A Dance With Dragons

                                                     

A Dance With Dragons
Author - George.R.R.Martin

Main Characters - Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Stormborn, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Jaime Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Brandon Stark, Barristan Selmy, Quentyn Martell, Davos Seaworth, Theon Greyjoy, Jon Connington, Asha Greyjoy, Melisandre, Victarion Greyjoy, Kevan Lannister, Areo Hotah.

‘A Song Of Ice and Fire’ better known to the layman as ‘Game of Thrones’ series can undoubtedly be regarded as one among the best adult-fantasy series of novels. Through his series of books George.R.R.Martin takes you on a ride through a mystical world of dragons, dire-wolves, sorcerers and some characters that are sure to become a part of your life.

The fifth book in ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series takes complications to the next level. If you have not read the first four books of the series then this one is not for you.

There seem to be too many characters and story-lines that even the avid fan might get confused at certain points and will have to turn back a few pages to remember what the writer is talking about. The character list that is put up on top are just those that through which the writer narrates the story in this book alone, that is, many characters who make an integral part of the story-line are left out in that list.

Quite a few characters and narrations are included which makes no sense at all at certain times and we feel that the writer is just trying to prolong the series as much as he can, but often at the expense of the fans. Some might even feel that Martin is trying to be next Ved Vyas or Homer, though the optimist may believe that Martin will put everything into one box by the time he concludes the series.

A Dance With Dragons is still a better book than the previous one – A Feast For Crows – and the story except in some chapters is narrated through the characters who enjoy a huge fan-base. Though as always Martin has managed to end the various story-lines with a jolt and that is sure to leave the fans yearning for more.

The unwanted excesses are neatly trimmed off in the HBO television series and if you are not a voracious reader you may do well to stay away from the book as the television series explains the story with much better composure.

                                                           

Opinion : "It’s safe to say that no work of fantasy has generated such anticipation since Harry Potter's final duel with Voldemort." - The Washington Post

Rating - 4/5

Playing It My Way

Title            : Playing It My Way                                        
Author       : Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Genre         : Autobiography

Indians have always cheered when Sachin Tendulkar came to the middle as a cricketer. And there was no doubt whether India would cheer him on when he started his new innings - that of a writer. Sachin Tendulkar's much anticipated autobiography, 'Playing It My Way' has made it to the best-seller list in no time.

 But, is the book worth your time? I would say "no". No, provided you are not a cricket enthusiast who can't tell Sachin Tendulkar's score against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup from memory. This book is more of a journey through the great man life between those 22 yards over 24 years.

It does provide light into a few personal stuff, like his romance with his girl friend Anjali, whom he later married and his early training days with Ramakanth Achrekkar. But these occupy just a few pages of the 400-odd page book which is more like a brief commentary of the matches he played and most of which is stuff we already knew.

Still, the book does set some spark, especially when Tendulkar in one chapter accuses the 'ringmaster' coach Greg Chappell of trying to oust Rahul Dravid from captaincy and of expressing his desire to control Indian cricket for years to come. He also, expresses how disappointed he was with Dravid when Dravid decided to declare an innings at Multan in 2004 leaving Tendulkar stranded at 194*.

Barring, a few such moments like these the book is dull and doesn't provide much relief to some who isn't so keen on following cricket. And Tendulkar as always, decides to play it safe and fails to make his point on the biggest scam in Indian sports history- the match fixing scandal - in which his team-mates including a former captain was involved. He opines that it would be unfair to comment on things that he did not have direct knowledge of. But, by failing to make a comment against anything that would jeopardize his interests Tendulkar once again keeps the ball along the ground when the crowd had expected a pull shot from their Master Blaster.

