Yet more books I read in Aug 2011

As I mentioned in a previous post, in 2011, I used to put quick lists of books I'd read on social media, and only moved to more detailed reviews later in life.

So here are a few summaries from those halcyon days. Latest posts first. Commenters (if any) anonymised.

. . . . . . .

2011-08-01

Just finished re-reading: The Money-changers by Arthur Hailey. This book was published in the 70s, and is still a good read. Arthur Hailey was renowned for his exquisite research and believable and engaging characters. (Contrast with a recently re-read Sidney Sheldon, whose characters were like something out of a sitcom trailer (not the sitcom itself, do note).) You may be pleasantly surprised how little the thinking in the 70s actually impinges upon the story. Worth a read. Rating: Very good.

Recently finished (re)reading: The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver. Rating: Excellent
Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver Rating: Excellent
The Collectors by David Baldacci Rating: Very good
Risk by Dick Francis (re) Rating: Excellent

How this blog started: July 2011, listing books I read and what happened then

Somewhere in mid 2011, I started posting on Google+ (now, alas, defunct), listing books I was currently reading. People would occasionally post comments, or ask more about the books. So I started adding comments to the list, and eventually, it became detailed enough that I started this blog.

These are not the first of such posts, but they were some of the early ones. (Commenters have been anonymised, newest post is first).

. . . . . . . . 

2011-07-19

Currently rereading: The Collectors by David Baldacci. It's the sequel to The Camel Club. Somewhere in chapter 2, I realized, to my chagrin, that I wasn't reading it, I was re-reading it. Rats! But since I've forgotten whodunit though not howdunit (no longer being a teenager, I don't remember the plot, characters and everything else in fine detail), so it's ok.

Next up (probably): The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver

Recently finished (re)reading:
Risk by Dick Francis (re) Rating: Excellent
The Sky is Falling by Sidney Sheldon (re) Rating: Poor
The Camel Club by David Baldacci Rating: Very good

. . . . . . . .

2011-07-18

Currently rereading Risk by Dick Francis

Next up (probably): The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver

Recently finished (re)reading:
The Sky is Falling by Sidney Sheldon
The Camel Club by David Baldacci
Vengeance of Ravana by Ashok K Banker

Should I stop posting this?
Will you hate me more if I continue or if I stop? :D

Comments:

PGS: how's ravana?

Me: if you liked the other books, Ravana is fairly good; better than a couple of the previous books in the set but not the best. Banker doesn't like the idea that his beloved Rama banished his beloved Sita, so he changed the old story somewhat to reduce his cognitive dissonance. That said, Ravana's revenge as per Banker is breathtaking in its scope. Wow moment. Worth a read.

. . . . . . . .

2011-07-15

Currently rereading The Sky is Falling by Sidney Sheldon

Recently finished reading:
The Camel Club by David Baldacci
Vengeance of Ravana by Ashok K Banker

But you don't care, do you?

Comments:

SB: If you haven't read his books yet, I recommend Murakami after you're done with your current book.

Me: What book do you recommend I start with?

SB: 'Underground' - slightly one-sided but it was a good read.

Me: Sounds heavy. I just read the summary. :-O

SB: Hmmn...Ok. How about 'Roots' - Alex Haley?

Me: Oh, Roots I read decades ago. :-)
I've also read about the controversy that it was largely plagiarised from previous authors' works. ;-)

A gentle, intriguing steampunk novel

Fantasy/Steampunk | The Daemon of Cormagan (book 1 in a 3-book series) | Maarten Hofman

I tend to agree with Machteld Irons’ review on Amazon. There is a sense of something impending right from the beginning, which starts right off with a scream and an abduction. Halfway through the book, you begin to think you know what the mystery is about, you think you now know who the villain is, and what is going to happen, but haha! Fooled you! Maarten Hofman manages to twist and turn the story into new directions.

