riteshkala

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Storm Front is the first book in a currently on-going series, Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. There are currently 13 books out in the series with another one on the way.

The premise of the series is very simple:
Harry Dresden is a wizard (it is a fantasy book, remember) who lives and works in Chicago as a private investigator. He is a serious practitioner and not someone who would do magic tricks at a party. He also helps the Chicago Police Department’s Special Investigation unit (led by Karrin Murphy) to solve crimes which cannot be easily explained and seem other-worldly. Magic is an integral part of the world created by Butcher which also includes creatures such as vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, and other mythical monsters. Most people are largely sceptical of Harry’s abilities and believe him to be a charlatan out to make a quick buck. Harry comes across as very human with everyday problems like getting enough work to pay his bills and doing something about is non-existent love life.

The magic in this book does not involve any extreme unbelievable stunts, and can easily be accepted as part of a fantasy creation. I found the magic to be logically explained, and the idea that it uses energy and hence has limitations really appealed to me. This meant that Harry was not capable of performing superhuman tasks without any thought and each time magic was used, it took a toll on him, leaving him a little weakened.

Harry’s character is pretty negative and has a tendency to assume the worst. He is quite careful and does not like to be blindsided if he can help it. He tends to take on more than he can handle at times (especially if a woman asks him). This leaves him working overtime and generally tired. His ethics make him always do the right thing and he refuses to lose, give up and let the bad guy win. He is not someone who likes to take to orders and cannot be easily intimidated.

The story of Storm Front had a lot of twist and turns and kept me guessing what would happen next. It is not all serious business and there are a few light moments sprinkled across the pages. It involves two separate investigations about a missing person and a couple of gruesome murders. The way in which everything comes together in the end to solve both, the crime Harry is investigating and his personal problems in just beautiful.

I have come across the series pretty late and have a lot of catching up to do. Just hoping the other stories in the series are just as good.

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Alan Greenspan, as the head of the Federal Reserve, has been in an enviable position to witness the economic movements of the USA and the rest of the world.

The book is divided into two parts, the first one is a chronological biography, and the second one is his views on the challenges facing the USA and the rest of the world.

I was a bit disappointed with the publishing date of the book (it was published in 2007), as it was before the big global recession. I would have loved to read his views on the downturn, its causes, and his defence against the role he played in creating it, as a number of people have insinuated.
Also a result of having been published earlier, there are a number of views he expresses, with which I now do not agree. He might have changed his views, had he witnessed the huge problems created in the USA.

Some of the views and beliefs expressed in the book with which I disagree include:
1. The current account deficit of the USA may not matter much.
2. Hedge funds should not be regulated as they play an important role in stabilizing markets.
3. Banks can regulate themselves much better than regulators can.
4. Bank employees care for the shareholders, and so limit risk taking.
5. Credit derivatives and mortgage backed securities make markets more efficient and better.
6. Belief that regulation should restricted as much as possible.
7. Belief that bubbles should not be popped.
8. Belief that taking out home-equity loans was beneficial to the economy, and ignoring the risk of defaults.
9. His endorsement for CDS as a way to redistribute risk, but ignoring their use as speculative instruments.
10. Ignoring the risk of increased inter-linkages of financial institutions.

Overall, the biographical section is very interesting, as it provides an insider view on the politics and policy-making of various US governments.

The second section is a bit more general, where he outlines the problems, but refrains from clearly outlining workable solutions which could be implemented in order to overcome these problems.

I found this book to be a quick read, and would recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the workings of the federal reserve and the US government from a practical viewpoint.

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Before I started reading Hunger Games, I had read some reviews going gaga over the book, but I was still not ready for it. The basic story premise goes something like this:
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, America is now divided into 12 districts ruled with an iron hand by the Capitol. The 12 districts each supplies the Capitol with different products such as coal, agricultural goods, etc. Years ago, there had been a rebellion by the districts against the Capitol which had been quashed mercilessly and utterly by the Capitol. As a reminder of the power the Capitol holds over the destinies of the districts, every year the Capitol chooses 2 children from each district, between the ages of 12 and 18, to fight in the ‘Hunger Games’, a fight to the death. The winner is treated as a hero uplifted from the poverty that hounds everyone else in the districts.
The event is of course televised, with compulsory viewing by the people in the districts. The inhumanity of this comes out when the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen’s younger sister, with no survival skills is chosen for the Games. Long story short, Katniss volunteers to take her place and enters the Games.

