The Whiz’s Crucible

Visiting Harry Potter after exactly a year (+4days:)) I thought I would write this post in a symmetrical manner to the one about getting the Half-Prince one.

Once again got it first day first show – this time around 7:30 am. And this time there was an actual queue I had to stand in unlike two years ago:)

1. Will again start of the cover. The only cover available in India is the children version:( Since I had no option I had to go ahead with it. Not yet checked the alternate covers.Will hop over to Amazon and other sites to check them out after writing this post.

My cover

Really loved the insleeve with the Stag Patronus. Funnily in India we got the UK versions(£17.99 was the price shown)

Here’s the adult version – sexy cover.

2. Once again not a very long tome. 607 pages to be exact.

3. Once again the story is flowing pretty well. Managed to finish it in one sitting. With the obvious comfort breaks I finished it in a little under 8 hours. I will reserve judgment on where it stands with respect to the other books in the series.

4. Once again I do not like the price point. INR975/- at Crossword was too steep even with the INR200/- gift coupons. Just invites the pirates according to me. But then again maybe it’s just me:) [Caveat - some shops were selling for less. However I had already pre-booked]

All in all a very enjoyable day. I was very happy I picked it up and read it before the stupid news media spoilt the ending for everyone. Too tired to write the review though. Hope to be able to do that by tomorrow.
Njoy:)

Got a lot of comments for my log on Dune. Thanks mates. HyperPat was especially helpful in his comments. Will be looking out for more advice from him wrt sci-fi and reading in general. Pat, will be a regular visitor of your site for sure. NULL also has an interesting site.

One obvious reference I missed was “To tame a land” – thanks to Dr. J for pointing that out. Miss hearing albums with you pal!

And finally my lazy friend Venks wants to see the movie rather than read the book. For him, here follows my review:

Dune, The Movie:

My one liner review: Watch Dumb and Dumber instead!!!

After a long long time I saw a movie I absolutely hated! The difference between the richness in the book and the stupidities in the movie were too many to ignore. Now don’t get me wrong. I am a movie buff and not a movie critic. I end up loving almost every movie I watch. I normally try to keep an open mind and try to keep a context of when a movie was made to judge the moviemakers efforts. For eg. Tron is a movie which is quite campy in today’s context but in the time it came out one can understand why it would have been cool. Movies based on ooks, one does not expect much from them, still you do like them. Hell! I even liked Hellboy-The Movie!!

So after all the background let me tell you categorically – Dune was thrash. Tremors is a much better movie, at least its honest about its B-gradeness.

Frank Herbert has written a great book, God alone knows why he supported this movie and not Iron Maiden’s song:)

So Venks watch Kal Ho Na Ho rather than watching Dune.

My pal Sujith had adviced me to read this book quite a number of years ago. For one reason or another I was not able to do it (one of the reasons could be that I did pick up one of the subsequent books but found it very boring and confusing, most probably cause I was trying to read it without any context)

The book is fascinating! I could not find any single idea which was revolutionary or shocking (to be fair, it is an old book and i might just be jaded with al the sci-fi we get today) but the way it was put together was really beautiful. It’s sci-fi part of the book is in fact quite interesting – especially in the idea of the whole galaxy depending upon a dry, almost inhabitable planet. his central idea iself makes this book really really good. However this alone would not make his book great.

What makes this book great is the analogies with older stories and histories. Most iconic sci-fi books are iconic because of the way they weave in the myths and histories of human life into fantastic departures from the real world. This makes them topical given any time context. Well in this case that this book is truly iconic!!!

There was not one chapter i read which did not remind me of something else. The two main things it reminded me of was:
one) The story of Lawrence of Arabia. Unmissable in the latter parts. However this was the more tivial of analogies

two) the way the protaganist’s story feels very close to Prophet Mohammed’s story is the real kicker. Unluckly I have ot read the koran or the story of Prophet Mohammed’s life. So the analogy to the beginnings of Islam is just what I know from pop history but it is an uncanny feeling one has while reading the book. And it’s great how that messanic tale has been given a new outlook here.

There were other connections I saw but these where after Dune was published. For example in Robert Jordan’s Wheel Of The World series you have the similar organisations like the Bene Gesserits. Then there is Tatooine – like Dune a desert planet.

Hopping over to the Wikipedia site for Dune I see even more connections which did not click earlier. Primary among them the allusions to the East India Company and foretelling, in a way, a powerful organisation like OPEC. And I completely missed the Aiel reference which can be found in the page “Dune in popular culture“.

Well seems I have come to the end of my page with nary a critical view of the novel. Guess you will have to live with that:D

But before going I will quote these lines which I read here:
“Frank Herbert’s 1963 Dune is to science fiction what The Lord of The Rings is to fantasy: the most popular, most influential and most critically-acclaimed novel in the genre. Herbert’s novel was a revelation: before Dune, even the most well-written science fiction had been mostly “wonderful gadget” stories, or political commentary expressed through exaggeration. It had never occurred to anyone that science fiction could offer the literary depth of Dostoevsky, the intricate “wheels within wheels” intrigues of Shakespeare or so deeply fulfill the heroic epic form behind Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Le Morte D’Arthur, The Mahabharata, and Beowulf.”
That sums it all – the ability to use science fiction to create myth!
Thanks Sujith!

Update: The title seems to have come out all wrong .
Yup, Have landed up in UK for some work and have had to come alone, as the missus cannot get any leave right now. Yah, yeah, smirk away thinking how lucky I am. Let me tell you the novelty of staying on your own becomes old real fast(or two weeks o be more exact:) ) However thanks to the net I can still communicate a lot and that’s real cool.
Have spent my time here working. And when I am not working I am reading a lot (beautiful libraries the British have, the one I freqent is the Ipswich County Library) The other thing I am enjoying doing is watching movies. Caught some real gems on DVD. I most probably will add more posts on the books and movies later on.

So that’s where I am and what I am doing. Am once again active in orkut. Also on Skype.

Cheers:)

Was reminded about this over at Context Switch.
Before you read further read more about the book at Wikipedia

Found it at Blossoms and picked it up immediately.

Did not find anything totally innovative about the story per se, except for the fact that the characters being super-heroes made all the difference. However considering that this novel was written in the eighties and further, most graphic novels after that has based itself on this seminal piece of graphic art, I guess that I have got a little jaded with my expectations. Nonetheless it is more literature than comic. This novel both surprised me and shocked me (albeit mildly). The story seemed to be going the standard super-hero way till the shit hits the fan and the heroes are exposed for what they are – normal people of all types.

Interesting styles are used for telling the story, and again considering it’s age these techniques are nothing short of pioneer work. The best a-ha moment I had was while reading the “ordinary” comic story within this story. This was about a pirate ship and man! was it good. I almost missed it in mhy first reading s I was in a hurry to finish the original piece. Thankfully I did not rush through.

All in all a purchase well worth it. Thanks to Blossoms once again:)

Interesting links:
Contents & Annotations

Once again I was in Bangalore and once again I was at Blossom(s).

Man! I absolutely love this place. I am sure my wife does not; considering the amount of money I spend here Anyways the surprise this time was the number of graphic novels they had – all the best ones – all of Batman and Superman – all of Sandman – Maus – Watchmen et al. It was like being in a wonderland. While I sit back and enjoy my memories of the place why don’t you go over to Bangalore and drop over at Blossoms.

The address is
Blossom Book House
House of Used Books
#84/6, Opp. Amoeba, Church Street,
Bangalore -1. Ph:+91 (0) 80 – 2532 0400 / 2555 9733
email: blossombookhouse_at_rediffmail_dot_com
www.blossombookhouse.com

Of course more details on the books I bought there will follow. The most interesting part was the talk I had with Mr. Karunakara(if I remember his name correctly) who was in-charge of the shop. I was discussing how I wanted to buy more but could not as it would not fit in my inflight baggage. Immediately he gave me the option of calling him up anytime and giving him my order and he would courier the books to my home in Pune. Super Cool, I say!

Sorry about the confusion with the name but they seem to interchangebly use the names:) For eg. their home page and bookmarks call the shop Blossom – however the title bar says Blossoms
P.S: Please do not go by the site – the bookshop is manifold times better than their site.

Some other references.
1. Blossoms, near Coconut Grove Restaurant, Church Street (parallel to MG Road),+91 80-2559733,+91 80-25320400 – For those dreamy old books, there are 3 full floors of them. You definitely won’t leave be disappointed
2. My first visit to the shop was a hurried one (with a colleague breathing down my neck), second late at night when they were rushing to close and third a relaxed one which yielded the proverbial pot of gold at end of the rainbow bookshelf.

Writing after such a long time and what better way to start than to talk about books.
My mate Annon has just put up the top 100 books list and was wondering how the number of books his friend had read.

Before I start let me make it very clear that I am a pulp fiction reader and do not consider myself a “literate” reader.

So here are the books I have read from the list (as well as some near misses and some in my todo list):

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald :
A wonderful period book. It was in m lil sis’s study set and I happened to borrow it when I had visited home. Found it beautiful and made me ache for the Jazz period.

Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger :
I absolutely love it though I can never understand why!!!

The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck :
Todo list

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee :
Wonderful wonderful book. The only famous book by this author but then again what a phenomenal book!!! A must read for one and all. [It seems this is Superman's fav book too:)]

The Color Purple, Alice Walker:
Todo list – not very sure about this one.

Ulysses, James Joyce :
Kept missing this one. everytime I looked towards this book for some reason I went back to the original Odysseus:(

Beloved, Toni Morrison :
No idea. Seems interesting.

The Lord of the Flies, William Golding :
Too scared to go through the experience.

1984, George Orwell :
Once again not sure I can go through the experience.

The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner :
No idea

Lolita, Vladmir Nabokov :
Uninterested, maybe because it feels dirty.

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck : No idea

Charlotte’s Web, EB White :
No idea

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce :
Hmmm … not very sure about this one!

Catch-22, Joseph Heller :
Before Hitchhikers there was Catch-22 – the new catchphrase sums it best. Funnily I have never managed to read the whole of it. Someone or the other keeps borrowing this book from me

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley :
No idea

Animal Farm, George Orwell :
Never got around to read it – slightly scared in the same vein as 1984

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway :
No idea

As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner :
No idea

A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway :
I really liked this book – i guess it is because I like art movies too. Great writer.

Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad :
No idea

Winnie-the-Pooh, AA Milne :
Not sure if I read the original.

Their Eyes were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston :
huh!

Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison :
Never read the book – Not to be confused with “The Invisible Man“.

Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison :
No idea

Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell :
Never read the book – The movie was great – my wife found the book to be quite good.

Native Son, Richard Wright :
No idea

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey :
Am I brave enough?.

Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut :
No idea

For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway -
Need to re-read – remember that I was impressed.

On the Road, Jack Kerouac -
ToDo

The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway -
ToDo

The Call of the Wild, Jack London :
Read abridged version and saw it in myriad media but never read the original:(

To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf :
No idea

Portrait of a Lady, Henry James :
No idea

Go Tell it on the Mountain, James Baldwin :
I like the title – no idea about the book.

The World According to Garp, John Irving :
hmmmm … think i should check this one out!

All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren :
Never read it – is it the same as the new movie(interestingly casting another Penn – this time Sean)?

A Room with a View , EM Forster :
Not interested.

The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien :
The best – brought me into a fantasy world which I have never really got out of

Schindler’s List, Thomas Keneally :
never read the book. The movie was fantastic. However I do not think I can go through that experience again.

The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton :
No idea

The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand :
I read it after Atlas Shrugged - so i was less impressed. Nonetheless many of my ideas on how to lead lifewere based on what I took from these two books. Still, I prefer Atlas Shrugged.

Finnegans Wake, James Joyce :
ToDo

The Jungle, Upton Sinclair :
No idea

Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf :
No idea

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Frank L. Baum :
Currently reading it – By God! it is such a well written tale – why did I not get it when I was younger. A must read for the young’uns. infact it is a great book to read aloud.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover, DH Lawrence :
Ho-hum not interested – though i guess it must have been a scandal when it was released:)

A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess :
I really want to read this or see it but again am not very sure I want to go through that experience.

The Awakening, Kate Chopin :
No idea

My Antonia, Willa Cather :
No idea

Howard’s End, EM Forster :
Not interested.

In Cold Blood, Truman Capote :
No idea

Franny and Zooey, JD Salinger :
Never knew about this one.

Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie :
Nope – maybe todo.

Jazz, Toni Morrison :
ToDo

Sophie’s Choice, William Styron :
No idea

Absalom, Absalom!, William Faulkner :
Not in my immediate list

Passage to India, EM Forster :
Saw the movie – alright – interesting plot though.

Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton :
No idea

A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor :
Interesting title – no idea

Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald :
advice?

Orlando, Virginia Woolf :
No idea

Sons and Lovers, DH Lawrence :
Hate this book. Never read it but caused a lot of domestic turmoil for me

Bonfire of the Vanities, Thomas Wolfe :
ToDo

Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut :
advice?

A Separate Peace, John Knowles :
advice?

Light in August, William Faulkner :
Advice?

The Wings of the Dove, Henry James :
No idea

Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe :
No idea

Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier :
No idea

The Hithchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams :
The top after LOTR – ’nuff said! Hi Sujith.

Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs :
No idea

Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh :
uninterested.

Women in Love, DH Lawrence :
Totally uninterested.

Look Homeward, Angel, Thomas Wolfe :
Uninterested.

In Our Time, Ernest Hemingway :
Someday todo.

The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein :
???

The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett :
saw and liked the movie – guess time to read the book.

The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer :
ToDo

The Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys :
Man! That was one sensual movie which used to be shown on DD on Friday late nights. Never read the book though.

White Noise, Don DeLillo :
ToDo

O Pioneers!, Willa Cather :
No idea

Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller :
Someday ToDo

The War of the Worlds, HG Wells :
Read it many abridged forms.

Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad :
Uninterested

The Bostonians, Henry James :
Advice?

An American Tragedy, Theodore Dreiser :
Ho-hum

Death Comes for the Archbishop, Willa Cather :
interesting title

The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame :
Saw the animation – always wanted to read it.

This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald :
Hmmm…

Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand :
This is the one I really like from Ayn Rand. This and “Zen and The Art Of Motorcycle” helped me through a major part of my late teens.

The French Lieutenant’s Woman, John Fowles :
Uninterested

Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis :
???

Kim, Rudyard Kipling :
Never managed to finish it … quite slow in the beginning.

The Beautiful and the Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald :
Advice?

Rabbit, Run, John Updike :
ToDo

Where Angels Fear to Tread, EM Forster :
Hmmm…

Main Street, Sinclair Lewis :
No idea

Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie :
Never finished it. Don’t know why?

Some other novels I really like:

Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky:
Wrenched my soul completely – this was a hell of a book to go through.

The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy:
Another beautiful book that I read beacuse it was in my aunt’s study books.

Zen and The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig:
My personal Bible

Later i will write about some of my new purchases and pulp fiction books I like.
Please do add your thoughts either here or at your sites. Advice of any kind will be very welcome.

Njoy:)

P.S: should have posted it at least 2 days ago – however putting up all the links took up some time

Yup!!! Got it first day first show!!!(in other words I was one of the first persons to pick up a copy at 8am)
First impressions:

1. Don’t like the cover that much. Normally all of the HP(Harry Potter) books have two kinds of ocovers. A children version and a more adultish version with the children version being much more colorful and simpler than the adult version. The cover I got was the children version according to me.

Unluckily I have no idea whether there is any other version for this specific volume.I checked at Amazon – there is indeed a more sedate cover which I like better:)

In fact there is a third cover too which I like the BESTest.

2. The book is not that long. Close to 600 pages.

3. The story still has the same vintage. I am the half-point mark and like this one as much as my fav volume – The Prisoner Of Azbakan. Will try to put up a review by tomorrow.

4. The price sucks! INR 895/- is quite a lot. I think it is even more costly abroad!!! The problem is that with such a high price it will not take too long for people to prefer buying the pirated versions, which I am sure are under production as we speak.
{Luckily for me I had a deal with a friend of mine. I pick up her advance copy and I get first rights to read the story;)}

Anyways, apart from meeting Nitin Madan (great fun!!!), this was the only other major news for the day.

Have fun – try not to buy the pirated versions. Wait for the paperbacks instead.