1006. Shantaram

"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured."

Thus begins one of the most extraordinary novels I have ever read, probably one of the most extraordinary novels of the 21st century. And it is, in this first sentence that you realize how extraordinary. Witness the contrast of what the author is saying: he contrasts love with being imprisoned and chained to a wall and being tortured. Is there something that could be more opposite to love than torture?

And with this opening phrase this book grabs you. By the time you finish the first chapter you have entered into another world, a world best experienced with all of the senses, a world you can immerse yourself in for an unforgettable 940 pages. Do not let the length of this novel overwhelm you. It can seem daunting, and it can seem like a meandering river at times, but it is not. Let me first begin, by providing you with a couple of links, one to the author's website, and a link to a wonderful interview he did:

Author's Website

Gregory David Roberts Interview

They are not required reading, but upon getting this book, and getting ready to read it, I think you ought to become familiar with Mr. Gregory David Roberts himself. This background will explain the character of Lin or "Shantaram", the "Man of Peace", (also known as Linbaba or Lindsey) who comes to Bombay to "hide" in plain sight, after his escape from prison. There are many parallels between the real life of Mr. Roberts, the author and the characters and events in the book. Having some idea of where the author is coming from, and what he experienced in real life, helps to put into context some of the things that appear in the book.

Now, I am not suggesting that Gregory David Roberts SHOULD HAVE wrote a memoir. Far from it. This book works much better as a piece of literary fiction. There are groups out there on the Internet discussing the novel, and there appears to be a lot of confusion on this point. For me, the words of the author are absolute. This is a work of fiction, and the characters and events in the book have been inspired by real-life events. This, does not diminish them in any way and in fact, in presenting them in this form gives them greater STRENGTH and GREATER potential.

In reviewing this book, I will focus on two particular chapters only after a short overview -- which is readily available to anyone:

Shantaram is the story of Lindsey, an escaped convict from Australia traveling on a faked New Zealand passport who ends-up in Bombay, India. Here, he will come to be known as Lin, and then Linbaba and eventually become the title character, "Shantaram". The book is his story in hiding while in the sprawling city of Bombay, the people he meets there, the effect of the city on him, his effect on the city, his love for the city and his love for the people. Also, his love for Karla and his adventures while trying to survive among the Mumbai sprawl. It is a story of hope, courage, love, betrayal, friendship, faith, and ultimately redemption.

I know, that is but four sentences trying to summarize 940 pages, but it is hard to summarize a poem of such eloquent prose in any amount of words. You might ask me how I can heap such excellent praise on this book, but I must. This book, if you follow your heart, will take you on a journey that you will never forget. Most writers do an amazing and difficult job constructing imaginary worlds and then populate them with realistic characters who come alive through those pages. In the case of Mr. Roberts, the real Bombay, does not need to be constructed, but rather it needs to be drawn for us with the pen like one of those sketches a street artist completes for you and you see it come to life little by little.

The prose runs of the page like an epic poem. Granted it is one that runs 940 pages in length, but it is entertaining the whole way through. The hero in this journey discovers some truths about himself and about love and about the world, just as that first sentence suggests. Chapter 23 in particular spoke to my spiritual heart, it spoke directly to my soul, but it also spoke to my reason. This chapter discusses the author's resolution theory in some detail, his blueprint if you will, behind his belief system. Is there "good" or "evil" in the world? Or are the actions that we perform "good" or "evil"? Are we defined by those actions? Meaning, if we perform "evil" actions for a living (like a gangster or 'goonda' in Roberts' book), does that condemn us to some sort of metaphorical, or hypothetical or existential hell? It is not often that a book speaks to you with such passion and tries to teach you as well. You might not agree with Mr. Roberts' Theology, or Cosmology, or whatever you want to call it, but whatever you think of it, you WILL think about it. The impact of this chapter is that much greater first because of the events preceding it and the chapter following it. Because the love flowing out of the next chapter is so intense, so passionate, that not even the hottest romance novelist can compete.

And then there was Chapter 30. Please, skip this paragraph, if you do not want to be spoiled. It will be in different color. When the text color changes back, you know, you can continue reading the review. The night, I read chapter 30, I stayed awake and cried. I cried for Linbaba and I cried for Prabu and I cried for Abdullah and I cried for all those people who do not understand what REAL love means in the world and what REAL love can drive a person to do. Roberts' does a magnificent job of describing the feelings a man has for those lost. For the little "trained mouse" that the other inmate nailed on the cell wall who was Prabu. For the friend who was like a brother, who was Abdullah. For the world that was unkind in so many ways, so many times. I cried for Linbaba for the choices he made, as I asked myself: Would I have made those same choices? Regardless of the answer, I appreciate literature that allows me to ask that question.

The beauty of a great book like this sometimes is that you don't want it to end. Despite the length and because of the beauty of the characters and the beauty of the Bombay (Mumbai) that Roberts' describes, you want the story to continue. You want to know what happens next. You want to know about everything! This is certainly the kind of book that will stay with you forever. Supposedly, they will make a movie out of it. I don't know how they can do justice to the material. I do know that the written story is beautiful. I do know that I highly recommend this book, and I plan to give it as a gift to a few people I know.

It is definitely a four star book. In the past, when I reviewed books in my handwritten journal, books that impressed me this much, I gave them one big HUGE STAR. That meant, they were worth more than four stars. Does that mean five stars?

Stairway to Heaven

Can I please have one of those:

Stairway to Heaven -- A Book Collector's Dream!

See what I am talking about? It's brilliant, what that is! Brilliant! I want one. And, if anyone in the family is looking for me, they'll always know where to find me: Somewhere up or down my "stairway to heaven".

Now, what can you do about my bedroom? I need to remove my TV and the noise from other family members. There should only be a bed in there and my books. Any ideas?

1003. Final Impact

"Final Impact"

This book by John Birmingham is the third novel in the "Axis of Time" trilogy. A fascinating alternate history / alternate reality science-fiction story set in the year 2021 (or rather beginning there), but actually taking place during the height of World War II (or '2' if you prefer).

But, first of all, let me set the stage for you: In 2021, an international Task Force headed by the USS Super-Carrier 'Hillary Clinton' is sailing off the Indonesian waters to enforce some sort of U.N. edict. There are various politics involved as to why this task force is in the area. Mention is made of 'The War on Terror' having commenced following the attacks of 9/11, as well as the fight against various terrorist organizations. In some sense, the world of the future, in the few pages allotted to it by John Birmingham, is just as fascinating as the world of the past he's about to build.

One of the premises that I always find 'funny' (in all its connotations) in Science Fiction is the 'mad scientist' invention. Mr. Birmingham doesn't necessarily stoop to the level of using it in this trilogy, but he embraces it.... BUT, I am not here to review the whole series or trilogy. Suffice it to say, that the ships of 2021 end up in 1942, and the history of World War II is changed forever. So, it's time to jump ahead (or rather back, if you'll forgive the pun....) If you have not read the first two books in the series, do yourself a favor, and go get those books: "Weapons of Choice" and "Designated Targets". And stop reading this review right here, before you spoil your enjoyment.

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Events in the third book begin with the alternate 1944's D-Day landings in Calais. Why Calais and not Normandy? That's what Hitler would like to know. The Allies have brought into the fight a lot of modified weapons. These weapons are not from the future. Rather, they are what 1940s technology can produce with 2020s know-how. This gives them a clear advantage over the Axis powers, even though, the Axis powers also have in their possession some of these 'future secrets'. And of course the 'The Sword of Damocles' in this whole fight is the fate of one of the Task Force's 'lost ships'. Did the 'HMS Vanguard' slip through time and end-up in the hands of the Russians who at this time in history absolutely control the USSR and are in turn ruthlessly controlled by the brutal dictator Stalin and his cronies? And do the Soviets now possess sufficient modern technologies (aka, 21st century technologies) to oppose the emerging victory of the Allies?