The way in which Katniss and Peta are readied for the Games, they seem like lambs being fattened before they are sacrificed at the altar. Though well-meaning, the team provided to them comes across as being immune to the horrors of the Games. They can only see the glory this could get them. Not to be overly critical, they do help both Katniss and Peta get into a position to win the Games.

Each character has been perfectly created and moulded.
Katniss comes across as a hugely determined girl, who is extremely competent for the task for which she has been chosen. Her training in hunting and survival skills holds her in good stead during the Games. Her unwavering need to get back to her family, who she believes would not survive without her, keeps her focused on winning the Games. I found the moral tug-of-war going on in her head to have She does come across as brutal and manipulative in the way she uses Peta’s love for her to win support from sponsors during the games.
Peta Mellark, who is the other contestant chosen for the Games from Katniss’ district, has been in love with her throughout his life. This is initially used as a tactic to garner sponsors for them by their mentor, but it really comes across during the games, where he sacrifices himself on a number of occasions to save Katniss’ life.
Katniss and Peta seem to be on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. Katniss is brutal while Peta Is lovable, Katniss is competent, while Peta seems to stumble along, Katniss is driven by the love for her family while Peta is driven by her love for Katniss.
Haymitch is the team’s mentor who initially comes across as a highly incompetent drunk. He however, has a big role to play in the team’s winning the Games.
Gale is Katniss’ best friend and hunting partner. They have a relationship where they can tell each other anything, and there seems to be a connection between him and Katniss. This gets sidelined due to the publicised love story of Peta and Katniss.

This is a story that touches on so many of the social aspects that everyone seems to just glide over and brings them into the spotlight.
Each part of the book is a subtle reference to the ills in our society today. The description of the districts gives us the stark difference between the haves and have-not in the world today. While people in the Capitol, without realising it, have too much of everything, those in the districts barely subsist from one day to the next. The broadcasting of the Games seems like a direct reference to the excess of reality shows on television today, and how they seem to pull in viewers and get them addicted to even the grossest and meanest of images. Katniss and her friend Gale are afraid of talking ill about the Capitol in their district and have to go into the jungle to vent their anger. This alludes to the growing Big Brother attitude of governments today, where everyone and everything seems to be tracked. There is a section of the story, where people in the Capitol regurgitate whatever they have eaten, so that they can stuff themselves some more. Not being satisfied ever, no matter what you have seems to be the mantra of today’s materialistic world with ne end to ‘the want for more’ in sight.

Although the build up to the Games seems to stretch out a bit, the Games are fast paced with not a single dull moment. I found myself holding my breath on a number of occasions to see what would happen next. The killings are not unnecessarily brutal, and the blood and gore which is there in the book seems necessary to get the message across. The description of scenes is beautiful and left me imagining them as happening right before my eyes.

The book had a hold it had on me and I could not stop reading it, once the actual Games started. The story, though brutal left me rooting for the underdog and when, towards the end Katniss defies the Capitol, I was cheering for the humiliation this caused the Capitol. It has gotten me thinking of the direction our world is heading and whether it is something I endorse or oppose. For this I give the book 5 stars.

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The short introduction to this book got me intrigued enough to get myself a copy and start reading it. And I have to say that I could hardly put it down. The author is able to weave a story which kept me wanting to know what would happen at the next turn. There is not a single dull moment in the book, and the story moves along at a fast pace.

This book has all the elements that a good fantasy series should. It has an unlikely hero, upon whom the responsibility to save the world has been thrust. He gets a number of companions to help him on his quest. He also gets a guide to teach him and ready him for his final showdown. And finally, there is the bad guy with an all-encompassing power who seems invincible.

The various scenes in the book have been so well described that it feels as if you are a part of the book. The author’s amazing imagination comes to the fore in the multitude of creatures throughout the book. They have been terrifically described and you can practically see them in front of you. The pictures of these creatures throughout the book come in handy as well.

Each of the characters in the book has been created beautifully, with their own unique characteristics.
Andrew, the central character of the books, really grows through the book. He is initially not sure of his gifts, but as the story progresses, he becomes more confident, but not before making a few blunders. I can see him progressing to become the courageous leader that his quest is surely to demand.
Ivory is portrayed as being very inquisitive, which gets her in trouble a number of times. She keeps wandering off and has to be rescued resulting in the story taking a number of side tracks. This however gives Andrew a chance to get in touch with his gifts, to understand and develop them. Ivory also seems to be attracted to Andrew and I see their relationship getting deeper in future books.
Rhapsody is Andrew’s guide and teacher and provides Andrew the confidence to use his gifts. He is the mature adult in the group of boys and keeps them in line most of the times.
Lancedon is a price who has been banished from his kingdom. He is very brave, but has a soft side to him as well. I believe that he will have a much larger role to play in the remaining books of the series.