This is one of the books in which I didn’t much like the main character to start with (kind of ‘meh’), but slowly, the characters gain more life and depth, and then they become understandable and likeable. You suspect one, then another, character of being outright evil... nope, not putting in a spoiler.

The world itself is a character here. There are fantasy/medieval constructs like the Master of a Castle (Cormagan), horses and hounds, a daemon (or is it?), and all the associated paraphernalia of a fantasy novel. Yet, there are talkers with colour-coded crystals, mechanical horses (what a quaint steampunk conceit!), coded messages. At the same time, there are armies that have to be bankrolled and moved by a fleet, which has to be organised, secret societies (plural; each dissing the other in snide competitive style). There are hints that this is a world way in the future from where we are, and the medieval facade is underpinned by something a little different than the world of today. I have a soft corner for fantasy books which get some economics and politics right (like when people go to other countries, they need to find translators and suppliers of provisions), so this ticks those boxes too. A treasurer who makes complaints to the boss! Love it. When I reached the last page, I found this big smile on my face.

The writing and the language are gentle and direct. Hence, even the atrocities don’t seem as gory as they are (if you step back and look at them objectively, they are!). And then there are the gorgeous illustrations by Marlon Teunissen, easily worth half the money (sorry Maarten, but you know it's true!)
Full disclosure: I paid full price for my copy. I know Maarten Hofman personally. Taken together, results in a fair review.

Indian readers may get a hint of part of the mystery from the names Kush and Luv which turn up towards the end, but people from other countries can either guess or research. (Not giving hints).

TL;DR: this book is value for money. Four stars and a gas-giant planet. If not allowed to give a partial star, gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐ aka I really liked it. And there are two more books in the same world...

More Books I read in Sep 2011 (Part 2 of 2)

I had to split the post because I couldn't include enough tags. <shrug>

The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson (thriller). It's weird to realise James Patterson was writing bestsellers in 1976. What a different style he had. I'm also beginning to notice style differences between decades. Books in a certain decade have similar writing styles, even among widely-different writers. Rating: Good

Down the Long Hills by Louis L'Amour. A young boy takes a young girl across the plains of the old West (USA) after their wagon train is massacred. Villains get after them, while the boy's father hunts for him equally desperately. Sweet story, happy ending. Rating: Very good.

Risk by Dick Francis (thriller). One of his better ones, and the hero is a chartered accountant. This was the book that made me feel CAs were not boring; something for which I am very grateful now. Rating: excellent.

Reign in Hell by William Diehl (thriller). After a bit, I realised this was the middle book in a series. Lawyer Martin Vail tries to bring down a parallel government/militia in the USA, under direct orders from the General (Attorney General, ha!), and mixes up with his old nemesis, the evil mass-murderer Aaron Stampler. Rating: Good.

Stone Cold by David Baldacci (thriller). The third in the series, and equally good. Rating: Very Good.

Part 2 of 2. Part 1 is here.

Books I read in Sep 2011 (part 1 of 2)

Why the delay? I already said in the previous posts. 😛

BOOKS!

Oh, my! I haven't updated to you my list of read books for a month! 

Currently re-reading: Bear Island by Alistair Maclean. Don't ask me why; I've always thought this was one of his worst books. That said, it's better than many people's good books. It's just that when every motion on the ship is described with a synonym of 'stagger', it gets a bit ... seasick. Fortunately, they will all (except the dead guys) reach land in a few chapters. ;)

Recently (re)read:
Scimitar by Peter Nieswand (thriller). It's always interesting these days to read a book written in the 1980s. The Afghan mujahideen were the good guys then, and the Russians were unadulterated villains. The protagonist in the book keeps turning out to be an unmitigated creep. Still, some good points, though avoidable overall, unless you want to specifically read an 80s book.
The Secret of the Nagas by Amish (myth/fantasy). I loved the first book in this series, The Immortals of Meluha, despite its sometimes too-modern dialogue. This one goes smoother. The book introduces Sanskrit/Hindi words in italics, and, within the next line or two, their meaning in English, also italicised (for dummies). It gets a bit annoying (gee, it's for dummies!) but is probably greatly useful for people who don't know the words. I loved this book too, and am bouncing and screaming for the next (and last) one. For less than Rs 500, you can get both books. Paisa wasool, these books are worth every paisa.

High Citadel by Desmond Bagley (thriller). An excellent light read from the 70s. If you like stories in which medieval weapons turn the tide, also try Mother of Demons by Eric Flint (science fiction).

The Quick and the Dead by Louis L'Amour (western). My son asked me if the book came first or the movie. Heh! A very typical Louis L'Amour book. The good guys win; the Indians are not evil, just different. Rating: Good

Part 1 of 2. Part 2 is here.

More books I read in Aug 2011

Nope, I wasn't more prolific a reader then than I am now. It's just that I'm too lazy to write reviews these days. That may change, though. Not that anyone cares...

Finished reading Stone Cold by David Baldacci. Rating: Very Good. And Don't read the author's postscript until you've read the whole book. Trust me, you'll enjoy it better only after.

Back to reading The Mammoth Book of Horror Stories Read two more novellas. These, so far, have been based in the early 20th century, and mostly feel very dated. The writing and action (if any) tend to be slower than we are used to. However, the one I'm currently reading was written in 1986, and is 'faster', though also startlingly predictable. I'll tell you if it surprised me in the end.

Next up: The Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting

Books I read in August 2011

And you're probably wondering, why now?? Well, I just found my reviews, that's why. Duh!

Killing Fear by Allison Brennan. Good

Edge by Jeffery Deaver. Excellent. I'm beginning to think he hasn't written anything mediocre.

Dragon Fire by Humphrey Hawksley. Tolerable. But it made me laugh to see he has a Dixit as the CM of Andrah Pradesh, who has also, at some time (wait for it!), been the Health Minister in Assam. Rotfl unbelievable. There are other goofs, too.

Midway through The Mammoth Book of Short Horror Novels edited by Mike Ashley. Fortunately, with happy endings, so my initial trepidation has been assuaged somewhat (I'm no longer a teenager, so horror stories without happy endings are not so easily brushed off these days). So far, I've read The Monkey by Stephen King, Parasite by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Damned by Algernon Blackwood.

Temporarily abandoned this in favour of The Orc King by RA Salvatore. I'm most bugged with this book's publishers. I picked it up because it clearly says on the cover Book 1 of Transitions so I was reassured I'm starting at the beginning; but then, it seems the main character has already starred in another 13 books in another series. Cheating! Cheating! But Todd Lockwood has painted a wonderfully evocative cover, and I have a quote for you: "I have heard it said that the universal hope of the world is that our children will find a better life than we." I'll live. I'll also post if I'm going to be reading any more books in this or other RAS series.

Three favourite sci fi stories (amazingly, free!)

Sometimes, you get a really good sci-fi story. Really, really good. Of the 5 star, aka 'I loved it!' variety.

Here are three for any sci-fi fan to enjoy, and you can get them all for free (amazing!) on SmashWords.

Science fiction/Mystery | The Prometheus Incident: A Martian Murder Mystery | Joseph H.J. Líaigh
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sci fi and a cold murder being investigated on another planet, after 20 years. What more could you ask for? Well plotted, with a twist.


Get it here. Amazingly, it's free!





Science fiction | Now and for Always | E. Steven Newby
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A poignant story of a man who gets glimpses of the future, and what results. Beautifully built up, and seems standard enough, which makes the twist at the end startling. Solid characterisation, well realised descriptions. Strongly recommended if you liked The Time Traveller’s Wife.

Wonders never cease. It's free here.



Science fiction | Tribe | Ben Langdon
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of the best sci fi stories I've read in a long time. Possibly the best I downloaded in 2017, certainly top 5.

