We think dystopian, we think 1984. It is a true classic. Big Brother is everywhere!
Blurb:
Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell’s nightmarish vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff’s attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell’s prescience of modern lifeโthe ubiquity of television, the distortion of the languageโand his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written.
Review:
I think this book will never ever go out of fashion. It is never too late to read a classic. Before picking this up, I was anxious about reading classics and I assumed it will be too complex and that it will go over my head. I really got into dystopian books since reading 1984.
War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength.
The book follows the story of a normal man living in world that is totally controlled by the government. The past is erased and rewritten every minute of the day. The future is controlled and does the present count if you’re living in total ignorance? One could always say that ignorance is bliss and in this nightmarish world it really is.
Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.
My only problem with the book was I’d have liked more plot. The descriptions bored me at times. It was deep and thoughtful but a time consuming to read. I would have liked it more if it was more focused on the plots.
This is not a complete review, but how else do we review classics? (Help please)
With Netflix releasing the Season 4 of 13 Reasons Why, it is high time we take a look at Season 1 and think.
So badly wanted to make this title 13 Reasons 13 Reasons Why is bad but it’s been done so many times now. ๐
You might have heard about the statistics linking an increase in suicide rate after the release of season 1 of 13 Reasons Why and I can see why. Did the show really need to include the graphic scene of Hannah killing herself??
Blurb of the book if you didn’t already know:
You canโt stop the future. You canโt rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Bakerโhis classmate and crushโwho committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannahโs voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, heโll find out why.
Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannahโs pain, and as he follows Hannahโs recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.
Why do I dislike (because hate is a strong word) the book?
Firstly, the message the book gives is so harmful. Hannah gets everything she wanted, she gets her revenge, she makes everyone who wronged her pay. The story is more a revenge story than a cautionary tale about teen suicide. It romanticizes suicide.
If someone was thinking about harming themselves, they would definitely do it after seeing /reading this. It is mainly because Hannah got everything she wanted after she died. I feel like I’m repeating the same thing again and again but it needs to be said. Dying doesn’t solve anything!!!! It doesn’t get you the revenge you wanted..
Actually, 13 reasons why season 1 was a little better than the book except for the last scene. But the show makers really should not have dragged it on for 4 seasons. 4 seasons really??
I also feel like Hannah really played with the 13 people she mentioned in the tapes. Clay was not even exactly a reason but he was forced to think he was and go through that until his tape. Sometimes, Hannah even pinpoints a random incident that happened long ago. I get that every small action has a consequence and impacts others but I’m not sure I agree with all of Hannah’s tapes. She complains that Clay should have stayed though she clearly told him not to.
I agree that it is a good book with a message but it shouldn’t have been made into this cultural phenomenon which starts discussions and covers all teenager issues etc.
The book is an interesting fairy tale, children’s book. As I read the Kannada version, the review is in Kannada . I’m glad I read it in Kannada ( my mother tongue) as it took me back to my childhood.
We never know what choices will lead to defining moments in our lives. A glance to the left instead of right could define who we meet and who passes us by. Our life path can be determined by a single phone call we make, or neglect to make.
Itโs been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.
In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Neal Shustermanโs Arc of a Scythe trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.
It has been three years since Rowan and Citra were last seen, three years since the Thunderhead marked all of humankind as unsavoury except Greyson Tolliver. He is the only one who can communicate with the Thunderhead so he becomes a guide to everyone. Meanwhile, Scythe Goddard is stronger than ever. Thunderhead and Greyson must work together to keep the world safe from Goddard without interfering in Scythedom. Faraday is on an abandoned island and thinks everyone he cared for is now dead. What happens next? Read!
Greyson’s character arc is interesting. I was bored reading about his daily life since only he can communicate in the beginning but the ending was worth it. The abondened island storyline was also pretty boring in the beginning. Rowan and Citra was the only interesting part but that comes later. The “dairy entries” or inner thoughts also became repetitive.
So, if you’re asking me if it’s possible for you to make errors in judgement, the answer is yes. You make errors all the time… as does every other human being who has ever lived. Error is an intrinsic part of the human condition – and it is something I deeply love about humankind.
I was almost going to stop reading the book and I’m glad I didn’t. This book has a very slow and confusing beginning. There are multiple storylines with a slightly different time period that come together in the end. Citra remains my favorite character throughout. I wish the author had explored more of Rowan.
All in all, a great ending to a great story though I wish some parts of book 2 and 3 could’ve been cut and this could’ve been a duology.