As far as criticisms go, I was a bit disappointed, as the group’s journey to find the Fallen begins right at the end of the book. This does not give us a chance to understand him and his powers a bit better.

Overall, I loved the book and I can’t wait for the next book to come, and for the adventure to continue.

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When I picked up this book after looking at the description, I thought that it would be a run-of-the-mill dystopian novel. Boy was I wrong!

There were parts of the book which had me going, “What? That did not just happen! This is impossible.” There are some hard-to-believe segments in the book if you are expecting a normal story grounded in reality. But once you accept the fact that this is mainly a science fiction / fantasy novel, things start to get very interesting.

This novel is set in a dystopian world where a pandemic is raging. All over the world, cancer has gripped people and is progressing at an alarmingly fast rate with no traditional treatments working against it. In this situation, a new business which helps suffering people die in peace has sprung up. The protagonist, Olivya's home has been converted into a hospice, catering to such patients.

Olivya is portrayed as a teenage girl who wants to maintain a semblance of normalcy in this messed-up world. She is quite stubborn and independent, does not listen to anyone most of the times, and is hugely confident in herself and her abilities. Her ‘colourful’ language had me laughing at times. Her deceased Japanese father had trained her in martial arts, and she does have skills with a nagamaki. But above all, her defining characteristic is that she can see other people’s auras, which enables her to see how a person is feeling, what emotions are welling up inside of him.
Her love interest is Mikah, a kindred. Kindred are supposed to be descendants of a demon, and tend to not mingle with regular humans. They each have certain abilities which no normal human would have. Mikah’s ability is that he is a powerful telempath who can alter a person’s emotions. His love for Olivya comes out on many occasions as he disregards his elders to meet her, and attempts to protect her on numerous occasions as they both face immense danger throughout the book.
The book is littered with mythical creatures, all of which have been beautifully woven into the story. The authors come up with a unique explanation for their existence in our world, making them extremely real and weaving them into the history of the planet rather than the stories in which they have, till now belonged.
There are a lot of other strong characters in the book, whose allegiance is always under doubt. There is no way of knowing who the bad guy really is, until the very last page of the book. Let’s start with the Neo-Twins, Kaiman and Ash, who are ‘bad guys’ personified, mocking Mikah and pushing him to make mistakes. It is quite easy to hate them. Then there is Mrs Wright-Ono, Olivya's mother, who is extremely strict, but her love comes through in all the rules and boundaries she sets. She does try to raise Olivya well, but keeps running headlong into walls of resistance from her. Chanagrai, Mikah’s father figure is extremely wise because of the millennia of experience he has (that’s right, millennia!). Prime is the leader of the kindred and we do not know much about him for large parts of the book, other than that he is a ‘monster’ and is feared by Mikah. And last, the largest character of the book, Lylobriel. He is the ‘alien’ in the book, but is extremely humane. Lylobriel and Morfexio (the other alien) are the perfect example of what friends should be like. Of course, any more description would be considered a spoiler.

I will not be going into any description of the story, as it would give away too much of the fun in the book. So, NO SPOILERS. I’ll just let you know that this story is spread over millennia of the earth’s history. Be ready to be introduced with mythical creatures, aliens, mystics and all the other wonderful science fiction characters. Even with this parade of characters, none of them will feel out of place, or unnecessarily included.
Well, we’re coming to the end of my review and you still don’t know what the story is about? That means I have achieved my aim! But know this, the story is about how all the characters join together to defeat the pandemic and return earth to normalcy.

The twists and turns in this book really made my head spin, and story kept moving into unthinkable directions. These unexpected changes kept me hooked and there is not a single part, where I could say that I had anticipated the authors’ moves beforehand. This according to me is a huge compliment and testament to the authors’ wild and uninhibited imaginations, as most stories tend to run along fairly regular lines and end up in ways that everyone expects. As the story progressed, I kept increasing the number of stars I would give it, and the mega-finale finally pushed this book into five-star category.