Carlos is caught in an alley by punks who are planning to kill him. Except that he's a super hero/super spy with the ability to take them all on. Or does he really?

There are a few spelling mistakes, but you don't care. This is a story with a great concept, fast pace, sharp descriptions, and very logically concluded, given the super power. Unreservedly recommended.

And what's more, free, here.

A collection of 'It's ok' aka 2-star stories (Part 2 of 2)

I've often wondered what to do about stories that I classify as 'It's ok' (2 stars out of 5) or worse. Should one review them for the sake of the unsuspecting public, or should one veil them in the shadows to spare the authors a severe downrating?

Anyhow, I've decided to review them anyway. Unsuspecting public, take a bow. Please remember, YMMV. You may like different stuff than me. I picked up all these because they were rated at 4 stars or better by at least two reviewers, plus the blurb and/or the cover art looked interesting.

Science fiction | Redeemed | Steve Matthew Benner
⭐⭐

A political story. Other than featuring alien species, not sci fi. And given that those are humanoid to the extent of sharing mistresses with the hero, not all that alien either.

What's with writers who assume future rulers will all be male only and also be so incompetent in relationships as to need to buy the services of prostitutes?

I wasn't too impressed with a hero who apparently established a record of integrity over two decades, was fooled by his boss in the intro scenes and then proceeds to lie and scheme for the duration of the story. It doesn't gel.

The story proceeds smoothly enough if you accept these premises.

You can get it here. Still free.


Horror/science fiction | The Meek | Brian S Wheeler
⭐⭐

It's grim. Four misshapen people push a drill across the desert to attack the fatcats who shifted to virtual reality and left behind flying buzzkills to kill the rest of humanity which was too poor to transition. One of the four is a hacker. Only two stars because I couldn't relate to any of the characters or the ending.


It's no longer available on Smashwords.

A collection of 'It's ok' aka 2-star stories (Part 1 of 2)

I've often wondered what to do about stories that I classify as 'It's ok' (2 stars out of 5) or worse. Should one review them for the sake of the unsuspecting public, or should one veil them in the shadows to spare the authors a severe downrating?

Anyhow, I've decided to review them anyway. Unsuspecting public, take a bow. Please remember, YMMV. You may like different stuff than me. I picked up all these because they were rated at 4 stars or better by at least two reviewers, plus the blurb and/or the cover art looked interesting.


Science fiction | Faster than light: Dobriathar | Macolm Pierce
⭐⭐

Space opera, part 2 of a series. (Wonder why I didn't read part 1 first? Oh, well).

Talking stars and bucolic planets.

The writing isn't too smooth, using, for example, ‘governess’ to mean female governor of the planet instead of someone who minds and tutors children, causing dissonance all along. Some scenes feel like dreams or fantasy, and it's confusing to try to distinguish them from the rest of the story.

I think I have book 1 of the series, but I'm unlikely to read it now. You can get it here. Still free.


Science fiction | Death's Twilight | A.J. Leavens
⭐⭐

I originally rated this as 3 stars, mainly for writing quality.

A fast paced action story, it has ninja organisations, deadly assassins, high tech, chases across the world, secrets that can break the world order.

What is doesn't have is depth. Things are too pat. Like big budget Hollywood where twists are there for shock value, not because they make sense.

If you like popcorn stories that don't tax your brain, this is the first of a series as Slade and Hotaru take on a System that has framed them.

The reason it lost a star? Too much senseless killing. And I mean senseless. It made no sense from any angle.

You can get it here. Still free.


Science Fiction | Running: The Alien in the Mirror | Lazlo Ferran
⭐⭐

Now this story? Popcorn. Full of corny stuff. Androids who become conscious, humans trodden down by androids, a big rebellion, waving of lasers in sewers. Staple tropes from Hollywood movies.

You can get it here. Still free.



Horror/science fiction | Sunfall: Episode 1 | Tim Meyer
⭐⭐

A yucky-horror story. People start to burn up, screaming all the way. The hero realises instantly it's because they are standing in the sun. It's a series of descriptions of slices of everyday life with people dying gorily. Not for me.