๐๐๐.8
All resonates. The past, the present, and the future. The tales we hear as childrenโthe stories we then pass onโhave happened, are happening, or will happen soon enough. If not, then the stories would not exist. They resonate in our hearts because they are true. Even the ones that begin as lies.
Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythesโnot only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero nowโโScythe Luciferโโa vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.
Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the โnew orderโ scythes. Realizing she cannot do this aloneโor even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being โdeadishโ so she can communicate with the Thunderheadโthe only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?
Review:
The book starts right where the previous book ended. (Spoilers for book 1 ahead! )
The pain of my awareness is unbearable. Because my eyes do not close. Ever. And so all I can do is watch unblinkingly as my beloved humankind slowly weaves the rope it will use to hang itself.
Over these many years, I have observed both profound folly and breathtaking wisdom among humankind. They balance each other like dancers in the throes of a passionate tango. It is only when the brutality of the dance overwhelms the beauty that the future is threatened. It is the Scythedom that leads and sets the tone for the dance. I often wonder if the Scythedom realised how fragile are the spines of the other dancers.
This book provides insight into the Thunderhead itself, the AI that overlooks everything. It was extremely fascinating in the beginning and became boring after a while. The way it looks at humanity and how it separates itself from Scythedom is interesting. The best part was that even though it is an all knowing AI, it was created by humans and they knew that some things need to be done by human beings.
To deny humanity the lesson of consequences would be a mistake. And I do not make mistakes.
The introduction of new characters were all good. I’m curious about where Rowan is headed as a character. Citra remains my favorite. The dynamics between the scythes perfectly represents the working of politics and power structures.
The first half of the book was amazing while the second half felt dragged and left me disappointed and dissatisfied because of my own expectations. The ending was unexpected, unpredictable and in one word, epic. That ending was worth reading the second book. It ends on a huggee cliff hanger!
What can go wrong in a world where everything is perfect?
Thou shalt kill.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end lifeโand they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scytheโa role that neither wants. These teens must master the โartโ of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
Review:
If youโve ever studied mortal age cartoons, youโll remember this one. A coyote was always plotting the demise of a smirking long-necked bird. The coyote never succeeded; instead, his plans always backfired. He would blow up, or get shot, or splat from a ridiculous height.
And it was funny.
Because no matter how deadly his failure, he was always back in the next scene, as if there were a revival center just beyond the edge of the animation cell.
Iโve seen human foibles that have resulted in temporary maiming or momentary loss of life. People stumble into manholes, are hit by falling objects, trip into the paths of speeding vehicles.
And when it happens, people laugh, because no matter how gruesome the event, that person, just like the coyote, will be back in a day or two, as good as new, and no worseโor wiserโfor the wear.
This is one of the best dystopian series. It explores what immortality and perfection would mean to human beings and the world as we know. I really don’t want to give away any spoilers.
If you think about what a perfect world would mean for humans, we definitely think about a world with no war or conflicts, no hunger, no problems at all. But what about the problems in a perfect world? How would a human being spend infinite amount of time on earth without any problems?
The book also explores religion and how beliefs are important and what a robot ruling over us would mean. The first book in the series starts off by introducing us to the world and the scythes. It talks about necessity of death and the randomness of death.
Citra, Rowan and Scythe Faraday are well developed characters. I wonder what would happen if Citra was in Rowan’s place in the second half of the book and vice versa. The plot twist involving Faraday was unnecessary but I see that it is important for the coming books. The dairies of scythes were so so good and provided all the info dump without seeming too much.
Now that I’m writing the review, it is becoming increasingly difficult not to giveaway anything crucial. All I can say is the story, especially the world building, is totally worth your time.
If you have liked the Hunger Games, you will definitely like this. I can see why people call it the successor to the Hunger Games.
Aaaaaaaa…..Get excited because Midnight Sun is finally here!
Okay, I don’t want to encourage the toxicity of Bella and Edward but Twilight is iconic and when a book is released from Edward ‘a POV we gotta read it.
Blurb: (do we need a blurb?? Spoilers ahead! )
When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella’s side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward’s version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.
This unforgettable tale as told through Edward’s eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward’s past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?
Review: (or rant, I don’t know)
I’m so so glad we got this book. (If you’ve read the pdf on her website, the chapters are mostly unedited.) Stephenie Meyer really tries to bring out the personality of Bella. This time we actually see Bella answering all the questions Edward asks from her favorite colour to music to her life and home. He notices all the little things she does that is mostly left out in Bella’s POV.
Even though the story is exactly the same, Edward has so much more to offer. We get to see new stories of his long life. We see the time Alice and Edward met, we see Edwards first Christmas as a vampire and more. I can’t believe Edward thinks so little of Rose (except the time when they bonded when Rose brings home Emmet to be saved). He keeps telling how she is so shallow. Like come on!!?? He can read minds for God’s sake.
Coming to the stalking part, Edward is aware that he is not better than a peeping Tom. He knows he is doing something wrong. He expects to be screamed at by Bella when he tells her about watching her sleep. I do blame Bella for not finding it wrong, I guess. In his own words, ” Like a stalker. An obsessive stalker. An obsessive vampire stalker.”
OMFG Edward doesn’t shut up. He goes on and on and on about how he is a demon destroying angel Bella’s life. For a person who’s going to live forever, Edward hates himself so much. He considers himself better than all the mortal human beings but still considers himself a monster. He really just doesn’t shut up like Bella’s POV is 501 pages and this is 662 pages. It gets really annoying when he keeps trying to decide what is best for Bella without ever considering what she thinks is best for her.
Whenever Jacob makes an appearance, Edward talks about how pure his mind is and how easy it is to be in his mind. How did that pure Jacob turn into a manipulative asshole in the third book, Eclipse. He literally threatens to kill himself so he can get Bella to kiss him. How did that happen??
Midnight Sun also explains how Jasper uses his power to not bring attention to Bella in the baseball scene. So James and the others don’t immediately recognize Bella as human. That actually explains a lot. I loved reading the car chase when Bella was in the dance studio. I loved the look we got into Alice’s mind through Edward. She is my queen. Can we get a book about her already! I’m impressed that Stephenie Meyer was able to write the same book from another perspective and still keep readers on the edge of their seat whole reading this humongous book.
Overall, I like reading Twilight though I hate some parts of it. I badly want all of the books in Edward’s POV. Make it happen Stephenie Meyer, please…
2020 has been stressful to everyone. I honestly think it is a cursed year.
To escape this reality, I have turned to books with harsher worlds and bigger fights. Dystopian ks one of my favorite genres. According to Wikipedia, dystopia means “an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.”
Here are some of the best dystopian novels I have read.
WINNING MEANS FAME AND FORTUNE. LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH. THE HUNGER GAMES HAVE BEGUN. . . .
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and once girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead beforeโand survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.
2. The Giver
This is my all time favourite dystopian book ever. It is a short book and leaves you with a lot to think about. The world building is so good. I finished the book in one go. I also made many of my friends read it and everyone loved it. I’m sure you will love it too.
Blurb: Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind this fragile community.
3. Arc of a Scythe series
I’m currently reading this and loving it so much. I have finished book 1 and can’t wait to read the next one. The series has three parts : Scythe, Thunderhead and The Toll. Expect all reviews soon.
Blurb of Scythe:
Thou shalt kill.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end lifeโand they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scytheโa role that neither wants. These teens must master the โartโ of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
4. 1984
The book 1984 is true dystopian classic. It is a must read for everyone. Review of the book coming soon.
Blurb: Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell’s nightmarish vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff’s attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell’s prescience of modern lifeโthe ubiquity of television, the distortion of the languageโand his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written.
5. Divergent series
Unfortunately, I haven’t read the books yet. There are 3 books: Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant. I have watched the films before books (this happens rarely) and loved them. The books are on my tbr. I’m going to read them sooonnnnn.
Blurb of Divergent:
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtueโCandor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really isโshe can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really areโand where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
I’d also like to add The Handmaid’s Tales to the list even though I haven’t watched or read it yet.
Let me know if you read any of these. I’d love to hear how you felt about it.
Even though I dont like the characterization of Ram in the books, it’s impossible to cover Indian mythology without Ramayana! I’m waiting for the next books in the series. The three books all end on cliff hangers. Definitely recommended!
Ram Rajya. The Perfect Land. But perfection has a price. He paid that price.
3400 BCE. INDIA Ayodhya is weakened by divisions. A terrible war has taken its toll. The damage runs deep. The demon King of Lanka, Raavan, does not impose his rule on the defeated. He, instead, imposes his trade. Money is sucked out of the empire. The Sapt Sindhu people descend into poverty, despondency and corruption. They cry for a leader to lead them out of the morass. Little do they appreciate that the leader is among them. One whom they know. A tortured and ostracised prince. A prince they tried to break. A prince called Ram.
