Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

It’s about the power of our unconscious mind. Gladwell asserts that our subconscious processes information much faster than our conscious mind and that often a “snap judgment” by a competent person is worth far more than tomes of analysis. He presents a lot of examples and makes an interesting case. He then goes on to show the various aspects of our unconscious mind and how people are more or less unaware of their prejudices and preferences.

I really liked being told about Harvard’s Implicit Association Tests (IAT) which allowed me to try and get a grip on some of my own hidden prejudices. It’s things like this that made the book worthwhile for me.

At the same time, I found the emphasis on snap judgments to be a little over the top. My experience is that people are far more likely to judge wrongly about something based on their prejudices. To be sure, Gladwell addresses this issue in the book as well. He says that for a “blink” to be useful, it has to be made by a trained person in situations where their prejudices don’t get a chance to come into play.

There is indeed something to be learned from this – as long as you don’t subscribe to the “magical unconscious” bit too seriously. But it’s tough for me to see how any of this can be applied in real life by regular people like us when even experts can go wrong – as an example in the end demonstrated where top conductors systematically pre judged women performers by simply assuming they couldn’t play as well as men.

It requires a great deal of self understanding to know when you’re prejudiced, to accept it, and to take steps to ensure that you’re not exposed to them. But if those conditions can be replicated, then there is certainly scope for taking one’s first impressions seriously in the “blink” of an eye.

The book had far too many detailed examples for my taste – I like the author to get to the point fast. And I can see why it’s a hit in MBA schools since it talked a lot of about marketing, market research, and consumer preferences. Perhaps it was designed with that end in view.

Book Review Mistborn Trilogy

Let’s start with the negatives. I felt the second book in the trilogy was pretty redundant. Nothing much happens and only the last hundred pages or so seem to have any direct relation to the plot. Too much time spent bickering and politicking. I also began to get quite irritated with some of the main characters, namely Vin and Elend. The first book was great – simply spectacular. In that one, Kelsier absolutely steals the show. His personality and his motivations make everything else fade in to the background. And Vin was cool too. As for Elend, well he was nice enough chap in a geeky sort of way. You could always make out from the start that he and Vin were going to end up together, so it wasn’t a surprise.

In the second book though both Vin and Elend begin to get damn irritating. Too much teenage angst. A lot of time spent uselessly ruminating, thinking, second-guessing etc. Zane was a great addition though. Elend however just didn’t fit in to the image of a king. I personally don’t think there’s any way that such a withdrawn, shy and geeky person can suddenly take on the attributes of a monarch. I doubt if it works that way. Sazed was one of the book’s more interesting characters.

Even Sazed however began to lose it in the third book. There are quite literally pages and pages of his own doubts and internal thoughts. This is particularly frustrating because we come to love him as a caring, nice, and solid kind of guy. Though the end of the book demonstrates why so much emphasis was placed on Sazed, it really does become very monotonous.

A few really cool characters like Breeze and Allriane provide a lot of variety for the book. And the Inquisitors make for an absolutely chilling picture. The Lord Ruler is one  of the most ambiguous characters in the book. It’s pretty clear that he’s the villain at the beginning, but as the series progresses, we begin to understand his motivations and reasons for what he does – even if he’s driven somewhat insane by forces he can’t fight and therefore perverts everything that he does.

The magic system however is what makes the Mistborn trilogy really shine. The science and art of Allomancy – the ability to draw power from various metals to do incredible things is really the heart of the books. It provides for some very interesting scenarios and methods of fighting. Moreover, it’s tied in to a truly grand story arc that we understand once we go towards the end. Even the third book suffered from a lot of fluff, but it really began to pick up as it was finishing. The ending is quite poignant. I feel quite sad actually.

While The Mistborn Trilogy isn’t in the same league as The Malazan Book of the Fallen, it’s short length makes it a tempting read since you know you’re not really committing yourself to anything truly long term.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

To start off with, the lead character is a strong woman. Very different from Esther Summerson in “Bleak House” that I just finished a little while ago. Unlike Esther, Jane is not a Mary Sue. She has her faults and openly declares her all too human nature. She’s not beautiful and is keenly aware of the fact. She doesn’t aspire to be the typical asexual Victorian woman who doesn’t care about her looks. She is strong-willed, speaks back sternly when her back is against the wall and freely admits to not having enough of a selfless spirit to work solely for the benefit of others. I think given the time and setting in which the novel takes place, this must have been a pretty radical characterization of the lead woman in a novel – especially by a female author which itself must have been something out of the ordinary.

It’s quite a classy piece of work and there were many unusual words which I had to keep looking up using the inbuilt dictionary of my Nook. Lots of Bible references as well which thankfully were explained by the footnotes found at the back. Charlotte Brontë tends to expand into flowery language for long passages which is perhaps one of the only shortcomings I found.

It is also instructive to see how children were treated in those days and how their guardians could legally ill treat them without any social backlash. Doubtless many children are mistreated even in today’s world, but not openly. Another strong theme of the book, and what would in other circumstances be a flaw in Jane’s character, is her open and unquestioning devotion to God and the “duties” which she’s supposed to follow.

It’s interesting to see that even though Jane is not bound by societal norms, indeed having no relatives and no one whose opinion would affect her in the slightest, she is nonetheless bound by the same social strictures by virtue of the Bible. I guess in today’s world it would be very different with people everywhere publicly questioning the existence of God. But Jane – and by extension I suppose Charlotte Brontë – takes the existence of God as a blind given and the infallibility and accuracy of the Bible as the highest truth. In several situations this prevents up from reaching out and taking the happiness that is offered to her and which has been missing in her life so far. At one stage, she totters on the brink of throwing her life away as an ill-suited missionary in India because she is persuaded to believe that it is her “duty to God”.

Thankfully, things work out well in a completely believable way without the author having to resort to absurd coincidences like those found in Charles Dickens’ novels. Brontë ties up the story nicely in quite a touching manner. Unlike the dashing hero Mr. Darcy found in Pride and Prejudice, Jane’s lover Mr. Rochester is not a handsome man and is almost ugly. It is little things like this that in my opinion raise the novel about the regular run-of-the-mill romance. There is a good deal of depth of character in the main actors.

Anyway! Enough about serious books. There’s a beautiful fantasy series which I’ve been itching to pick up for quite a while now called the Mistborn Trilogy and I’m going to gorge myself on that for a while :D

Book Review - The Stand by Stephen King

With the overwhelming majority of the world’s population gone, Stephen King provides a fascinating insight into how we can expect things to move from there. Lawlessness, the end of civilization, people dealing with the deaths of their loved ones and the general dazed condition in which they walk around. It also showcases how the government might well try and suppress the scope of the fatalities both to stop panic as well as to cover up its own shortcomings. Of course, this would be impossible in today’s world of the Internet where information cannot be stopped from spreading.

The later half of the novel deals with how the survivors are split into two camps. One led by an evil supernatural being and the other by God’s chosen representative on earth– a 108 year old woman called Mother Abigail. But the best parts of the book for me were the psychological motivations of some of the characters when they decide which side to go to. As befits a Stephen King book, it’s appropriately creepy specially with everyone dreaming about “the dark man” who haunts them. The evil guy is called Randall Flagg who is the manifestation of the devil. He controls the wolves, the snakes and the crows.

I’m unable to fully explain why exactly this guy creeps me out. Perhaps it’s just the description of how everyone around him is completely terrified when in his presence. They don’t even want to talk about him directly. A few additional scary plot elements involved him wanting to impregnate a 37-year-old virgin who will carry his child.

It’s a very easy book to read – unlike the previous one I reviewed. I’ve read pretty much continuously over the past few days and my favorable impression of Stephen King remains well ensconced within me :-)

Bleak House By Charles Dickens

The Good

First and foremost, this book is an incisive commentary on the legal system in general. It is of particular relevance to India as it is today because I found many similarities between the two. It illustrates how a person’s entire life can be consumed and wasted away in a lawsuit which will ultimately end up sucking dry all the parties concerned. The best way to deal with it is to distance yourself from it as much as possible and not get too involved. One of the most promising, energetic, cheerful and good-natured individuals in the book is slowly corrupted and perverted and stripped of all his good qualities by an interminable lawsuit that drags on and on forever.

And of course there is that which makes Charles Dickens such a great writer. His auxiliary characters are simply amazing. So colorful – each one illustrating a specific personality trait that defines them. From the boisterous people who boast about their charity and do little else, to the pompous fat man whose sole purpose in life is to posture and inflate his ego. All of us have met such people at sometime or the other and it’s amazing to see Dickens portray them so accurately.

The Bad

Unfortunately, this book has a lot of negatives which is one of the reasons why I took so long to finish it. The most conspicuous flaw is the bland nature of its principal characters. They are simply too one-sided. The principal narrator, a woman called Esther Summerson is what is called in literary criticisms as a “Mary Sue”. She’s too perfect, too self-effacing, too ridiculously well mannered, charming, kind and humble. It’s quite sickening actually. I have very rarely seen such a one-sided character as Esther in any book. She gets tiresome really fast.

And she’s not the only one. The overwhelming majority of the main characters are like this. Only a few display a more varied countenance like Sir Leicester Dedlock, Mr. Harold Skimpole and Mrs. Flite. The rest of them are simply too good to be true.

There are many threads to the story, and consequently the pace can be a little slow at times. I’ve read enough of Dickens to recognize that his primary way of resolving plots is to somehow link up people  in the story so that everyone is related in some way or the other. In this, he relies far too much on coincidence to further along the story. Maybe because I’ve seen it happen so many times in his books.

I’m glad I finally finished this. I came perilously close to casting it away and starting on something more interesting and engaging. But there’s enough good in it for me to be glad that I read it anyway.

100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

For me however, the take away from this awesome read was very different. The novel starts with the founding of a town called “Macondo” built largely by the energetic, enterprising and highly intelligent Jose Arcadio Buendia in a forgotten swampland. In the beginning, we think he’s something of a madman and a wastrel. It becomes increasingly clear however that Jose Arcadio Buendia is a rare genius. One who gives himself selflessly to the building of the village. His wife Ursula is a perfect match for him as she deftly manages a household brimming with people, relatives and does so with aplomb. Her integrity and strength of character is apparent throughout the novel.

But nothing can stop the ravages of time. Not even Ursula. Jose Arcadio Buendia goes insane and his like will never be seen in the village again. Several of his descendents seem to have something of his qualities, but none of them quite match up. Ursula herself fights a heroic battle against age and the changing times. In fact, the history of the Buendia family is the history of the town itself. We see the brutal effects of war, and how in spite of ideological differences both sides of the conflict come to look increasingly the same. We observe the devastating effects of “corporatization” of the village and how it strips the town of its humanity.

With each successive generation, I keep hoping that the glory days of the village would somehow return. That the latest descendent, the latest mother, or the newest arrival would be a worthy successor to the indefatigable Jose Arcadio Buendia and his wife Ursula. But it never happens. Either due to a flaw in the character, or because of some personal tragedy, no one is able to be the pillar of strength and the rallying point for a revival of the doomed town of Macondo.

In the end, there is no one left. No one who has in their memory the bustling, productive and startlingly fresh atmosphere of either the town, or its most prominent family. No one remembers Ursula or indeed Jose Arcadio Buendia himself. The grand house which Ursula herself built room by room with love and care decays, and no one is able to stop it – and no one cares too much either.

Can land possess memories? Does it maintain a record of happier times? We would certainly like to think so, but I suspect it doesn’t. The past is past, and there is no going back. Good times come to an end and no one remembers them. It’s heartbreaking to see the downfall of a town when no one remembers what it used to be like. So much tragedy, so much happiness, so many births, so many loves, so much… personality lost forever.

I realize that this tragedy plays itself out every single day, with every single family. We all remember “golden days” in the past and are filled with nostalgia. It is our cause and our cross to bear. Often however, the future becomes better. But this happy ending was denied to the town of Macondo and it was destroyed in the end by nature itself.

What about that land now? Does it still retain the echoes of laughter, and does it remember the energetic exertions of Jose Arcadio Buendia and the tireless efforts of Ursula, and their children, grandchildren, and great great-grandchildren? The answer unfortunately is “probably not”. For every one word of history written down, thousands upon thousands are lost forever. Everything decays, everything is forgotten. And one day when humanity itself comes to an end… who will remember us?

Malazan Book of the Fallen

After finishing the review of  “The Bonehunters” which was the fifth book of the “Malazan Book of the Fallen” series, I decided to finish the remaining books and write one final review for all of them in the end. I guess it’s just my inherent laziness. But it’s hard to do justice to this series in a mere review. This now takes the top spot in my list of favorite fantasy books. Compared to all the others, the “Malazan Book of the Fallen” is the most profound, grand, and engrossing I have ever read.

The predictions of this series were all true. Never have I read one with more characters. But far from making it confused, Steven Erikson merely adds to its depth. Whether we’re talking about the powerful Karsa Orlong or the enigmatic and tragic Anomander Rake, this book brims memorable people. Most other stories revolve around a single character with several auxiliary players. For many series’, you know where the story is going by the end of the first book. The “Wheel of Time” was like this. We knew Rand was the hero. The same was true of “Runelords” as well. But Steven Erikson doesn’t allow us to get complacent.

In fact it wasn’t until the very last book that I knew where this was going! And in the end all the storylines tie together for the final climax. Erikson refuses to see things in terms of black and white. Villains turn out to not be villains at all. Heroes whom we initially thought would form the center of the story end up taking a backseat. In fact all of this seems to be a part of Erikson’s grand scheme. We all die. In the end we are all… unwitnessed.

If this book could be said to have a “core” at all, it would undoubtedly be the marines of the Malazan empire. They are the spine of the books and without them it is soulless. But Erikson repeatedly demonstrates that he has a contemptuous attitude towards war. No matter how noble the cause, he always draws attention to the fact that war makes no sense. Ever.

If this book had a failing at all, it was manifested towards the end when characters began talking in their heads too much. But even this is something of a strength. Erickson’s philosophy is so powerful and so touching that this might be the only series which I had ever considered rereading! As a rule, I never read anything twice.

Looking back at my history, I see that I started reading this in June. It’s been six months. Six months where I’ve been engrossed in a world not of my own making. A world which I I’m loath to leave. My heart is breaking. I can’t believe I’m leaving the “Malazan Book of the Fallen” behind. Thank you Steven Erikson. Thank you for letting me see your world and allowing me to fall in love. Thank you for introducing me… to the best fantasy series I have ever read.

The Bonehunters - Malazan Book of the Fallen

“The Bonehunters” is the sixth book in the saga. This is usually the time when other such epic stories start to lose their way. It happened with the Sword of Truth books which ended in total disaster and even Jordan’s stories began to meander with nothing much happening. On the other hand, the sixth book of Erikson’s tale seems to have as much plot advancement as the first! There aren’t many slow moments.

I think this is because unlike the series’s, we don’t know what the end game is. In The Wheel of Time, we all know that Rand has to face down the Dark One. In the Sword of Truth, we knew who the final villain was – so everything else seemed a waste of time. Even good book chains like The Runelords had a final antagonist who needs to be dealt with. Not so with the Malazan books – there are too many things going on and though I can slowly begin to see how the key storylines are coming together, I don’t know where it’s headed – and that allows a lot of room for free play.

There’s a depth to this tale which no other series possesses. Perhaps it has something to do with Erikson’s training as a geologist which gives him a perspective of time and humanity’s insignificance above all the others. This isn’t just fiction. It’s like an alternative history.

We begin to see how The Bonehunters meets up with the previous book “Midnight Tides” and there are some epic moments – like when a Malzan fleet confronts the Tiste Edur  - the first contact between the two civilizations. We see the devastating power of the Edur…and the equally intimidating response by Quick Ben and a new character called “Bottle” whose talents seem to match Quick’s.

Then we finally get to understand why Icarium is such a dangerous figure in his wrath. His little tussle with the Toblakai Karsa Orlong was barely indicative of his abilities. Another showdown between Icarium and Karsa seems to be in the works and won’t that be just grand? I’m licking my lips in anticipation…

*Spoiler Begins*

Icarium in his rage almost kills Trull, and decapitates Aptorian – a tragic end for the monster whom I really got attached to…very sad. And Kalam – please show that you’re not dead! That would be awful. Quick Ben might murder Shadowthrone not allowing him to be there when Kalam needed him most. And the Adjunct finally shows something of what she’s feeling.

*Spoiler Ends*

This is truly an action packed book. I’m itching to start on the next. What a ride it’s been!

House of Chains - Malazan Book of the Fallen

“House of Chains” is a continuation from Deadhouse Gates - at least geographically. What I didn’t expect was a huge portion of the book to be dedicated a new (so I thought) character whose story was interesting but I didn’t really see where it fit in. The story of a Teblor named Karsa Orlong whom I just didn’t like, and still kind of don’t. He’s headstrong, vain, arrogant, and ridiculously lucky and strong. Nothing seems to be able to fight him and he even kills off two hounds of darkness! I keep thinking this guy needs taking down a notch or two, but then he gets into a fight with Icarium and brains him! I mean that’s the limit. If he can knock out Icarium, this guy has almost become a god in his own right. Very irritating.

I’m almost afraid of him meeting Anomander Rake…

But even though he seems a separate story on his own, he suddenly joins up with the main book in a startling revelation that is most satisfying. And in any case I was warned about this series so I didn’t go in expecting everything to be easy to understand.

This book sees the clash between Shaik (Felisin) and Tavore. After the horrible betrayal and death of Coltaine, there are a few comeuppances and blood needs to be answered in like manner. I also feel that Erikson modeled the Malazan empire on Rome. The discipline, the fighting style, and the civilizing influence it has on other barbaric cities. I mean we start out thinking the entire Malazan empire is evil. But they’re not and even Karso Orlong recognizes this. They’re conquerors yes, but they’re better than many others of their kind. One of the best in fact.

And that’s what this book is. Though the characters are very strongly fleshed out, the story is more important than any of them. It’s like reading a history book and you know that the grand scheme is bigger than any one person. I’ve never quite read a series like Malazan Book of the Fallen before and I’m really looking forward to the next one in line!