If you've read the first two books, you will know that John Birmingham uses a cast of thousands and many historical figures as key players in his books. It's not as if other fiction writers have not attempted this method before. Harry Turtledove is well known for doing the same, and I have read simple short stories that fictionalized the lives of presidents and others. But the scope in which Mr. Birmingham does it, is breathtaking and awe-inspiring. How can you know the man and president, Franklin D. Roosevelt? How can you know the man and General, Dwight D. Eisenhower? Yet, somehow, John Birmingham has done significant enough research to pull of some magnificent characterizations for these people. This is one of the endearing features of this trilogy.

At the same time however, the author has enough 21st century characters who are completely fictional (but could be based on real people -- in the sense that a TV reporter in the book is inspired by a real life TV reporter), who are very prominent. And in this final chapter of the trilogy, the base characters, the ones who came to the past from 2021 with the 'Hillary Clinton' task force return to the foreground. Their adventures are the link in the important pieces that set-up the ending of the book and the ending of the trilogy.

The old girl, the USS 'Hillary Clinton' has been retrofitted to fight with an amalgam of 1940s/1950s technology. It is still the most fearsome weapon on the sea, except the sea it prowls is set in 1944. Finally, the other plot point that I can reveal here (bit of an annoying spoiler, I know, but you kind of knew that it was coming) is the existence of nuclear weapons. Many of the engineers and the technology that came back with the 'Clinton' are utilized by all the Powers in the World in the development of Nuclear Weapons. Who succeeds and who uses them first and with what kind of results is left for you to find out.

"Final Impact" works both as a Science Fiction / Alternate History Fiction novel, as well as a cautionary tell. All good Science Fiction novels must operate in this arena. You take some characters from our world and place them in a situation which is completely outside of our experience. What you hope to achieve with this ploy is the discovery of some new ways of looking at the world. Some new interpretations and analyses of life as we know it today. Why is that important? Well, how else are we going to learn something new? There are three main ways: a) We experience it for ourselves; b) We learn it from the experience of others (another form of learning) and finally, c) We imagine it.

In this book, John Birmingham successfully puts his characters in a highly charged and segregated atmosphere, the Second World War. Our people, 'our avatars' transferred for our sakes to the past, to experience the adventure for us, come face to face with 'the barbarians' (who are also us, our forefathers) who caused and fought the great war in the 1940s, of the greatest generation. The same place where a black man could not fight side to side with a white man. In a place with people that committed the atrocities of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Able to stop the people that caused the HOLOCAUST of the Jewish people. If we were to visit back then, given the opportunity to stop the atrocities, I wonder, like the characters in the book, how we would react... I wonder, if we were given the chance to stop the atrocities what we would do...

Yet, the most engaging feature of the trilogy, and in particular the third book is how John Birmingham turns the tables on us and shows another side. Are we that much more advanced with our high tech weapons and over the horizon rockets? Are we that much more brilliant since we can spy on everyone in the world, with stealth, and attack them 'at night' while they least expect it? Are we that much better for the way we fight our battles, especially in our so called, 'War on Terror' which for purposes of this book has been ongoing for 20 years (5 times longer that World War 2) ? In the end, the people of the 1940s, adapt our technologies and our freedoms with open arms, but also see our barbarism, and our 'advanced human morality' displaying the cynicism which we flaunted on them when we arrived in the past. And that's a great lesson to take from any book. Don't think, from all the strides that the 'Human Animal' has made, that we have advanced that much in 60 or so years.

I easily give this book 3 stars out of four. With a half star more for the whole trilogy.

John Birmingham is a writer to watch.

1002. Three Days To Never

"Three Days To Never"

Years ago, I attended a science fiction convention and actually got to meet Tim Powers, the author of a tidy little book I finished reading just a few weeks ago, called: "Three Days to Never". At the time of the convention, when I talked to Tim, I wanted to learn as much as I could about writing. The things that he described to me about the writing task made it seem very daunting, a really difficult profession and a really difficult art. You might have the talent for it, or you have the desire for it, but you might not necessarily have the zeal or the work ethic to pull it off.