He loves his country, even when his countrymen torment him. He stands alone for the law. His band of brothers, his Sita, and he, against the darkness of chaos.
Will Ram rise above the taint that others heap on him? Will his love for Sita sustain him through his struggle? Will he defeat the demon Lord Raavan who destroyed his childhood? Will he fulfil the destiny of the Vishnu?
Begin an epic journey with Amishโs latest: the Ram Chandra Series.
ver a hundred years after the Mahabharata War, an ancient power threatens to destroy the new Age of Men, by establishing the Age of Terror of the asuras, long believed to be extinct. the only hurdle in its path is Guru Dronacharyaโs son, the mighty but accursed warrior Ashwatthama, who lost all his powers following Lord Krishnaโs curse and who unwittingly finds himself drawn into the quest of the lost bow of Lord Rama, the Kodanda. As ghosts of the distant past return to haunt him and the line between friends and enemies blurs, Ashwatthama must fight his inner demons to emerge victorious. He undertakes a perilous journeyโacross the vast plains of the Ganges, to the snow-capped peaks of the Himavant where the price of failure is a fate worse than death and death is a privilege not granted to Ashwatthama. Is this all part of Lord Krishnaโs great plan? Will Ashwatthama be able to regain his lost glory?
Mahabharata is a story that never ceases to amaze me. The must read books of Ramayana and Mahabharata are the books by Chitra Divakaruni. Trust me, you’ll love the fresh female perspective of Draupadi. She truly is a feirce warrior. (Btw my name Krishne means Draupadi )
Who wouldn’t love Ramayana from the perspective of Sita? It is a tale of love, life, suffering, longing, hoping but most importantly it is a tale of endurance.
My favorite childhood stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata are now hot topics for fantasy – mythology novels and I’m loving it.
I’m going to list my favorites of Indian mythology.
1. Shiva trilogy
It is impossible to talk about Indian mythology novels without mentioning the Shiva trilogy and Amish Tripathi. His novels revolutionized the genre and got the youth interested in Purana again.
1900 BC. In what modern Indians mistakenly call the Indus Valley Civilisation. The inhabitants of that period called it the land of Meluha a near perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived. This once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati, is slowly drying to extinction. They also face devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis. To make matters worse, the Chandravanshis appear to have allied with the Nagas, an ostracised and sinister race of deformed humans with astonishing martial skills!
The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend: When evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will emerge.
Is the rough-hewn Tibetan immigrant Shiva, really that hero? And does he want to be that hero at all? Drawn suddenly to his destiny, by duty as well as by love, will Shiva lead the Suryavanshi vengeance and destroy evil?
2. Kalki series
Kevin Missal is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of his books.
Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an upsurge in unrighteousness, at that time, I take birth again. – LORD GOVIND. Born in the quiet village of Shambala, Kalki Hari, son of Vishnuyath and Sumati, has no idea about his heritage until he is pitted against tragedies and battles. Whisked into the province of Keekatpur, which is under the fist of Lord Kali, Kalki sees the ignominy of death trumping life all around him. He learns that he has been born to cleanse the world he lives in, for which he must journey to the North and learn the ways of Lord Vishnuโs Avatar; from an immortal who wields an axe. But trapped in the midst of betrayals, political intrigue and forces that seek to decimate him, will he be able to follow his destiny before the Kaliyug begins?
3. Code of Manavas
Code of Manavas by Arpit Bakshi is more science fiction than mythology but it is a book worth reading.
Book one of the Maha Vishnu Trilogy, The Code of Manavas, is set some two million years past ad 2050, when earth as we know it ceased to exist, and so did mankind. A new race, the Manavas, now exists on Bhoomi, the erstwhile Earth, which is divided into two citiesโMadhavpur and Ayudhpur. In the quiet and peaceful city of Madhavpur, a reclusive Krishna is busy with an immense task. He has to prepare a new abode for the Manavas before an impending apocalypse destroys them. He knows something that nobody else doesโthe Manavas are running out of time faster than they can imagine, and there are no inhabitable planets to escape to. To make matters worse, there is someone in Madhavpur who wants to destroy Krishna and subjugate each Manava. The Manavas, it seems, are doomed. Yet Krishna knows there is a slim chance of survival for the Manavas, although there is a huge price to be paid for it. Will the various factions of the Manavas unite for the greater good? Will Krishna, who saved them during the turn of the last Yuga, be able to save them now? What will be the price to pay? Enter the mythical world of Maha Vishnu and get swept up in a fast-paced suspenseful narrative.
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