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!

Memories of Ice - Malazan Book of the Fallen

The previous book “Deadhouse Gates” focused on just one half of the story so far, and “Memories of Ice” now tells us the remainder of the story as they happen simultaneously. If the previous book had the dramatic and heartbreaking demise of Coltaine, this one has an equally poignant moment. It’s almost too sad for words and quite shocking because I never thought that such a central character would ever be killed off. It seems this series shares the tendency of another one called “A Song of Ice and Fire” which also brutally finished off lead characters. But I prefer the way it’s done here. It’s more sensitive. Less meaningless and less disheartening.

Steven Erikson has written a book which gives me everything I absolutely love about epic fantasy. It’s certainly not cliched. In the appallingly bad “Sword of Truth” series for example, the lead character keeps losing a magic sword which was gifted to him. In “Memories of Ice,” an immensely powerful immortal ascendant also wields a sword called Dragnipur. But when the presence of Dragnipur couldn’t be detected. A character in the book contemplates the possibility of it being lost:

“If we were living in one of those bad fables with some dimwitted farmboy stumbling on a magical sword, well, then losing the weapon might be possible. But…Anomander Rake? Son of Darkness? Lord of Moon’s spawn?”

Brilliant!

There are some really well crafted characters in the “Malazan Book of the Fallen” series and that’s what holds my attention. Even the story itself is…epic. There’s no other word for it. It spans centuries, millenia even. The sense of sheer ancientness can be overwhelming. The “plot” weaves on without letting us get even a hint of where it’s going next in the larger scheme of things. The “main villain” of the series is shadowy and I’m not yet sure what role he’ll play later on.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am grateful to Steven Erikson for giving me such a wonderful tale and such tremendous characters to feed my imagination with.

Deadhouse Gates - Malazan Book of the Fallen

Quite a few new and interesting characters are introduced and once again, we get the feeling of the enormity of the Malazan universe. One guy who belongs to a species called the Jhag is hundreds of thousands of years old and in one scene, the characters stand on a scaled map of the world – of a sort – which stretches away beyond what the eye can see! For the first time, a fantasy world pays tribute to how old things can get and how vast places can be. In the Vampire Chronicles for example, the action starts not more than 6,000 years ago. In the Wheel of Time series, “old” means a few thousand years. Not hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. And I like that. I like it a lot. It puts things in perspective. Show us how small we are and teaches us some humility. Just like it is in the real world.

*Spoiler Alert*

For me, the central event in the story by far is the heartbreaking march of an army escorting 50,000 refugees. They give their lives to protect them and then…what finally happens is too tragic for words. They sacrifice themselves in a last ditch effort to save them and end up being slaughtered just outside the gates of where the refugees have finally run to safety. Thanks to the cowardice of the man in charge, no army comes to help them though they could have well done so.

There will be a price to pay for this. I can feel it coming in the later books. No one can get away with something like that.

*End of Spoiler*

There are three or four other storylines, all of which are gripping as well. An assassin goes on his way, an engineer of an army leads an unusual group comprising of a once god possessed girl and a thief right into the heart of the harsh Raraku desert and a curious personage called Icarium is introduced – someone who doesn’t know his own strength and has the power to destroy worlds.

The next book in the series is “Memories of Ice” and it’s going to be great fun reading!

Gardens of the Moon - Malazan Book of the Fallen

I went into it with the understanding that the story might not make sense at first and this helped greatly. We’re thrown right into the middle of the action and we’re forced to figure out what happened based on snippets given here and there. But this happens automatically and isn’t an obstacle. It’s a fantasy series all the way so we have different “human like” species, strange magics, and a strange structure within which magic takes place called a “Warren.”

But to me, the best thing about the book is the characters. I like stories which have a good plot and great portraits of individuals. Since it seems that the same guys are going to keep coming back in future novels, I look forward to meeting them and new people in the process. One of my favorites is a chap called “Kruppe” who has a unique way of humorously addressing himself in the third person, but posses an extremely sharp mind as well – something he doesn’t show to anyone.

The rest of the cast includes assassins, gods, demi gods, sorcerers and sorceresses. I also like the timescale on which things occur. While the “Wheel of Time” at the most held a history of a few thousand years, the world in “Malazan Book of the Fallen” extends to possibly millions of years and before. Much more logical according to me – and interesting as well!

