Brajesh's Review : Jest in time

"Jest in time" was launched as part of the TOI’s 175 year celebration.

I had a big smile on me, for the entire duration of the book. The layout of each page is lovely, the cartoons obviously speak a million words, and the journey of 175 years is a breeze.

I would recommend this book as a collector’s item, a coffee table, a history book or just pure joyful graphic art. In each of its avatars the book is a delight.

The journey from RK to Ninan to Neelabh is a story in itself and rather than write too much about the book I will let you sample a few pages of beauty.

Rating : 4 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Unreal Elections

The "Unreal Elections" by C S Krishna & Karthik Laxman is a funny, satirical take on the great Indian elections.

This book is divided into 5 sections of a cricket match. Each section begins with a Shastri quote inspired from his legendary commentary. These contains Shastri gems like “cracker of a match” , “odd ball is keeping low” “somethings gotta give” “down to the wire” and “cricket is the winner”.

Section one titled “Match Preview”, starts in August 2012 and introduces us to key characters like Gujarat Lion and Crown Prince. This is followed by “Opening Overs” starting from April 2013 and each chapter covers one month of political drama.

The language is simple, and the satire quite funny for most parts. My favorite section of the book was the fictional Facebook pages. I wish there was one at the end of every chapter, these were very well designed and almost every time had me in splits.

However by the time we reach “The Middle Overs” of October 2013, the book starts to drag. After all, how many times can you laugh at Sanjay Jha’s stupidity and find repeated gags on Mani Shankar Iyer and Diggi Raja funny. Also the novelty of plot and treatment of story which kept me gripped until here, starts to get repetitive.

Since the basic events are all known to the reader, only the author’s unique take keeps you reading. But by the time we reach the fourth section titled “Slog Overs” in February 2014, you really want to skip it all and see how the book will treat the climax.

From March 2014 the climax begins to unfold in a dramatic setting at Feroz Shah Kotla. Now the fantasy really takes wings and interest is rekindled a little.

However the closure of the book gets preachy and starry eyed idealistic. This completely goes against the funny grain one has got so used to by now. The 2 bloggers who put this narrative together needed a better ending than what is put in the “Post Match Presentation:”.

I can fully understand the difficulty of trying to tie-up such a fantasy laden ride, but I feel a set of their signature Facebook pages could have done more justice than the lengthy explanation which tries to rationalize every stupidity of Congress driven by some great futuristic vision or tries to balance Modi as a Jinnah lover.

Rating : 2.5 / 5

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - Dance with Dragons (Dreams & Dust, After the Feast)

OMG! OMG! OMG! What a phenomenal book! What a suspenseful ending and absolutely no clue when the next in the series will be out. So many cliffhangers and no book 6 on the horizon.

At the Start of Book 5 of a Song of Ice & Fire, George Martin revealed that, he split Feast for Crows from Dance with Dragons, geographically rather than chronologically and that's why some characters were missing from Feast for Crows.

A Dance with Dragons is massive at 950+ pages and may seem daunting to begin, but after reading the first 4 books, there was no way I could postpone reading book 5

This is the first time, I finished a book and felt bereft. I was so engrossed in this series over the last few months (on & off), that now that I've finished reading every published book and the 3 chapters released by George R R Martin online (and read out to fans at comic con), I miss it. I miss the characters, I miss the storyline, I miss everything about the books. I guess this was part of the reason I waited over 4 weeks to write this review. Because writing a review, for me, means that I am done with a book. And I'm not ready to be done with the Song of Fire and Ice, yet.

Parts of me are still living in Kings Landing where Cersei's fate is unknown, on the wall where Jon Snow's fate is unknown, beyond the wall where Bran Stark's fate is unknown, in the North where Asha Greyjoy, Theon Greyjoy, Jeyne Poole, Roose Bolton, King Stannis Baratheon and Rickon Starks fate is unknown (Rickon isn't mentioned in this book either and I'm so worried for him). Catelyn Tully is missing in this book and Jaimie Lannister has gone off with Lady Tarth and no one knows where.

Princess Myrcella is hurt and the Prince of Dorne has sent his children and his brothers children all across the realm on their missions, how many of them will reach safely and how many of them will be able to fulfill the duties entrusted to them?

Beyond the narrow sea, Daenerys fate is hanging in the balance. Who are the 3 who will finally ride the dragons?

George Martin says that book 4 was a bitch & this book was 3 bitches and a bastard.

Since I've come to the end of book 5, here is my guesswork on what could be a possible plot line. ***(Spoilers ahead, don't read if you haven't read the previous books)***

Since book 2, I have suspected that Jon Snow is not Eddark Stark's son, but that of his sister Lyanna Stark who was raped by Rhaegar Targaryen. Making Jon of Targaryen descent.

Hence Jon Snow, Young Griff who is actually Aegon Targaryen (Rhaegar's son from his lawfully wedded wife Princess Elia of Dorne) and Daenerys Targaryen will be the 3 Targaryens who will ride the 3 dragons.

Jon Snow needs to die and rise from the dead so he can be freed from his oath to the Nights Watch. If this were to happen, then Jon will be free to marry Val and rule the North. While Daenerys & Aegon can be married to each other in true Targaryen style and rule the South.

Benjen Stark is Coldhands who led Bran, Meera and Jojen to the Last Greenseer.

Sam and Crasters daughter - Gilly have an important role to play.

Tyrion is obviously too interesting a character to kill off in book 6, but maybe in book 7?

I also heard an interesting POV that since Joanna Lannister was in love with Aerys Targaryen - Jaimie and Cersei could actually be his children. Since Joanna was a Lannister before marriage too and the Lannisters always have golden hair, it could be a gene more dominant than the silver hair and purple eyes of the Targaryens. This could also partly account for the streak of madness in Cersei.

This book was 959 pages long. Add on the cast of characters and it is 1016 pages long. George Martin has envisaged that books 6 & 7 will be around 1500 pages each. On the conservative side, he estimates that he will take 3 years to write each book. How can I wait that long? But wait I shall, and content myself with watching the diluted TV seasons as well, with Season 3 releasing later this month.

This book is epic and what makes it more epic than say a Lord of the Rings is that the characters all have shades of grey. No one is truly good or truly evil and Martin has done a brilliant job of telling tales from different perspectives, so the reader can empathise with the different characters. Its an extremely powerful kind of storytelling.

Should you read the books? Most definitely YES! But it may be a good idea to wait for the entire series to be out before starting to read them, because these hanging plotlines are too much to handle.

Rating : 4.5/5 (-0.5 for leaving me waiting indefinitely)

Also see my review of :
1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. A Storm of Swords (Steel & Snow, Blood & Gold)
4. A Feast for Crows

Brajesh's Review : The Edge of Desire

Tuhin Sinha's - "The Edge of Desire" just didn't work for me.

I feel this book will sell only due to its topicality. The premise was strong - on how an IAS officer's wife gets raped by goons in Bihar and then plots her revenge.

Unfortunately no one told the author about strong characters. The weakest character in the book is the protagonist !!! All that happens to her is always destiny and never in her control. Circumstances, political upheaval, nature, God, even the weakest character in the book have the power to define and guide her life, but she never-ever, even once, does anything to chart her own path. It is impossible to hold any reader with such poor characterisation.

AVOID.

Rating : 2 / 5

Brajesh's Review: Sethji

"Sethji" is a typical Shobha De book. Racy, Pacy, Sexy. Set against the Indian political backdrop, one can easily identify many interesting characters from our politician lineup. There isn't much in the book that you should read it, but I finished it over 2 nights :) So clearly, Shobha De knows how to keep the reader hooked.

Rating : 3 / 5

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - Feast For Crows

The 4th in George RR Martin's "Song of Ice & Fire" was slightly disappointing to me because some characters that I've grown to love from the series, were not mentioned at all and there was barely enough being told about the tale of a few others.

It just so happens that book 4 seems to be centered only around Kings Landing, the Iron Islands and Dorne with a bit of the Eyrie interspersed inbetween. Completely ignoring the Wall and the Starks and Daenerys Targaryen. I missed my favourite characters who were either missing or barely mentioned - Arya, Asha, Jon, Rick, Bran. We know Bran is somewhere beyond the wall, but Rick has been missing for more than 2 books now and as an invested reader, I'm worried about him.

However, this book also brings out the brilliance of George Martin as a writer. H gives us multiple points of view of the smae situation and as a reader open to all lines of thought, I could empathise and agree with each persons point of view when hearing their perspective, even though their behavior/point of view seemed strange/illogical/questionable when viewed through another characters perspective previously.

Lady Catelyn in the only character that I still don't seem to have got a grasp on. In certain scenes she comes across as extremely mature, the only child Lord Hoster Tully must depend upon rather than Edmure or Lysa, a woman who gives sage advise to her son King Robb Stark and in the next instant she does something completely reckless. For eg when she captures Tyrion Lannister and takes him to the Eyrie in book 1. Her freeing of Jaime Lannister and some other actions can be ascribed to her grief and concern as a mother. But her hatred and distrust of Jon Snow, that she passes on to her Uncle - the Blackfish seems much more than just a woman's anger resentment/shame at her husband forcing her to raise his bastard son along with his trueborn children. I hope George Martin can give more insight into Catelyn Tulleys personality and motivations in later books.

After a lot of hinting and skirting around the edges of the topic, the prophecies that haunt Cersei are finally revealed.

The death of Lord Tywin Lannister and the escape of Tyrion Lannister starts disintegrating the strong bonds between the extended Lannister family. Will this bring about their downfall?

I did like the character development of Briennne in this book. The varying attitudes of men towards a maid who has taken up the sword gives a good insight into the cultural /social norms and behavior of Westeros.

The story is still engrossing and keeps hurtling forward. The only reason I haven't given this book a 4.5 is because I missed my favourite characters from the previous books.

Rating : 4 / 5

Also see my review of :
1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. Storm of Swords (Steel & Snow, Blood & Gold)

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - Storm of Swords (Steel & Snow, Blood & Gold)

Part 3 of George R R Martin's epic Song of Ice & Fire is the Storm of Swords and is often sold as 2 separate books : 1. Steel & Snow and 2. Blood & Gold

Storm of Swords is shocking. There are so many surprises and twists at every turn, especially in Blood & Gold that it left me wondering how the story would continue and where the tale was headed to next.

So many main characters are killed that I wonder who is going to replace them as main characters in the coming books.

Daenerys is now Queen across the water with an army of her own.

The war rages on. Deals are struck. Traitors are executed. Joffrey's wedding with Sansa is called off in favour of an alliance with Margaery Tyrell - Renly Baratheons widow. But Sansa's relief is short lived.

Arya keeps thinking that she is getting closer to reuniting with her mother, but circumstances continue to keep them apart.

King Stannis comes to the rescue of the Nights watch, but will there be a hefty price to pay?

Who is the mysterious coldhands?

Part 3 closes with more questions than tidy endings and the cast of characters has swollen to 50 pages including the House Frey with its numerous children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Rating : 4.5 / 5

Also see my review of :
1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - A Clash of Kings

A Clash of Kings is the second book in George R R Martin's saga - Song of Ice & Fire after Game of Thrones.

This book was equally captivating as the first in the series, with a lot more war, politics, religion, betrayal, factions, and cliques added to the mix.

A new God - Rhillor - God of Light - finds more priests and followers in Westeros. Primary priestess of importance to the tale is Melissandre - the Red Woman - who after captivating Stannis Baratheon's wife, now directs his movements and decisions.

Robb Stark is crowned King of the North and engaged in battle with Lord Tywin Lannisters forces. Sansa Stark is a virtual prisoner of Queen Regent Cersei & King Joffrey Baratheon. Arya has escaped and is living the life of an anonymous orphan boy. Bran and Rickon Stark are at Winterfell.Catelyn Tully is with her ailing father, brother Edmure and son Robb at her fathers seat at Riverrun. Jon Snow is with the Night's Watch at the Wall.

Bran gets 2 new companions at Winterfell in Meera & Jojen Reed - Crannogmen from the North who are more to his liking than his mothers 2 new wards- Big & Little Walder Frey. Meera & Jojen help him get closer to his direwolf - summer.

Tyrion Lannister is acting as hand of the king in place of his father Tywin Lannister who is on the battlefield and Jaime Lannister is imprisoned at Riverrun.

Theon Greyjoy  - son of Balon Greyjoy - King of the Iron Islands - was being fostered by Eddard & Catelyn Stark at Winterfell -  becomes another main character in this book and his is one of the narrative voices in A Clash of Kings. I loved the character of his sister Asha and I hope she gets a more prominent role later in the series.


Jon Snow is on an expedition beyond the wall with 200 other men of the Nights Watch to investigate the strange goings on of wildlings and the appearance of others, wraiths, giants, mammoths and other creatures that haven't been seen for thousands of years.

The tale surrounding Stannis Baratheon and Melissandre is told through the eyes of a smuggler turned Lord - Davos. trusted by Stannis Baratheon from saving him and his people in a seige during the war with Aerys Targaryen.

A Clash of Kings is told from the perspectives of Catelyn Stark, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, Bran Stark, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Theon Greyjoy and Daenerys Targaryen.

Rating : 4 / 5

Also see my review of :
1. Game of Thrones

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - Game of Thrones

My sister had started recommending these books to me way back. I had read the sample chapter and watched an episode or 2 of the HBO mini series in Canada last year, and I did find it quite gripping. But when they started showing the series in India, somehow the story line seemed to be jumping all over the place. That was when I realised that the scenes that were being cut for Indian television had important dialogues that were essential to the flow of the story.

Reading the books seemed like a Herculean task at 800+ pages per book, so I got my hands on the unedited first season and watched it straight through across little more than a day. The story turned out to be even more gripping than I had originally thought it would be. But through this all, my sister kept telling me to read the books.

So given that I had a bit of reading time coming up, I finally started the series by George RR Martin this month and I have to agree with my sister - "The books are even more gripping than the tv series." While the tv series has been quite faithful to the story line, the books provide a much keener insight into each characters personality and what drives them.

While the prologue of "Book1 from a Song of Ice and Fire - Game of Thrones" is captivating, the next 50 or so pages are hard to get through because of the sheer number of characters being introduced. And while the index at the back is helpful, I was more comfortable drawing out my own family/relationship charts to get a grip on the characters.

If you can get through these first 50 pages, then you will be completely and thoroughly hooked.

My only problem with having watched the tv series first is that the actors playing their roles are now stuck in my mind when I visualise the characters.

In the first book, the main characters are the new King Robert Baratheon (also called the usurper) his wife Cersei Lannister. Their children Joffrey (his protector Sandor Clegane, also known as the hound), Myrcella & Tommen. Cersei's father Tywin Lannister (ex Hand of the old King Targaryen), her twin brother Jaime Lannister (called Kingslayer, for killing Aerys Targaryen and knight of the kingsguard) and her dwarf brother Tyrion.

Robert's best friend who helped him win the throne is Lord Eddard Stark, his wife Catherine Tully. Their children are Robb, Sansa (betrothed to Prince Joffrey Baratheon), Arya, Brandon & Rickon and his bastard son Jon Snow. Each of the 6 children has a pet direwolf (puppies from the same mother who was found dead in the woods). Lord Eddards Brother is Benjen Stark - a man of the Night's watch that guards the Wall.

Catherine's sister is Lysa Tully who was married to Lord Jon Arryn who had fostered Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark in their childhood and who was hand of the king (Robert Baratheon) until his death at the start of the story. Their only surviving child is Robert Arryn, a sickly boy.

The other important characters in this part of the story are the Kings brothers Stannis (Master of Ships) & Renly Baratheon (Master of Laws). And his other Council members : Grand Maester Pycelle, Lord Petyr Baelish (Master of Coin - fostered by Lord Hoster Tully - father of Catherine & Lysa Tully), Ser Barristan Selmy - Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Varys - a eunuch who is the Master of Whisperers.
Sandor Clegane.

The last king was Aerys Targaryen, who was killed along with his heir Rhaegar Targaryen and his young family. Aerys' wife died giving birth to their daughter Daenerys in exile and only their children Viserys & Daenerys survive of their line. Viserys marries off his 14 year old sister Daenerys to a Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo in hopes of using Dothraki army to win back his fathers crown.

If you think this is a complicated character list, then dont attempt to read the books. These are just the most prominent characters.The cast of important characters is about 20 pages long for this book and gets longer with each subsequent book.

This first book is narrated from the perspective of Eddard Stark, Cateyln Tully-Stark,  Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Brandon Stark, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen.

I'm not going to reveal much of the plot of these books while reviewing them, but just enough information to put the story line in perspective.

Halfway through the book King Robert Baratheon is mudered, Prince Joffrey Baratheon comes to the throne with his mother Queen Cersei Lannister-Baratheon as regent, Lord Eddard Stark is executed as a traitor and this plunges the region of Westeros into civil war with Lords declaring themselves as kings of their own domains. So at the close of this book the claimants to the iron throne of Westeros, are King Joffrey Baratheon, King Stannis Baratheon and King Renly Baratheon. Given this confusion, Robb's bannermen declare him King Robb Stark - King of the North.

And by the end of the book, 3 dragons make an appearance, even though dragons have been extinct for thousands of years.

If you love sagas and fantasy or tales of war, I would recommend this series very heavily.

Rating : 4 / 5

Brajesh's Review: Escape from Camp 14

The story of Shin's escape is a blockbuster in itself, Blaine Harden takes a thriller of a storyline and makes it a legend through this book. Little is known to us about what goes on in North Korea, and to be honest before this book I also didn't care.

However this book changed my outlook completely. The situation in political prison camps of North Korea is far worse than any Nazi concentration camp, and Blaine’s ability to educate us about the atrocities while simultaneously handholding us to understand a society which is virtually unknown to most of us, is quite amazing.

I am quite sure this book will cause shock-waves in Western societies, given that this is one of the first books in English to tackle this issue. A must read for anyone who enjoys non-fiction, and for everyone who wants to read a story more fascinating than any fiction I have read in recent times

Rating : 4 / 5

Kim's Review: God's Little Soldier

I've been a huge fan of Kiran Nagarkar, ever since I first met him in Bombay in 2006 and read Ravan and Eddie almost immediately after. My favourite book by him is most definitely Cuckold, which I bought and read as soon as we moved back to India.

The biggest problem with Nagarkar's books are the size and hence the subsequent weight which makes them difficult to carry around or read in bed. So I was waiting for God's Little Soldier to come out in paperback before I got around to reading it and it was a very long wait. I expect, I am going to have an equally long wait for the paperback version of The Extras (the sequel to Ravan and Eddie) too, unless I finally succumb and pick up an e-reader version.

What I really love about his books are that they tell stories from the protagonists point of view and even though you may not agree with the protagonist, you can empathise with him to quite an extent. There is also a gritty style of writing in Kiran's work that is reminiscent of pulp fiction at times, but for me it just makes his characters more real, more "human" so to speak.

When we met Nagarkar at JLF earlier this year, he wanted to know if I liked his latest book and I confessed that I was waiting for it to come out in paperback. Self-deprecating as always, he said "don't buy my books, they aren't worth reading. I just write for the sake of writing, call it an old mans indulgence" Anyone who has met Nagarkar would know that this is definitely not sarcasm, its just how he sees himself.

Yet he puts in so much time and effort into each one of his books and I think God's Little Soldier must have been the most difficult one to research so far. It spans countries, religions and dogmas and needed physical as much as literary research.

Kiran goes back to a familiar theme of his, as seen in Ravan and Eddie: "How do 2 boys brought up in somewhat similar circumstances react differently in similar situations?"

In Ravan and Eddie, the boys are brought up in the same chawl but in different religions. In God's Little Soldier, Zia and Amanat are sons of the same parents, but Amant being sickly from birth gets more care from his mother, while Zia is a favourite with his aunt Zubeida.

Their parents are liberal muslims, but Zubeidakhala is more traditional in her views and beliefs. How these childhood influences creep up into their behaviour later in life is interesting to watch as the story unfolds.

When Kiran wrote this book, he said it was because he wanted to show that not all "terrorists" come out of Madrasas. It is possible to have a top notch education and liberal upbringing but circumstances could still propel you into a hardline view.

The book is divided into 3 distinct parts. The first has Zia and Amanat growing up in Bombay. While they come from a fairly well to do family, they lose everything when their fathers partner (who is also their mothers brother) disappears with all the money and leaves their father with a couple of court cases hanging over his head.

Amanats frail constitution keeps him at home most of the time, while Zia goes away, first to boarding school and then to London to study. Zia is brilliant at Mathematics and numbers speak to him but his real calling is Economics and the world of financial trading. However Zia's religion is also equally important to him and a failed attempt to assassinate Salman Rushdie takes him to Afghansitan and Kashmir where he becomes a dreaded terrorist.

In the second part, constant visions of a reproachful Christ and the revalation that an aunt (friend of his parents) baptised him in a church as an infant lead him towards Christiantiy and he becomes the monk Lucens. His new crusade is against abortionists.

In the 3rd part, his plan to "correct" the world is even more grandiose and he gets even more dogmatic in his beliefs. He now comes under the influence of Shakta muni who also practices tantra and initiatesZia/Lucens into it and while outwardly he is still Brother Lucens, he also carries a diplomatic passport in the name of Niranjan.

This is the briefest summary of this 610 page novel that I can give you.

Conflict and struggle on a global scale and in the characters hearts and minds. Zia's constant belief in himself as the man who has all the answers is extremely egoistical, but he never sees it in that perspective. He is more critical of everyone and extremely unforgiving.

Amanat on the other hand veers towards self pity without actually going there. He has talents as a teller of tales and in architecture but denies them both to his own detriment.

In a way, both brothers seem intent to follow a path of self destruction.

This is a book that will leave you with as many questions as answers. At 610 pages, the size is massive but the tale will keep you engrossed. The book is well researched and a lovely piece of fiction. If you have the time, then you should definitely give it a try.

Rating: 4/5

Kim's Review: Habibi

At over 670 pages, Habibi took Craig Thomson over 6 years to illustrate and write.

This was one of the most difficult books I've read recently. The problem is that the story is so compelling that it drews me in and I wanted to keep moving forward, but the illustrations were so beautiful they were pulling me back to keep taking a closer look at them and get drawn into their intimate details and intricacy.

The story is set in a fictional land with juxtaposition of the monotheistic religions Islam, Judaism and Christianity. There is the modern and the ancient - Sultans guards wearing sunglasses and driving trucks as well as camels. The costumes travel the world with the protagonist Dodola wearing harem pants, saris, Spanish skirts, the Hijab at times and sometimes a burqa. Hijras(as they exist in India) also have a significant role to play with their Bahuchari Mata.

But at the essence of it, the story line seeks to elucidate how we create differences amongst ourselves based on religion, financial muscle, caste, creed, colour, land of origin. Its also about the struggle for resources and in this way can also be construed as an "end of days" tale.

There are so many layers, so many meanings and lessons that one can learn from this or one can just sit back and admire the beautiful calligraphy and art work.

I can't say enough about this book and what I write, can never be enough. So I've just added a few of the pictures of pages from this book that I found in the public domain. (via google image search)

Rating : 5 / 5
I keep going back and opening the book on a random page just to enjoy the art

Kim's Review: Chanakya's Chant

I had absolutely loved Ashwin's Rozabal Line and my mind was boggled by the connections and cross connections in that book. For this reason I had postponed reading Chanakya's Chant for quite awhile as I waiting for the chance to have enough time on hand to absorb multiple layers and research cross connections like I had needed to with Rozabal Line. A relaxed trip home to be pampered by mum, seemed like the right time and so it was in my purse with the ipad (for easy googling) as I headed to the airport.

Chanakya's chant interweaves 2 stories of different eras - the time of Chanakya and modern day India and follows the politics, the strategies and compromises that have to be made during a leaders ascent to the top.

The book is extremely well written. Both stories kept me on tenterhooks when I finished one chapter about the ancient time and wanted to know what would happen next, I was whisked away to the present age in the next chapter and vice versa.

If you are expecting another Rozabal line, you will be disappointed. Ashwin himself said that the first book was a story that he was itching to tell, his second book he started out wanting to write a bestseller. As a stand alone book it is brilliant, but if compared to Rozabal line, Chanakya's chant lacks the complexity and mutiple thread lines. So set aside your pre-conceptions and read it without thinking about the authors previous work and you will definitely love it.

Also read Brajesh's review of Ashwins first book and masterpiece - The Rozabal Line and his review of Chanakya's Chant.


Rating: 4 / 5

Brajesh's Review: Chanakya's Chant

If you haven't read Rozabal Line & built up huge expectations from this Sanghi book, you would love every moment of the modern political fiction constructed along the ancient Chanakya's story. If I would have read this one first I would have given this a 3.5,  BUT his first book is such a stunner that I expected a similar level of complexity.

Now I know why Ashwin told me that he loved his first book more & hasn't taken similar risks in this one due to the pressures of delivering a best-seller.

Also read my review of Ashwins first book and masterpiece - The Rozabal Line and Kim's Review of Chanakya's Chant

Rating: 2.5 / 5

 

Brajesh's Review : The Age of Kali

Not one of the best of Dalrymple. He takes a hard look at the dark underbelly of Indian Sub-continent :- Caste Politics, Reservation, UP/Bihar Chaos, BJP Politics, LTTE, Pakistani Political System, Frontier Fanaticism etc. Since the book is 10 year old, one can use the events of last 10 years to critically evaluate his forecasts / projections. Some prophecies hold, some fail - but overall the book doesn't leave you with a good taste. May be that's the desired reader response.

Rating: 2.5/5

          

Brajesh's Review: Writing on The Wall

Collection of essays. Some serious issues raised, some attempts at offering solutions. However most solutions were devoid of any urgency or passion. Not a book for general reading. Pickup only if you have keen interest in North East. Anyway difficult to find writings for the region and thanks to Sanjoy for that. Have picked up his "Rites of Passage" as well.

Rating: 2/5

Writing on the Wall: Reflections on the North-East
Strangers in the Mist: Tales of War and Peace from India's Northeast.
Bhopal: The Lessons of a Tragedy

The State Strikes Back: India and the Naga Insurgency
India's Northeast and the crisis of migration
From Bhopal to superfund: The news media and the environment