Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game

I picked up this book as part of the Take A Chance Challenge, under Challenge#3: Birth Year Book: "Find a book that was published or copyrighted in the year of your birth. Read the book and write about it." For better or for worst, I was born in 1985, and as I haven't read much fantasy this year, I opted for this gem of a book, and I must say it was a great choice. I loved the book, and it makes me wonder why I don't read more fantasy.

Ender, the protagonist, is six years old when the book starts, and, deemed a genius. A 'third', i.e. the third offspring in a day and age where only two children are allowed, Ender is 'special' - the government requested his parents to have a third child, due to their exceptional genes. The first two children were both 'monitored', but due to minor inadequacies, they were deemed not good enough.

What does the government want little geniuses for? To train in battle, lest the "buggers" (an alien civilization that resembles insects) invade again, and this time, everyone's running scared despite humanity prevailing stronger in both the previous invasions. Humans need a strong leader, a capable one, and Ender is chosen, after being closely monitored by the government, by literally having a monitor "installed" on him.

The characters are extremely well-drawn, be it six year old Ender, his old brother Peter, and their sister, Val - or - Ender's friends from battle school. Dink and Petra remain two favorites, whereas Bean was almost a repeat of Ender's character.

While the book is far-fetched, there is a strong feeling of reality as Ender's character grows and matures, and swings between different emotional states, as people continuously toy with him. He's not perfect, but, he does what he's meant to better than anyone else.

And this is Ender's journey, training in battle, playing 'games' with fellow genius children, battling it out, and aiming for just one thing: winning. But as the government and the teachers keep changing the rules, to test Ender further and further, one wonders: is Ender going to make it, or will he succumb to his darkest nightmares?

Rating: 4

Antoine De Saint-Exupery - The Little Prince

Believe it or not, this is the first time I've read this book, and for the life of me, I don't know why! Personally, I think it should be mandatory for every child to read it, just because it is so wonderfully beautiful and innocent. However, reading it as an adult makes me realize how we focus on the unimportant things, that we neglect some of the simpler barer necessities.

Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: "What does his voice sound like?" "What games does he like best?" "Does he collect butterflies?". They ask: "How old is he?" "How many brothers does he have?" "How much does he weigh?" "How much money does his father make?" Only then do they think they know him.

The story is about a pilot, Exupery, who is stranded in the Sahara, where he meets The Little Prince - an 'alien', who has come to earth from a small planet, Asteroid B612. On his planet, he had three volcanoes (two active, one inactive) that reached his knees, a beautiful (albeit demanding) flower, and a baobab problem, i.e. if baobabs weren't weeded out at a very early age they wreaked havoc.

The Little Prince shares his experiences with the pilot, about the other planets he visited en route to earth: one where the sole inhabitant was a monarch who had no one to rule over, and another where a drunkard was drinking his life away, to forget. There was a planet where there was a businessman who counted stars, and another where there was a conceited man. Each character he met reflected some idiosyncrasy or the other of humans, and it's this thought that stuck with me: when did we renounce the simple pleasures (beautiful flowers - that come with their own baggage, spring rain, sparkling stars, the sunset)? When did we stop asking the thought-provoking innocent questions, that escaped our mouths without a second thought? When did we stop nagging 'adults' 'til we got an answer, even if the answer was just to shut us up?

This is a funny, well-written book, which just makes you reflect on life, and how it's passed you by. It's a book about friendship, about romance, and to top it off, it has wonderful illustrations. I challenge anyone to read this book, and not have the last illustration stick in their minds for a long long time.

Rating : 5

J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Background: I saw the penultimate Harry Potter movie on Wednesday, and was quite astounded that I did not recall most of the book, which I had read in summer 2005. It slowly came back to me, as the movie progressed, but I couldn't help feeling I was missing a fair bit. So, I dug out the book from the back of my bookshelf, to re-read it, and much to my surprise, I really enjoyed it, this time 'round (I had been fairly disappointed with my first read). This post is not going to be a book review, but, more of a book vs. movie post, as there were a fair few interesting discrepancies, which I'd like to explore.

Review: There is always a lot of excitement, when the movie adaptation of a popular book is released, specially when the movie in question is Harry Potter, which has had a cult-following world-wide. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is no different. Packed with adventure, romance, and suspense, this adaptation follows Harry Potter and his friends (and enemies) into their sixth year at Hogwarts, where academics are tougher, quidditch more important, and the quest to find out more about The Dark Lord superseding almost everything else.

Death Eaters have become more powerful, and are wreaking havoc in both: the Muggle and wizard world. Harry Potter is still struggling to cope with the death of Sirius Black, his godfather, but avoids talking about it to anyone. Like most other parents, Ron Weasley's mother is paranoid about the safety of the children, and is being more protective than usual. Her 'special' clock, which shows the location of each family member, as opposed to the time, has all its hands on 'Mortal Peril' (this bit is missed out in the book).

Just before term starts, and Harry and his friends are in Diagon Alley, picking up their books and other materials for school. They see Draco going into Borgin & Burkes, a shop famous for its involvement with Dark Magic, and they try eavesdropping on the conversation going on inside. Based on it, Harry is convinced that Draco has become one of Voldemort's latest recruits, but, Hermione and Ron disregard this theory.

There is a new Potions teacher at school now, Professor Slughorn, and Snape finally gets the role he's been eyeing for a long time: Defense Against The Dark Arts. Dumbledore, the Headmaster, tells Harry he's going to give the teenager private lessons this year, which turns out to be sessions looking into the memories of various people involving Voldemort: from the time Dumbledore went into the orphanage to tell him that he is a wizard, to before his birth.

And of course, the reason why the book is called The Half-Blood Prince: Harry hasn't bought his Potions text book, and ends up picking one out from the cupboard in the classroom. The book he picks out has instructions over and above the texts, which makes him seem like a gifted Potions student, causing Hermione to be envious and Slughorn to think Harry is a natural. The book also has some spells written by its previous owner, and they seem like harmless fun to Harry. Hermione, of course, has another view: the book is dangerous! In the book is scrolled: This book is the property of The Half Blood Prince.

Finally, the  romantic element: first off, there's Hermione and Ron. When Ron has an exceptional quidditch game, and Lavendar kisses him, Hermione walks out, and avoids Ron, making things increasingly uncomfortable for Harry. The whole time, when Ron and Lavendar are going out is dotted with Hermione's blatant envy and she goes as far as going to a Christmas party with a despicable student, just to make Ron jealous. Simultaneously, Harry has feelings for Ginny, but as she's going out with Dean, he cannot do anything about it... specially, as she's his best friend's sister.

So, now, book vx. movie:

Due to the numerous sub-plots in the book, the movie was always going to be a tough one - trading off between time, and story. My main gripe with the movie was that it focused way too much on the teenage romance, as opposed to the plots that made the book gripping, i.e. Volemort's history. The book has about six memories, involving Voldemort. The movie, only two.

The book is also considerably darker than the movie, as various characters are under the Imperius curse, and act on it. They show Dumbledore's arm as burnt, but they never explain why in the movie either, whereas the book does say it was to do with finding and destroying Voldemort's ring. While explaining some of these concepts would make the movie more complicated to a Harry Potter novice, it probably gives a better insight into how things worked in the wizarding world, how bad things had become, and the sacrifices that needed to be made.

The final scenes of the book: the great fight, and the funeral of an important character were completely omitted from the movie, and I struggled to understand why. The final fight is one of the most gripping parts of the book, and the funeral in the book is described so vividly, that I can imagine it being incredible on the screen.

Many of the important characters either have a miniscule role, or aren't existent in the movie, at all, with Tonks and Lupin coming to mind. However, Luna still exists in the movie, which makes the whole thing slightly bizarre.

The movie has an additional scene, where some of the Death Eaters attack the Weasley's home during Christmas, but, I still am unable to determine what this adds to the plot, other than making Mrs. Weasley more paranoid and scared. The graphics though, were amazing.

Actually, the graphics throughout the movie were far superior to some of the other movies (barring the Chamber of Secrets chess game). This might have something to do with not that many magical creatures being displayed on the screen. Even in the opening scene, when the bridge breaks, I was amazed at how well they had directed it. The dialogue was fast, and witty, and while it's always tough to capture the essence of the book, I thought the movie did a reasonably good job. Think the movie was aimed more towards children, whereas the book targeted at young adults.

The language in the book did depress me somewhat, with the characters using words like 'prat', or, 'making rude hand gestures'. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I still think children's books should steer clear of these elements.

Movie rating: 3 Book rating: 4

Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale {Weekly Geeks Q&A}

I'm still playing catch-up on 13th June's Weekly Geeks. I know, I know, it's been about a month, and that's ample time to catch up! However, after this, I'll just have two more to do: Disgrace, and His Dark Materials. Am planning to re-read the latter this month, so might end up doing that one after!

Anyway, on with it...

From gautami tripathy:

The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the best books I have read. What did you think of it? Do you think it is possible? Can you see a future like that? Did it scare you?

I thought it was fantastic. It's well-written, a page-turner, and depicts a heavily dystopian futuristic society, which scared the living daylights out of me!

However, when you ask if I find it possible or not, I have to say, I don't. Maybe, it's only me, but I find the dystopias presented in 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451 much more realistic than this. I know people have found this book scarily possible, but, in my opinion, the human race has progressed way too much, to let women be reduced to nothing but maids and handmaids ("Handmaids" are women who have only one purpose: conceive a child for the family that looks after her). With each generation, women are becoming more powerful, and more career-oriented, at the expense of not having families, and settling down. The world is becoming smaller, and the cries of democracy are louder than ever. I just can't see the government of the United States being overthrown, and replaced by this totalitarian nightmare. That said, I can see this happening in some extremist countries, where women are not allowed to drive, vote, or leave their house without a man.

I am not American, but, with today being 4th of July, one has to ask the question: can the 'leaders of the free world' ever be the polar opposite?

The book scares me. I think Offred, the protagonist, said something along the lines of many handmaids tend to commit suicide, instead of living life as they do - under constant pressure and no guarantees. To be honest, if I was ever unlucky to exist in a society like that, I'd probably just kill myself. Luckily, I don't think something this horrible will happen in my lifetime. For that, I'm grateful.

From Maree:

I loved The Handmaid’s Tale – did you find it scarily possible?

I didn't. I just can't see a society like that coming into existence. Maybe I'm in denial. Maybe I'm an optimist. But... I just don't see it!

From Kristen:

I have a slight fear of reading Margaret Atwood again – she’s so revered in Canada that it’s intimidating. Talk me into why I should read the Handmaid’s Tale :o)

Jeez, I'm not very convincing. :( I'll try though...

Atwood is probably revered in Canada for a reason: she's that good! That should be reason enough to read the book. What makes this book really special, is, realizing how lucky we are, as things stand. Feminism is rampant right now, and women are allowed to make their own decisions, with respect to what to wear, and when to settle down and have kids. Their choice isn't restricted to being a 'martha' (a maid), or a handmaid. Can you imagine having to flip a coin between those two options, and nothing else?

It's well-written, it's a page-turner, and Atwood's made the story as real as possible: from Offred being your regular American woman, to feeling semi-conscious seeing Japanese tourists in shorts (revealing their legs). Can people be conditioned that easily? Or, in a society where there are no choices, people just accept things the way they are to make their life that much easier? It raises some provocative questions, which you probably don't want to think about, and which will haunt you for a long long time.

Did I do a good job of talking you into it?

From Rebecca:

The Handmaid’s Tale haunted me for weeks after I read it. I loved it and don’t think I’ll ever forget it, but I know that not everyone feels that way. What was your reaction to it? Did you find it believable and frightening or too futuristic and extreme? How would you describe it in 1 or 2 sentences to someone who’s never heard of it before?

As already mentioned above, it scared me. A lot. More than I want to admit. I can't imagine ever living in a society like that, and frankly speaking, death might be more viable. But... I also thought it was out and out fiction, and too extremist to be 'real'.

Two sentence summary:

The United States has been replaced by the Republic of Gilead, a futuristic society, where women are reduced to being 'reproductive' machines for unknown men, and then give up the child to the wife of these men. Everyone knows what their purpose is... and ironically enough, most other women envy the 'handmaids' for the alternative is being a maid, and not being treated with dignity or respect.

From Jodie:

Why do you think so many dystopian novels set in the future find women subjugated once again? What did you think of the rich women’s complicity in the other women’s fate in The Handmaid’s Tale?

I don't know. Will we do the full 360, and go back to the beginning, where women are subjugated for their role in the 'Original Sin' again? Is there another episode that will replace the 'Original Sin'? Or, will some radical extremist group take over the world, and ensure that some of their customs regarding women will take precedence over what the Western world knows today.

Well, that's a tough one. I think it depends on the rich woman - they are dependent on the handmaid for one thing, and one thing only. While some of the rich women are likely to be grateful to their handmaid for providing them with a child - something they can now 'buy', they are not obliged to be so. Simultaneously, some women will hold the handmaids in contempt, for it cannot be easy for them to see their husband indulging in sexual activities with another woman, out of 'protocol'. Probably this coupled with their own sense of incompletion leads to the untoward fate of handmaids. Of course, if and when the handmaids are having an actual relationship with the husband, without the wife's knowledge, and she finds out, the fate is much worse....

Terry Pratchett - A Hat Full Of Sky

Background:

This book was picked up as part of the Take A Chance Challenge - Random Word Selection. The word I picked out was 'sky', and I entered the word in Amazon. The second result I got was A Hat Full Of Sky, and it was an easy decision. I've never read a Terry Pratchett book before, but I've had wonderful things about his books, and figured, this is a golden opportunity handed over to me on a silver plate. How can I refuse? It was a great start to the challenge, for I loved the book, and am going to try reading more of Pratchett. So, if you have any recommendations, please let me know.

Review:

This is the sequel to The Wee Free Men, and it follows Tiffany Arching's adventures, this time with her being an apprentice to research witch, Miss Level. Tiffany, still relatively new to the world of witches, hopes to learn from her employer, and become a fully qualified witch, during her apprenticeship. However, things don't quite pan out that way, as she helps Miss Level take care of the needy in the village, without actually using any magic. Miss Level says a witch doesn't always need to do magic. All a witch needs to do is not 'go to the bad side'.

However, Tiffany has one trick, which she hasn't shared with anyone yet - she can step out of her body at will, leaving it an empty vessel. What she doesn't know is, an ancient and bodiless spirit (a hiver) is just waiting to inhabit her body, and take over. And so it does. What ensues is drama, as the cleverest of witches (Granny Weatherwax, Miss Level) and the Nac Mac Feegles (a wee fairy race (they are extremely tiny), who protect Tiffany, from the time she acted as their 'Kelda' - this was done in the previous book of the series) attempt to get rid of the hiver, and bring the real Tiffany back, before the hiver takes over completely, and Tiffany is lost forever, in her body. At the same time, the hiver's disregard for anything moral coupled with Tiffany's powers wreaks havoc, as she turns a man into a toad, 'borrows' Miss Level's broomstick, and goes on an expensive shopping spree which, without her powers, she'd never be able to afford... she's turning over to the 'bad side'.

This is a well-written page-turner, which has oodles of dry humor. The characters are extremely well-drawn, and one cannot help but associate with all of them, from Tiffany to the Nac Mac Feegles (who are probably the best drawn out group). Despite the Nac Mac Feegles being drunken thieves, you admire them being loyal and good=hearted, while simultaneously appreciating the lack of conscientiousness. There's a part in the book where Miss Level is horrified that they're talking about invading her body, to get the hiver out, for it would mean invading her privacy. They reply saying they've already read her diary, and if it was that personal, she wouldn't keep it in the sock drawer. And when Tiffany goes on a perilous mission, one of the Nac Mac Feegles joins her, saying he's promised his wife that he'd help her eliminate the hiver.

As you'd expect for any children/young adult book, it demarcates between good and bad, courage and cowardice, loyalty and flippancy. The obnoxious fall, and the good rise to the occasion to help. So, the feel-good affect that this book has is an added bonus.

Rating: 4

Booking Through Thursday - Sci-Fi/Fantasy

This week, on Booking Through Thursday: One of my favorite sci-fi authors (Sharon Lee) has declared June 23rd Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Day.

As she puts it:

So! In my Official Capacity as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, I hereby proclaim June 23 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day! A day of celebration and wonder! A day for all of us readers of science fiction and fantasy to reach out and say thank you to our favorite writers. A day, perhaps, to blog about our favorite sf/f writers. A day to reflect upon how written science fiction and fantasy has changed your life.

So … what might you do on the 23rd to celebrate? Do you even read fantasy/sci-fi? Why? Why not?

Considering 23rd is a Tuesday, I'll probably be working, and the day will pass me by. I am reading a fantasy book at the moment (Terry Pratchett - A Hat Full Of Sky), but I reckon I'll be done with it by tomorrow. I do have a couple of books of Garth Nix's The Abhorsen Chronicles lined up (only read Sabriel), so I might end up reading that. I also intend to read Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, as part of the Take A Chance challenge.

I don't read as much sci-fi/fantasy as I'd like to, to be honest. It's a genre I enjoy, and it's incredible to lose myself in a fantastic world, of endless possibilities and infinite magic. Of course, at the same time, you have a full range of dystopian/post-apocalyptic books, which is something I'm quite fascinated by. From Orwell's 1984 to Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, from Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale to McCarthy's The Road.

My dabble with fantasy has not been extensive; focusing mostly on the usual suspects, like Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and Harry Potter. As a teenager, I loved RL Stine, Enid Blyton and the like; and like any child, adored fairy tales, which are essentially fantasy, no?

Sci-fi, again, there's The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, which I absolutely adored, from the first page. I quite like the Star Wars series, and there was a time I used to read Michael Crichton religiously. Of course, you've got Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan as well. Unfortunately, I don't think I've done much experimental reading here, so.... it's a shame. Maybe something I should do?

How about you? Do you have any favorite sci-fi/fantasy book? Do you enjoy the genre? And, are you planning on doing something special to celebrate the Science Fiction and Fantasy Day?

Gene Brewer - K-Pax

He insists he came from K-PAX, about five years ago, on a beam of light. He's going to return on August 17, at 3:31 pm. In the meantime, he's in Ward II of the Manhattan Psychiatric Institute, under the supervision of Dr. Gene Brewer, who doesn't believe that he's alien. His name is prot. Yes, that's right - in lowercase. In K-PAX, the beings spell their names in lowercase, whereas astronomical bodies like PLANETS, EARTH, the WORLD are in uppercase.

But that's not the most bizarre thing about K-PAX. In fact, K-PAX has been around for millions of years, and not just a couple of millennia like EARTH. There's no government, there's no crime, people live happily, and the science and technology is supremely advanced. There's a herbal cure for everything, from AIDS to cancer. Money is non-existent, as is any kind of trade. In fact, it's much like Gonzalo's state (where he'd be King) in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Oh, and sex is painful, vegetarianism is the standard diet, and all beings co-exist in harmony. When asked for K-PAXians are like, prot says like Swedish people, or Gandhi, Lennon or, Thoreau.

As prot speaks to Dr. Brewer, who tries to figure out who prot really is, and where he's come from, we see prot as a funny, albeit patronizing, 'being' (prot is very insistent that EARTH is the only planet which has homo sapiens). However, if you aren't 'crazy' but you have someone (i.e. Dr. Brewer) treating you as though you are, the patronization is probably justified. Gene asks him multiple times where he's come from, and how he's traveled, and the answer is the same: Using mirrors and light!

As prot befriends some of the other patients at MPI, and starts helping them get better, they all have only the one thing on their agenda: they want to go back with prot. Heck, they all write essays to warrant their candidacy! And we have Dr. Brewer who struggles to find out more about him, and his condition - is he a savant (does that explain his knowledge about the UNIVERSE?)? Is he an amnesiac? Or, is there something more? Finally, he resorts to hypo-therapy...

This short quirky humorous book is one of a kind. You can't help but get completely immersed in it, and wonder about prot, and his home planet; about Dr. Brewer and his relationship with his parents; about life and how different it can be in reality and in utopia. I'm scared if I say more, I'll ruin the end for you, but, this book raises loads of interesting questions, and it gets you thinking...

"You mean your mental patients aren't treated with any drugs - herbs - to make them well?"

"Mental illness is often in the eyes of the beholder. Too often on this PLANET it refers to those who think and act differently from the majority."

"But surely there are those who are obviously unable to cope with reality...."

"Reality is what you make it."

I don't think I've read such a well-written funny thought-provoking fantasy book before, and if you have a chance, you must read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The only thing I can moan about is, the ending left much to be desired. Where does prot get his knowledge from? Is he actually alien? Will he return in four-five years, as he promised? How can he see light in the UV range? So many questions... no answers.

The book is the first of a trilogy, so I will probably pick up the sequel and the finale, to see how it pans out, and whether the story still has loopholes, or do all the pieces fit together. Woohoo! More books to be TBR list. Overall, a 7 on 10... and a very engrossing read.

Kurt Vonnegut - Breakfast of Champions

You know how it is - People recommend a book to you, you read the gist at the back, it looks interesting, you buy it, you live to regret it. That pretty much sums up Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, for me. I read the first 50 pages, and attributed the dullness to the book kicking off slowly. Read the next fifty, and figured, it’s bound to get better. The next fifty was even more painstaking, and by the time I hit the 200th page, I figured this book was as pointless as it gets.

It’s experimental writing - I’ll give the author that. But, that’s about all I’ll give him. The story (if you can call it that?) revolves around two men: Trout, a poor sci-fi writer, and Hoover, a well-off car dealer who’s on the brink of insanity. The story meanders through their lives, and it comes to a close when the two men meet, Hoover reads one of Trout’s books and actually goes over the edge, because he thinks the Creator wrote the book, addressed it to him, and told him how he’s the only human and everyone around him is a machine. Don’t curse me for giving the ending away - the author tells us this almost at the very outset. It’s the meanderings that apparently make the story, not the ending.

The author tries, almost too hard to be funny. He stoops down to the level of illustrating apples, underwear, flags, and actually centers a lot of the book around the vital stats of various women, and men. Completely irrelevant, pointless, and frustrating... it’s supposed to be a social satire. It’s really not. (My two bits).

Don’t even bother... you’ll wish you hadn’t.

Aldous Huxley - Brave New World

A book set in the future, but has a title inspired by Shakepeare’s The Tempest, Brave New World details a dystopian society. However, if you’re expecting to see shades of Orwell’s 1984, you’re in for a surprise. On the other hand, there are some small comparisons that can be made with Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, another dystopian world, where literature is banned. Of course, this is where the similarity ends.

So, no CCTVs, no Big Brother, no society where the police state is taking over. What, then, makes Brave New World a dystopia? Well, ironically enough, it’s that everyone’s happy - happy with their job, their life, and the way things are. There’s a catch (there’s always a catch): everyone in this world is born and bred, in a lab, and effectively, they’re ‘programmed’ to think and act the way they do. Even their happiness is programmed, by hypnopaedia or sleep-teaching; where tapes are played repeatedly to sleeping children, thereby ensuring that the content of these tapes become part and parcel of their personality. The various castes - Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, Epsilons - are all happy and content being what they are, while simultaneously being happy that they do not belong to a different caste. (Alphas are the intellects, Epsilons the physical laborers)

The main motivation behind creating a world like this is to ensure peace and stability, constant happiness and painlessness. Literature or books from the ancient society are not allowed, for they might actually allow someone to think and perceive beauty of some sort. And beauty, attachment and affection is strongly discouraged. Conversely, recreational sex and drugs (soma) are encouraged. Everyone belongs to everyone else - that’s the fundamental premise. Of course it gets slightly disturbing when we read of children indulging in erotic play, and people being astounded that in the olden days, this was not general practice...

However, this is as much of a story about Bernard Marx, one of the few dissatisfied souls in this pseudo-utopian world, as it is about the world itself. Marx, probably suffering from a complex of sorts due to his physical traits resembling that of the inferior class, Epsilons, is vocal about some of his inhibitions with the society as it stands. The obvious solution, according to him, is to visit one of the ‘Savage Reservations’ - a place where the Old World still survives, and is left untouched and untainted by the advancements of the New World. He visits the Reservation with Lenina, a girl he’s enamored with (a girl who is happy and satisfied with the way things are, and lives up to what she’s imbibed during her childhood sleep-teaching). While she is thoroughly grossed out by this world, Marx feels enlightened, specially on talking to one of the inhabitants of this world, only to learn his mother once belonged to the New World, a world she misses greatly (read, she misses life without soma greatly). Marx and Lenina accompany the two (mother and son) back to their civilization, and the events that unfold as a result keeps the reader hooked on.

This is a world I found difficult to imagine, or for that matter, even live in. Truth be told, I’d rather have been a member of the archaic 1930s Reservation than a part of a world that uniform and surreal. Bizarrely enough, it seems as though, according to Huxley, to be in a world of utter ecstasy, we need to detach ourselves from everything that makes us happy in this world: family, parents, birth, and love. Or, of course, we can take the hedonist approach and fuel up on the real X.

There are hints, some subtle, some not so much, of who various characters of the book are inspired by. The obvious ones are Freud (the Ford, i.e. their equivalent of Lord), Karl Marx, Darwin, Napoleon and Henry Ford (i.e. the founder of Ford Motors), while there are a multitude of references to Shakespeare, Malthus and Wells. It would be really interesting to dig deeper and determine the inspirations for all the characters. Of course, that would make the whole book piece together as well.

If you’re into alternate realities, or the endless possibilities that there are, or, for that matter, how people let their imaginations run away with them, this is a definite must-read. Also, if you enjoyed the likes of 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and Men Like Gods, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll be fascinated by Huxley’s contribution to the dystopian ideology.

Overall, 8.5 on 10.

Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep

You have to love the name of the book. That was reason enough to pick it up! Androids, and electric sheep. What could possibly make more sense? Seriously, the name of the book intrigued me enough to pick it up, just to see how bizarre sci-fi could get. It’s not as bizarre as it sounds, if it helps...

The book is based in a sparsely populated earth, whose inhabitants have fled the planet post a war that has rendered most of the world (as we know it) a thing of the past. Animals are endangered, there isn’t much greenery, and most of the people who have stayed on have been forced to, due to the radiation leading them to become ‘chickenheads’. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep follows the quest of a bounty-hunter, a person who has to retire andys (androids) who are on the planet illegally, to kill six (of eight) andys who are superior to earlier models, and can almost pass off as humans. Eight of these new andys (Nexus-6 cylons) made their way to earth; two were retired by a senior bounty-hunter who was later injured while trying to retire the remaining six. Rick Deckard is given the task of retiring the remaining six, who are more advanced, tougher to retire and use their wit and trickery to escape being the victim of bounty-hunters.

In this post-apocalyptic world, where animals are endangered, all Rick really wants is a real animal. He is the owner of an electric sheep (bought when his ‘real’ sheep died of tetanus), but that is more of a status symbol, as opposed to the real thing. He yearns for the day he will be able to afford a real animal, and constantly thumbs through the Sidney Catalog, a catalog where the prices of various animals are listed, as well as their classification (E for Extinct). In fact, when he gets paid for retiring some of the Nexus-6 andys, he goes and pays a deposit for an animal - something to take care of.

While this has all the elements of a good sci-fic book, it also explores various philosophical questions like, what does it mean to be human? and, how do humans distinguish androids from themselves. The key is empathy (the Voigt-Kampff test, i.e. the test used by humans to determine if someone’s an andy or not is based on empathy - how they react to certain emotions, situations and questions. e.g. You are reading a magazine, and you come across the picture of a nude woman.). As the book progresses, Deckard faces challenging questions like, should he really be killing a woman andy who is an opera singer, and brings much joy to the world with her talents? And, what right does he have to rob someone of their life, even if they are not human?

This book, as the cover proudly proclaims, ended up becoming the basis for the movie, Bladerunner. I haven’t actually seen the movie, but the book was interesting and gripping. Based in the future, in a world where humans can program their moods, and people can actually buy electric animals that closely resemble real ones, where human beings are encouraged to leave the planet in order to ensure the survival of the human race, this book is an interesting and gripping read. It makes you wonder about people, about humanity and the characters of some of the people (supposedly human) that Deckard comes into close contact with, during this mission.

Overall, a 7 on 10.