I find it curious in the book though that the gods are not supreme. There are older and more powerful creatures than even the gods.  There’s also a sense of history since we have new gods and old ones. I suspect more about this will be revealed in later books.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the books and nice long evening curled up with them :) How nice it feels to know you have some great stories to sink into whenever you wish!

The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson

But surprisingly, far from making us happier, it seems to have unforeseen consequences. An example is “mite warfare” where various criminal elements unleash millions of tiny mites into the air in an attempt to achieve some goal or the other. These efforts are countered by law enforcement’s own mites. Cities have a complex security apparatus to prevent nanotechnological invasion.

This technology has impacted everything else – from the clothes we wear which are untearable and uncuttable, to building materials which are stronger than anything we currently have and are yet lighter than air itself. But it’s not just the field of nanotechnolgy which Stephenson explores. Other advances in finance made it possible for a parallel economy to grow where private individuals could receive and transfer wealth without any supervision. This essentially cut governments of the loop depriving them of tax revenue which led to the collapse of the “nation state” concept as we know it. The result is a strangely anarchic environment where laws change from area to area and there’s hardly any notion of “country.” It’s pretty dystopian.

The plot of the book is interesting, but takes a back seat to the exploration of the various themes. At one time, I really grew to like a little girl called Nell who’s educated by a book called “The Primer” – but later on, she became quite unlovable with very little character development. But as I said, the interesting ideas which the book provides makes up for the relative lack of plot. The ending of the book is pretty chaotic and doesn’t make too much sense to me either.

One example of the disconnect between the reader and the characters in the story is a scene where Nell gets raped by a disorganized gang of thugs. Rape is a pretty traumatic event and in a book where I actually cared about the characters, it would be pretty distressing to read about it. And while I felt very sorry for what had happened to her, I was surprised by how quickly I got over it. The story itself glosses entirely over the effects of rape on Nell’s psychology and she doesn’t seem to give it a second thought which I think is pretty unrealistic.

So would I read it again if I had a choice? I dont’ think so. Now that I have read it, I’ve certainly got something out of it. But I could have spent the same amount of time reading something else which would have been more interesting. And while I can see why the book won so many prizes, it’s not quite my cup of tea.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

I was reading “The Diamond Age” before this, which I will now proceed to finish. I saw this book at a friend’s house and casually picked it up. I decided to get my own copy and before I knew it, I had put the other book aside. The title pretty much tells it all. It is indeed a “short history of nearly everything.” It attempts to give an overview of today’s state of science in the most important fields. It’s written for the layperson but even someone like me with a lifelong interest in Physics, Biology, Astronomy and Chemistry found a lot of things I didn’t know and which blew my mind away.

The highlight is that it’s written from the perspective of a novice. So instead of just giving for example the layout of the solar system, it puts it in perspective. Many of us think of our planets as circling around the sun one after the other – all neatly represented on a single page of a physics textbook. What even I didn’t know was the scale. For example, if the sun is the size of a pea or so, then Pluto – the farthest planet – is almost 100 kms away! And that’s just the start.

And this is one of the selling points of this book. It explains large numbers and compares things in terms we can understand. Another example depicts for how short a time we humans have been on earth. Stretch your arms as wide as they can go and that that is the lifespan of the Earth. What timescale does humanity represent? Take a nail file on a nail clipper and file it once over the edge of the nail of your middle finger. The amount of material which comes off is equivalent to all of human existence!

Here’s another example of a quote from the book:

Atoms are also fantastically durable. Because they are so long lived, atoms really get around. Every atom you possess has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to becoming you. We are each so atomically numerous and so vigorously recycled at death that a significant number of our atoms – up to 200 billion for each us, it has been suggested – probably once belonged to Shakespeare.

Instead of giving bare and dry facts, it presents the sum of what we know all too briefly in an engaging manner the way a child would see it. No question is too stupid since it’s actually the stupid questions which hold the most value. Want to get a kid interested in science? This book will get them engaged and hooked, though as a former child, I know that forcing one to read something is sufficient reason to put them off it forever.

If you’re an adult and have never thought of scientific matters before, it’s not too late! I guarantee that any intelligent human cannot fail to be moved. Our world and universe is a wonderful, astounding, and terrifying place. After reading this, you’ll probably wonder at our zombie like existence day in and day out – unaware of the reality we live in. You’ll wonder why we don’t just keep screaming “Oh my God, oh my God!”

The high this book generates is too intense for it to last for long. But take it from me – you’ll never view anything in the same way ever again. If music could express how one feels, this music sums it up: