![]() "she looked at her seed as if she had never seen one before, and suddenly she knew that it was not the planet above that governed her life: It was this miniscule orb - at once bountiful and all devouring, merciful and destructive, sustaining and vengeful. This was her Shani, her Saturn." - Deeti reflecting on the poppy seed and its implications "Opium is what has made the industrial age possible; without it the streets of London would be thronged with coughing, sleepless incontinent multitudes. .. Is it not apposite to ask if the Manchu tyrant to deprive his subjects of the advantages of progress?" - Mr. Burnham extolling the virtues of the Opium trade As a fan of James Clavell's Asian saga, Amitav Ghosh's Ibis trilogy which deals with the poppy trade in 19th Century India and the transport of economic migrants to Mauritius seemed like a natural fit. The sweeping nature of the novel which relates the experiences of both European and Asian protagonists of different backgrounds instantly draws you in and keeps you firmly engrossed. The author seamlessly blends the various languages and dialects in a way that is reminiscent of Rushdie while at the same time being comprehensible to an average reader. The use of different voices for the characters which reflects their backgrounds and past experiences makes the novel feel particularly authentic. At the same time the novel deals with a critical period in history which is often neglected and continues to influence us today. The introduction of mono culture by the colonists and the propagation of "Economically useful plants" of which the repercussions were ecological devastation and creation of a sub group of economic migrants who went far afield to escape poverty resonates with the experience of South Asian experiences even today. Favourite quotes "We are no different from the pharaohs or the Mongols; the difference is only that when we kill people we feel compelled to pretend that ts for some higher cause". Captain Chillingsworth on the announcement that there is to be war with china "Are not all appearances deceptive, in the end? Whatever that is within us - whether good, bad or neither - its existence will continue uninterrupted, will it not, no matter what the drape of our clothes, or the colour of our skin?, What if it is the world that is a Duperie, mr. Reid and we are the exceptions to its lies?" - Paulette aftwr finding out Neels true origin Book details - Goodreads
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![]() The title of the book refers to the Zoroastrian tradition that is followed by the Parsee's where the dead are not buried but are rather placed on elevated platforms to be picked clean by vultures. It is an apt title that foreshadows the end of an era and the impending end of the British Raj. From the stone that is thrown at Teddie Bingham's car on the day of the wedding, it foeshadows the fates of the characters which coincides with the decline of the Raj which culminates with the death of Teddie Bingham in the defense of an ideal, the empty chair left by Mabel Layton at the reception. The novel also raises the point as to whether in the whole business of empire, whether there were any values to start with. Quote "There went the Raj, supported by unassailable criteria of necessity, devoutness, even of self-sacrifice... but what was being perpetrated was an act of callousness: the sin of collectively not caring a damn about a desire or an expectation or the fulfillment of a promise so long as personal dignity was preserved and at a cost that could be borne without too great an effort.. and so it will be in regard to our experience here. And when we are gone let them colour the sky as they will. We shall not care. It has never truly been our desire or intention to colour it permanently but only to make it as cloudless for ourselves as we can." - Barbie reflecting on Mabel's funeral In the novel we are also introduced to the character of the missionary school teacher Barbie Bachelor which adds a new dimension to the story of Pankot which has mostly been told from the perspective of the varied members of the Layton family. Her connection to Edwina Crane also neatly connects the events in Mayapore with the developments in Pankot. A key technique that is used in the novel is to juxtapose the developments in Pankot with the incidents in Mayapore. For instance, the month that Susan and Teddie's engagement is announced in the papers is also the month that the death of Daphne Manners is announced in the papers. Further the arrival of Merrick on the scene further compounds the sense of impending doom. This is underscored by the fact that after his wedding when Teddie is transferred to Mirat he is billeted with Merrick who for various circumstances he is unable to meet for days on end. It is almost as if Teddie had so many opportunities to avoid the encounter but once it is done, his fate would seal his fate. Despite this it is also interesting that the painting of the Jewel in the Crown which Barbie inherits from Edwina Crane is presented to Merrick. Probably because she understands the fact that Merrick sees the true face of what the business of empire entails and is not blinded by all the pomp and circumstance that is used to cover up their own inadequacies and fears Quote "That represents one of the unfulfilled ones. Oh, not the gold and scarlet unifroms, not the pomp, not the Obeisance. We've had all of that and plenty. We've had everything in the picture except what got left out. .. I'll call it the Unknown Indian". - Barbie Bachelor on whats missing from the painting While the novel is a bit short on historical details such as the Indian National Army, Subhas Chandra Bose, The Japanese attempted invasion at Imphal which the novel is interwined with, it is overall a beautiful written book about the human condition and all its flaws. The aftermath of the end of the era which is marked by this novel reaches fruition in the final novel of the Raj Quartet; The Division of the spoils Favourite Quotes "The reality of this shabbiness, this evidence of Detritus behind the screens of Imperial power and magnificence. The feeling she was not of glory departing or departed but of its original and continuing irrelevance to the business of being in India" - Barbie in Mr. Maybricks house "What Teddie tried to do was worth the whole bloody war put together... she had gone straight to the heart of the matter, cutting through such irrelevancies as divisional annoyance, the cost of a jeep, the loss of a prisoner and Merricks arm, leaving one with Teddies blameless death, his praiseworthy sacrifice for a principle the world no longer had time or inclination to uphold. - Mildred on teddie's death "You are now native roses,.. The garden is a native garden. We are only visitors. That has been our mistake. That is why God has not followed us here. - Mabel Layton "there is no God. Even on the road from Dibrapur" - Merrick reporting to Barbie on what was in Edwina Crane's suicide note Book details - Goodreads ![]() The approach adopted by GRRM is that of wearing the hat ( or the chains of a Maester of the Citadel to be more precise) of a chronicler recording the key events in contrast to the POV approach readers are familiar with in the ASOIAF and dunk and egg series. The opening lines which describe the dance of the dragons as the "Most Tragic Bloodletting" is most definitely not and understatement and makes the war of the five kings comparable to a scuffle. While the details of the confrontations between the two factions: the greens and the blacks are quite frequently and predictably violent they at times lack the emotional impact of the ASOIAF series as the focus shifts from one battlefield to the next giving the reader no time to reflect. While I think that this has been done deliberately keeping to the character of a maester writing a ponderous tome, GRRM's genious shines through by interlacing it with a few tender moments such as the battle between Aemond & Daemon and the parting of Aemon with his wife who he will never see again. This style of writing to my mind resonates with Homer's Iliad and Tolkiens Children of Hurin. I was also pleased with the treatment of the dragon seed; bastard and low born offspring who possess Targeryen blood. GRRM is not naive to think that characters will not inhabit there stereo types. Ie; dragon seed such as Hugh Hammer and Ulf the white behaving in a treacherous manner while in contrast others such as Addam of Hull act valorously. Also I like the fact that GRRM acknowledges the destructive power of dragons and the pivotal role they play in reversing the tide of battle as witnessed at the disaster of the Honeywine. Fans of dragons would be excited by the uninhibited portrayal of them as pure engines of destruction and chaos while the romanticized view of knights as dragon slayers seem to be less true as the most successful instances of dragon slaying in the novel seems to be done by other dragons and the mob of flea bottom. Reading some of the passages seem like a role call for all the noble houses of Westeros where an appendix containing the timeline of the events and the principal characters would have been very welcome. This problem is further compounded by the similarity of names of the Targeryens such as Daeron, Daemon, Aemond which makes it very difficult to keep track of. But in hindsight this was a precursor to fleshing out the characters more fully in the world of Ice and fire novels. I was also expecting a deeper insight into the motivations of Ser Criston Cole :the kingmaker given Jaimie's interest in the ASOIAF series. Apart from pursuing supporting Queen Alicent to crown her Aegon son over his elder sister Rhaenyra, I Was quite surprised that the kingmaker played a less pivotal role than I had expected with regard to the events which led up to the dance with dragons. Overall a great addition to the Westeros Canon. Book details - Goodreads ![]() The concluding novel to Manfredi's Alexander Trilogy is the biggest in the series which reflects Alexander's growing ambition as he turns his sights on the Persian empire and beyond. Like the first few books, the novel moves at a brisk pace and deals with the struggles that the army endures both from the environment and every varying foes. The author must be commended for the exhaustive effort that has gone into the background research for this book as well as for depicting the events of the novel in a way that is easy to follow due to his choice to use contemporary language while depicting the events of the novel in as realistic a way as possible. While it is understandable that anyone who goes to such lengths to research and understand a character, should view him or her in a positive light, the author however seems to give Alexander the benfit of the doubt with regard to the burning of Persepolis where it is portrayed as a tactical decision rather than the result of a drunken orgy. While the author himself admits that this is his version of the event and there are no accounts of what the real circumstances were as to what took place, it felt in a way that the actions of Alexander were detached from the rest of his generals and men which may in fact be what the author was trying to convey. Indeed, when Alexander first entered Persepolis he was even embarrassed to sit on Darius's throne but after the burning of Persepolis in quick succession he married Darius's daughter, adopted Persian customs and his ambitions grew with it. By the end of the novel, Alexander went as far as to create a spectacle out of the funeral pyre for Hephaeston which was a clear example of his excesses. One criticism I have of the novel is that it seems to follow the received wisdom that the downfall of Alexander can be attributed to is embracing of the Persian culture which is presented in a way that is characterized by excess. This is quite surprising particularly given the fact that Macedonian culture for all its aspirations of being a martial culture does give way to these same excesses. One of the things I would liked to have seen in the novel would have been to get a glimpse of what the sentiment was back in Macedon and how Alexander's immediate family coped with his absence. It was also quite disappointing that the story involving Aristotle and his quest to find the true culprits behind the murder of Phillip was left in an unsatisfactory manner. However apart from these, the novel is punctured by some great emotional moments.One of my favourite scenes is the scene of Alexander's companions saluting and standing by Alexander's decision which was a throwback to a scene depicted in the first novel. The scene underlies the role reversal that has taken place from when they first gave the Salute to a Young prince Alexander in the first book when they were fugitives from King Phillip to now where they were masters of their own destinies world. The other strength of the novel is the depiction of the changing landscape and the wonderment of the troops as they push the boundaries of the known world and travel towards the "Ends of the Earth". The ending and the epilogue of the book is bittersweet and it seems that this objective of reaching the ends of the earth does prove to be an elusive goal. Overall, well worth the read. |
AuthorAvid reader of Historical fiction, High fantasy novels, Comics & Graphic Novels. Passionate about teaching & the future of education in general. Categories
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