Now, I am not saying that those words of wisdom from Tim, put me off from writing, nor am I saying that his approach to writing is the only correct approach. It is true that I have written one Novel, two novellas and a number of short stories on my own. For the most part though, most of what I have written has come from the imagination, using almost only my creative energy to describe people and places, and as people and editors have become more sophisticated, it has become more and more difficult to pull off what I was able to do with ease in junior high and high school. When I was that young, imagination was enough to allow me to describe something with such adequacy and such force of narrative that most adults (especially teachers) found my writings well above average. In fact, creative writing was my strongest subject at school even though I pursued a different career path.

I describe my own experiences in the creative writing arena, not only because this is my Journal, but in juxtaposition to Tim Powers' writing brilliance. Obviously, he is not the BEST author I have ever read, and OBVIOUSLY, "Three Days To Never" is not the best book I have ever read. Yet, it is a tour-de-force and an excellent example in modern American fantasy with a lot of science fiction sprinkled in.

Before I jump into the meat of my review, I have to add a couple more things about Tim Powers the writer. The first thing that impressed me when I met him and talked to him over drinks, was how much of an unassuming man he was. Nothing overwhelming about his personality, a bit of the "professor" look in him, but yet, very down to earth, a very grounded person. The other thing he described to me (I really should say the group that was sharing the opportunity to listen to him) was the way he prepared for his books. In most important scientific jobs, there is a high amount of research involved. I would dare say that Tim performs this amount of research AND MORE while preparing for each one of the books he writes. And it shows.

Events in "Three Days to Never" take place 20 years ago from present day, in the Los Angeles of 1987. This is where the high degree of preparation and research pays off for Tim Powers. I lived through 1987, but even if Los Angeles was my home in that year, I would doubt that I 'd remember specific topographic details or place names, or where a specific road dead ends. Yet, Tim Powers, the author, keeps meticulous notes and records and knows exactly what kind of structure existed on a particular hill behind the "Hollywood" sign in 1987. This is the type of detail that helps this novel rise above the average read and achieve a level of intimacy with the reader that most reading escapades can not match. It is not simple entertainment, but you get to live the lives of the characters.

The main characters are Daphne Marrity and her father Frank, a professor. They and Frank's sister are somehow related to Einstein--this will become clear later in the book. We all of course know that Einstein was the father of the "Theory of Relativity" and later revised "Special Relativity". Throughout his life, Einstein had to contend with a number of issues that arose from the publication of his theories not least of them being the almost simultaneous rise of a competing theory, that of "Quantum Mechanics". Einstein did not outright reject this theory, but yet he had many issues with it. In many ways, Tim Powers attempts to conquer the unheard of task of overcoming the difficulties that Einstein had with "Quantum Mechanics" and putting forth a theory of what he might have achieved if he had done so.

Is it far fetched for Einstein to have created a machine that could change the world? Not when you consider the intellect involved. Are the means that Tim Powers uses to describe the search for this machine and its control that far fetched? I don't believe so -- yet, I have to qualify my statement. I have always been open to psychic powers, out of body experiences, traveling in other planes of existence through a spiritual plane, etc. All these and many other elements can be found in this book. Tim is able to incorporate them, along with excellent descriptions of the people and their motivations and the places that surround them. All in all, this makes for a very interesting tale with many elements reminiscent of a thriller or spy novel, yet, still grounded in the fantastical world of science and fantasy. If you can call that grounded ;-) !!!


I would give this book three stars out of four, and recommend it to anyone without reservation. Now of course, I have to remedy an oversight. I have to go and read other Tim Powers books. I don't know why, but for some reason, even though I met the fellow, I never actually read anything of his until this book. There is a first time for everything, isn't there? And now there is time for more Tim Powers, I say....

Must Read: The Twenty Science Fiction Novels that Will Change Your Life

Would you call these 20, must read? Or, books that would change your life? That's even a higher level of praise than the first question I asked. Well, this website does:

Must Read: The Twenty Science Fiction Novels that Will Change Your Life

As anyone who knows me well, knows that I read a lot of books. Of the books that I read, a high portion of them is in the "Science Fiction" genre. Of the books the author of this article lists, I have read the following:

"Frankenstein"
"The Time Machine"
"I, Robot" (but just the short story -- not the collection)
"A Fire Upon the Deep"

A couple more of these belong to my bookshelf, or on my wish list, meaning they are books that I would like to read at some point. But the question remains: Are these books, or novels, or short story collections life altering as the site claims?

I have read enough fiction to wonder from time to time about the impact of the books I have read. Personally, I am not so sure about these twenty books. I wish I had read all of them by now. One thing is for certain, I have added some more titles to my list of titles awaiting to be read. And that is not a bad thing now is it?

1001. The Kite Runner

I finally got to read this book. It wasn't in preparation for the movie that came out in December of 2007. I have been looking at this book at the bookstore for a significant amount of time, always wondering if I should pick it up to read or not. When I have enough money, I always have these pangs, these questions about books, especially after I read the back page notes, or especially after I hear from someone else that a particular book was a good one.

Of course, there is the flip side to this argument, and there are times when I DO NOT like books that have received a lot of acclaim, but it always comes down to this question: "How am I ever going to discover anything new, anything exciting to read unless, I take the plunge and purchase something on the spur of the moment?"

Well, as it turned out, my sister-in-law let me borrow this book last September, so I went ahead and added it to my TBR (yeah, that means "To Be Read") pile. So, finally in November, I went ahead and read it. Below, you will find my brief synopsis and review of this book. It's nowhere near as literary or as complete as those done by those expert book reviewers -- however, this book review comes from the heart.

Amir is a young boy living in pre-Soviet invasion Afghanistan. His life is one of relative privilege because of the position of his father and because he has servants. Or rather, his father has servants. One of them is Hassan who with his father Ali live in the servants house in one of Kabul's more respectable neighborhoods (not necessarily the most well to do though). For as long as he can remember, Ali has grown up with Hassan and in many ways, Hassan is his best friend and confidant. At the same time though, Hassan, being a Hazara boy, is considered a second class citizen by Afghan society at large. When the heart thinks, Hassan, is Amir's best and closest friend, but there are times when Amir envies Hassan for the attention he receives from Baba (Amir's father).

Amir loves to read Hassan the adventures of heroic characters from different epics. Hassan, as a servant and having grown a Hazara is illiterate. So, these stories become central to Amir's life in the sense that he lives through them. Baba, his father recognizes that Amir will never be strong or courageous enough in the face of a challenge despite the example of the "Heroes" he reads about in his epics. The other important character in the story, the family friend Rahim Khan, gives Amir a notebook, a journal in which he starts writing stories of his own inspiration.

In a way of course, the story of Amir reminded me so much of that of my own life. I, too, was mainly wrapped up in the stories and the heroes I read about. I, too, was more that impressed with the fictional life rather than the life around me. This has an effect on the way a person develops. Not so much because Baba told Amir that he was not courageous, but rather because Amir felt that he did not measure up in Baba's eyes.

This becomes very clear then in the events that unfold in the winter of 1975. Amir and Hassan participate in the annual Kite tournament which involves fighting the other kites, and the person assisting you go after the kites that fall from the sky. This is called: "Running the kites". Hassan is the best "Kite Runner" in Kabul. These tournaments can take a whole day sometimes. During this particular tournament, Amir decides that he will prove his father (his Baba) wrong. He will show him that he can be good at something, that he is courageous. With the help of Hassan, Amir has a successful kite launch and as the day progresses his kite survives. Hassan successfully runs down those kites that Amir knocks down from the sky.

Until Amir's kite and one other are left in the sky. After some deft maneuvering, Amir succeeds in knocking it down, and asks Hassan if he could "Run it" for him. Hassan responds: "For you a thousand times over!" That's what a best friend is supposed to say isn't it?

And It is at this point that everything changes. We are of course going to find out things about Amir Hassan and about Baba that we did not know up to this point. We will eventually follow Amir and his dad to the USA where Amir will get married. But there will always be something hanging over him. Something that will eventually take him back to his beloved homeland, in search of Hassan and in search of redemption.

In addition, we're also treated to a glimpse of Afghanistan through the pre-war years, the Soviet invasion in 1979, the many year of the occupation and struggle by the rebels (through the eyes of those that immigrated to America), all the way to the pre-9/11 Taliban days of decay, decadence and destruction. Sometimes, this sort of glimpse is worth a thousand pictures on the TV screen, because the TV screen can not evoke the passion of the people. The TV screen can not describe the feeling of being stuck inside a fuel truck while being smuggled across the border to Pakistan to avoid capture by the Soviets. Nor does it evoke the terror of watching "half-time entertainment" at a Taliban sponsored Soccer game in Kabul in 2001. The evil that men do can be shown on TV, but I have always felt that the most powerful weapon is still the written word. This is why, our youth today, who do not read, are missing the greater context of what is occurring in the world around them.

Khaled Hosseini weaves a very good tale in his first novel of a protagonist from a part of the world that is little known and maybe little understood. Yet, as different as the religion, or some of the words, or some of the customs might be, the underlying themes remain the same: Love, Forgiveness, Happiness, Guilt and Redemption. It does not matter the strokes of the painter or the paint used. The message is clear. By the end of the book, we come to love these characters, we come to accept their failings and shortcomings because maybe we see similar things in us and we come to believe in their quests. Because just as we're on a quest, every day of our lives, so are the characters in this book. Some of us, do not know the path we're taking, and we wake late in life to find that the journey is at an end, unfulfilled. For others, the purpose is clear. The drive begins early. The road is easy and open. In a way, Amir's father was such a man, and he was much loved by all those who knew him. This is why Amir was "Baba's son" and everyone knew him and respected him for that alone, for all the good deeds his father did, for all the people he helped.

Amir falls to the group in between. His road is not completely clear, yet he knows he has something unfulfilled in his life, something that still haunts him. This is the reason why he accepts the opportunity to travel the road and not be just a passenger on the journey. Whether he displays the courage that his father Baba said he lacked is for you the reader to find out, but it is important to remember that in the journey of life, when given a second chance, those who accept are most often the most courageous, most triumphant winners of all.

I concluded this review, the same way I use to conclude all my reviews in my old book Journal. By giving this book some stars. I'll have to find some appropriate gif or jpg to add later, but for know, this book draws *** (3) stars from me.

(My ratings scale if from 1 to 4 stars. Books I really, really like, get a HUGE star....! Five Stars?)

I recommend it.

My Book Journal

Years ago, I had this great book journal where I used to record ALL the books that I've read. And believe me, I read a lot. By this point, you're going to say, "Oh, No! Not another book review blog!", and I am afraid, I won't be able to assuage your fears. Yes, this is another "book review blog".

But, I will also sprinkle in it some movie reviews, some Journalistic thoughts (nothing TOO political, I promise!) and maybe a short story or too! Since, I have barely been published -- oh yeah, I have been rejected a lot (I wonder why? ) -- I guess this will be a forum for me to publish my stories.

Another thing, I used to do, when I kept my multitude of book journals when I was younger, was number my books, like keeping track of how many I had read. Now this wasn't very accurate for sure, but it was something to amuse me. It wasn't accurate, because before I started it when I was 15 or 16, I must have read at least that many books.... And since the time, I stopped my written book journal, I must have read at least DOUBLE that amount of books. So, I decided that the first book that I will review here, I will number as number 1001. Why do this? I don't know! Maybe I am insane! Or maybe that's how I keep my sanity.

So, I hope you enjoy this new blog. I will slowly build up the links in it, and I hope you take advantage of the services I link to. Additionally, I hope you enjoy reading AND you teach your kids to read! Books ARE fun! Books are knowledge! Books are great! Long live books!

Take Care!