                                                            

Opinions
"All in all, Palying It My Way has all the strokes of a Sachin Tendulkar century. There are punches off the front-foot, some cut and drives, a few vicious pulls, but alo a few deliveries to which he has shouldered arms. It may not be a perfect innings, but it's a knock that had to be played. Particularly in a country starved of cricket literature despite our mad passion for this crazy game." - India Today

Verdict
'Playing It My Way' may not be the best sports-autobiography that was ever written, but it was written by the best sportsman India has ever produced. You wouldn't want to read it for entertainment or for knowing the inside story of some great scandals that rocked Indian cricket. But, still if you are a cricket fan you wouldn't want to miss this stroke from the Master Blaster. And, yes, there are some exceptionally good photographs from Tendulkar's private collection that you wouldn't want to miss either.


Rating : 3.25 / 5.00

THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

Title                          : THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS
Author                      : Arundhati Roy
Genre                       : Realistic Fiction
Main Characters     : Estha & Rahel



Quote from the Book: "It is after all so easy to shatter a story. To break a chain of thought. To ruin a fragment of a dream being carried around carefully like a piece of porcelain."


Description : A nostalgic tale of pure love and affection, of betrayal and of the social injustice that prevailed in the South-Indian state of Kerala. The story is set in Ayemenen, a village in the Kottyam district of Kerala where the author spend her childhood. The God of Small Things is the story of twins-Estha and Rahel- who due to some circumstances had to separate when they were kids. They meet again after 23 years and the story moves from one point of time to another, from the twins' childhood in the 1960s to the present time in the 1990s. 
The God of Small Things was Arundhathi Roy's first and last novel as of 2011. It won the Man Booker Prize in 1997.


Opinions : "A dazzling first novel, extraordinary." - THE NEW YORK TIMES
                    "A novel of poignancy and considerable sweep." - LOS ANGELES                         TIMES


Verdict     : Not for all readers. But definitely for someone who loves literature and can spend time in front of the reading desk. A slow, but strangely nostalgic and emotional novel. Don't be surprised if it makes you cry when the memories flood in.


Rating : A Man Booker Prize itself is the best rating it can get.

       

THE ALCHEMIST

Title                            : THE ALCHEMIST
Author                        : Paulo Coelho
Publisher                    : HarperCollins Publishers, first published by Editora Rocco in 1988.
Genre                         : Fiction, Inspirational
Main Character         : Santiago, the shepherd.
Quote from the book : "When you really want something, the universe always conspires in your    favour."


Description                : Every decade a book is published that changes the lives of its readers for ever.   Paulo Coleho's The Alchemist is such a book. With over 30 million copies sold worldwide and translated into 63 languages, The Alchemist has already achieved the status of a modern classic.
                                     This is the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who dreams of travelling the world in search of a treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the exotic markets of Tangiers and then into the Egyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him.
                                    The Alchemist is an unforgettable novel about the essential wisdom of listening to our heart and, above all, following our dreams.


Opinions : "The Alchemist is a beautiful book about magic, dreams and the treasures we seek elsewhere and then end on our doorstep." - MADONNA

Verdict : Not much to say. One of the smallest but the best novels I've ever read. It is inspiring and may change your life just by altering the way you believe in dreams.

RATING : 4.75/5.00

FLOOD TIDE

Title:  FLOOD TIDE


Author: Clive Cussler


Publisher: Simon & Schuster, first published in 1997. 


Genre: Action-Adeventure


Main Characters: Dirk Pitt, Al Giordino, Juan Cabrillo


Quote from the book: "Qin Shang never intended to make the United States into a New Orleans hotel and gambling casino," Pitt explained dryly. "He plans to use it as diversionary dam. Once the ship's nine-hundred-ninety-foot hull with its height of ninety feet is scuttled diagonally across the river, it will block ninety percent of the Mississippi's flow, sending one enormous flood tide through the shattered levee into the Atchafalaya."

Description: Flood Tide is Clive Cussler's fourteenth novel featuring action-hero Dirk Pitt. In this story, Pitt and his close pal Al Giordino finds them going head-to-head against a Chinese business tycoon, Qin Shang, who is obsessed with power, money and objects of architectural value. Most Chinese characters are portrayed in a negative shade. We might even feel that the whole of China is given a negative shade and unlike most other stories Flood Tide also features a not-so-good U.S. President. This novel also gives an introduction to Chairman Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and other characters of Cussler's Oregon Files.


Verdict: Not the fastest of Cussler's novels but still an ingenious plot and a very powerful villain gets you going.

RATING: 3.5/5

THE DA VINCI CODE

Title:         THE DA VINCI CODE

Author:     Dan Brown

Publisher:  Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. First published in 2003.

Genre:      Mystery, Action-Adventure


Main Character : Robert Langdon

Quote from the Book : "Sophie gazed back up the emergency stairwell and felt torn. She knew she should usher Langdon from the museum immediately, and yet instinct urged her to the contrary. As Sophie recalled her first childhood visit to the Denon Wing, she realized that if her grandfather had a secret to tell her, few places on earth made a more apt rendezvous than Da Vinci's Mona Lisa."

Description: While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of      the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre museum has been murdered inside the museum, his body and the floor around him covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, sort through the bizarre riddles they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci - clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more starting, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion - an actual secret society whose members included Sir Issac Newton, Victor Hugo and Da Vinci, among others - and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle - while avoiding the faceless adversary that shadows their every move - the explosive ancient truth will be lost forever.

Opinions: "Wow... Blockbuster perfection... [A] gleefully erudite suspense novel." - THE NEW YORK TIMES

                    

                    "A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure... [Brown] is a new master of smart thrills." - PEOPLE

                     

               "So many twists - all satisfying, most unexpected... Let's just say that if this novel doesn't get your pulse racing, you need to check your meds... This is good fun - Umberto Eco on steroids." - SAN FRANSISCO CHRONICLE

Verdict: Thrilling from the beginning until the very last page. So many twists and turns and a breath-taking climax. The plot is controversial and there were a lot of protests against the release of the book, especially from religious organisations. Nevertheless the book was a huge success and was later made into a movie starring Tom Hanks as Prof. Robert Langdon.
Games for PC, Xbox, Play stations, etc have also been released based on the Da Vinci Code.

RATING : 4.5/5

THUNDERBALL

Book Title: THUNDERBALL


Author: Ian Fleming


Publisher: PENGUIN BOOKS, First Published in Great Britain by Jonathan Cape in 1961.


Genre: Action-Adventure Fiction


Main Character: James Bond (Agent 007)

Quote from the book: "The girl looked him up and down. He had dark, rather cruel good looks and very clear blue-grey eyes. He was wearing a very dark blue lightweight single-breasted suit over a cream silk shirt and a black knitted silk tie. Despite the heat, he looked cool and clean. 'And who might you be?' she asked sharply. 'My name's Bond, James Bond...'

Description: When a stranger arrives in the Bahamas, the locals barely turn their heads, seeing another ex-pat with money to burn at the casino tables. But James Bond has more than money on his mind: he's got less than a week to find two stolen atom bombs hidden among the coral reefs. While acting the playboy, Bond meets Domino, sultry plaything of secretive treasure-hunter Emilio Largo. In getting close to this Italian girl, Bond hopes to learn more about Largo's hidden operation ...

Opinion: 'Good living, sex and violent action ...a highly polished performance, an ingenious plot and plenty of excitement' - THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

Verdict: Action-packed like any other novel in the 007 series. This time James Bond travels to the Bahamas in search of two nuclear bombs that were expertly stolen by an international criminal organisation that calls themselves SPECTRE.

               A thrilling read with a beautiful climax. The novel is well paced with an excellent plot that keeps you interested till the end.

RATING: 4.5/5

UPDATE: The book was given a 5-star rating at the beginning, but later the criteria for rating was changed.

 Hence, according to the new rating system employed by 'Book Guru' the novel THUNDERBALL will get a rating of 4.5. Thanks!

Other info: Thunderball was also made into a movie in the 007 series starring legendary actor 'Sean Connery' as  'James Bond'.
It was directed by Terence Young and was released in 1965.

Also Starring: Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi.