivid picture of pre and post independent India. It mainly deals with Saleem Senai, the protagonist's family, family tree for 3 generations to be specific.His grandfather; Aadam Aziz is a non-religious yet not atheist, but a true patriot and a non-conservative Muslim doctor. He falls in love with one of his patients, a kashmiri girl Naseem.

The doctor gets involved in pre independent india's political and social activities... Survives Jallianwala-bag massacre, serves the victims of civil disobedience movement, be-friends many political figures and in parallel deals with his own family hassles.

One of his close friends and an important political figure, Mian Abdullah gets assassined and his aid flees and takes shelter in Aadam Aziz’s house. His daughter Mumtaz, second among the five children and supposedly the ugly duckling marries this person Nadir Shah and eventually gets divorced. Then she remarries a business person from Delhi, Ahmed Senai and the protagonist Saleem Senai is his descendant.

The couple set up their new home in Delhi, amongst the remnant of Quit India movement, Partition of India and Pakistan, and tension oozing up between Hindu and Muslims….

[NOTE] This is how far I have read. So I can say here ‘To be Continued…’

Star Wars: Cloak of Deception and Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter

Note: These reviews have already been posted on Universe Of StarWars blog by me.


James Luceno
The Ballantine Publishing Group
Published in United States - Jul 2002
First Mass Market Edition (Paperback)
344 Pages Link

Star Wars - Cloak of Deception, by James Luceno falls first in the timeline of published novels. The novel is placed about thirty two and a half years before Star Wars: A New Hope (IV Episode), the movie. Or on an easier scale, it is placed just before Star Wars Episode I: Phantom Menace. Valorum holds the title of Supreme Chancellor and Palpatine is gathering allies to run for that title.

I do not prefer to summarize much here, because that would spoil the read if you intend to do it. The novel introduces Darth Maul, and his master Darth Sidious. It also portrays the nefarious intent of Nute Gunray, who, by the end of the novel, heads the Trade Federation with the help of Darth Sidious 'coaxing' his competitors. It also involves the Master and the Padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, trying to foil the assassination attempt on Chancellor Valorum. It lays all the bricks required and starts a couple of threads in the Galactic Republic that seem to conclude way up to Episode III.

Overall, it is a good starter for someone not already reading any sci-fi literature. It does not contain many of the planetary-scaled or system-scaled scenes that are too common in Star Wars literature. It is more of a political drama driven by a good mix of action and adventure.


Michael Reaves
The Ballantine Publishing Group
Published in United States - Feb 2001
First Edition (Hardcover)
320 Pages Link

Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves quenches the thirst for all those who have been the fan of Darth Maul, since the screening of Episode I: Phantom Menace. The story is set just before the happenings in Phantom Menace and after the Cloak of Deception.

The book portrays the driving force of Darth Maul, vaguely hinting on his origins and how he got trained under Darth Sidious. It also gives the details on the Sith philosophy and the reason behind the one-master-one-apprentice way of the Sith. The hook in the novel is around a holocube that contains information on the Sith. Two characters, notably not Jedi Knights, but a human, Lorn and his droid friend, I-Five, come to possess this holocube from a Neimodian, and thus are targeted by the Sith warrior.

But a Star Wars novel cannot be complete with out a Jedi, and hence it shows the role of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Though, I should say that it revolves around another Padawan-become-Jedi Knight, Darsha Assant, and Lorn and I-Five's struggle against the over powered Darth Maul.

It gives us a rich picture of the Republic that becomes the cauldron for brewing the galaxy-wide happenings in the Star Wars universe.

The writing is easy and it seems like a walk in the park, and it urges you to go on. If you watched the Episode I movie or have read the novelisation of it, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter comes easily into perspective.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, this is the one book I read recently. Now a major motion picture having 3 Oscars to it’s credit, the book tells the story of a blue-grey eyed simpleton from a small fishing village in Japan, who in turn transcends to become one of Japan's most celebrated geishas.

The word "geisha" does not mean "prostitute," as people ignorantly assume--it means "artisan" or "artist." It takes these all… master the arts of music, dance, witty conversation, crafty battle with rival beauties, and cunning seduction of wealthy patrons, to become a successful geisha.

Narrates her eventful life story from her small yet exquisite suite in Waldorf Towers, New York, is this middle aged Japanese lady. Once a famous geisha in Japan, now managing her own teahouse in New York, life had never been easy for Nitta Sayuri. The story starts with hardships of the small girl Chiyo, belonging to a fisherman family in a small village Yoroido in Japan. Eventually she is sold along with her sister into slavery by their father after their mother's death, pertaining to a betrayal she would never forget. Sayuri tells of her traumatic arrival at the Nitta okiya (a geisha house), where she endures harsh treatment from Granny and Mother, the greedy owners, and from Hatsumomo, the sadistically cruel head geisha. But one day she gets to meet the Chairman, whose kindness and concern for this ordinary girl gives a purpose in her life and that very moment she is determined to become a geisha. Under the patronage the famous Mameha, Sayuri becomes a famous geisha of Japan in 1930s and 1940s.

It’s a splendid piece of work by Arthur Golden considering it’s his first piece of work. The first half of book is quite captivating, where as second half is a bit dull and flat. But this professor of Japanese history in New York University has definitely put lots of effort to provide the reader a vivid picture of Japan in 1930’s. The books gives pictorial view of Japanese culture, and a faint hint about Japanese business, politics and effect of war (World War-II) on the country.Over all I would say this book is full of life, beauty, music, art, love and of course jealousy, hatred and betrayal.A must read.:-)

Book Review

Why a separate blog for books?Well,for the obvious reason of the effect that books have in our lives.I myself am a voracious reader.Have a keen tastebud of various types of literature.Let it be poetry...biography...fiction...stort stories...non fiction...science...philosophy...or what so ever for that matter,I can grab a bite anytime..anywhere.

This blog will be a coagualation of postings of me and a few friends of mine.The reason of this being they can add few more dimensions to this blog, their interest on type of books being a bit different from mine.

So, welcome to the fascinating world of books....