You can get it here. Still free.

Romance and space opera, with spies and aliens

Space opera | Starshine (Series: Aurora Rising #1; Amaranthe #1) | G.S. Jennsen

⭐⭐⭐, aka I liked it

The main characters and their motivations are well done. The galaxy destroying aliens are plausible.

The future tech is high quality soap-opera and almost credible, the right quantity of science terms and jargon are thrown in at appropriate times, while not descending to handwavium and unobtainium (big plus).

The economics, as in all space opera, makes little sense. People zip between planets like they'd zip between cities on Earth, the major population centres on whole planets are as tiny as 30,000. Come on, we have villages in my country which are bigger than that! There are whole planets run by mafias.... but then, that's why it's space opera, right? And this one is quite well done.

There is good character development for the heroine and the hero, and a few of the main characters. I presume the villains will be better fleshed out in the subsequent books. As of now, they are just creepy evil bad guys. This book is for the female gaze, and the romance is overly signalled to start with, but once you get used to the idea, it's quite fun, because the characters are solidly done.

Will I read more in the series? Yup, planning to dish out good money for it.

Pew-pew-pew fun from one end to the other

Military Science Fiction | Scorpion’s Fury (Series: Metal Legion, #1) | C.H. Gideon  

⭐⭐⭐ and a large planet, aka I liked it quite a bit

No wasting time. Our heroine leaps into battle in the prologue itself, and then continues for the rest of the book, winning a field promotion while saving the day and dissing the inept officers around. So far, fairly standard expectations. So what else is there?

Bad language used by soldiers (who are supposedly the dregs anyway)? Check. Sassy and fearless heroine? Check. At least one decent senior officer? Check. Comrade under fire? Check. Bureaucratic own-ass savers? Check. Hand to hand fighting with own side? Uhh..., check. Mystery man? Check. Fancy futuristic battle craft? Check.

Flashes of humour, believable battles (ok, willing suspension of disbelief, but at least there are no infinite ammunition supplies), almost invincible aliens, all check. Political twists and turns, yup, a few.

The characters come to life and you care about them. Hence, an 'I like it' rating. No way to give a partial star, so let me say: this sits at the top of 3 stars, with a large planet.

Futuristic boot camp to fight alien monsters

Military science fiction | Earth Alone (Series: Earthrise, #1) | Daniel Arenson 

⭐⭐⭐ aka I liked it

This book features mandatory drafting of all eighteen year olds, worldwide, to fight alien monsters. Most of the book is about the boot camp that our heroes go to. There is the mandatory bully, the tough sergeants, the unapproachable officers, the teen romances.

But the boot camp went on and on, and the remaining pages got less and less. This was supposed to be a military sf book featuring alien monsters. Now, there was hardly any book left, and the boot camp was still on. I wondered if these teens would ever actually fight a war or, horrors, was I expected to go to book two for that?

Well, if Arenson had done that to us, nobody would buy book two. Fortunately for sales, he did not disappoint regarding battles with the aliens. The book went into high gear, the aliens appeared. And there was still a chapter left to wrap up the whole thing  in case you decided to stop at book one. However, such authorial kindness should be rewarded, and the rest of the series beckons more appealingly as a result.

Government cracks down on Teens. Really??

Young Adult Dystopia | Fated | Teri Terry

⭐⭐ aka It's OK

It's a prequel, so I was happy not to worry about spoilers if I read the series.

Well written, aimed at the teen market.

Where it fails is the sheer impossibility of the plot premise. That a crooked politician could create emergency conditions and take over as absolute dictator is plausible. But that the first few executive orders thereafter are to create a police state aimed at teenagers, to have all teens carry ids on lanyards, and kids below age 16 prohibited to have a mobile phone begins to stretch credulity. To then go on to jail terms for having mobile phones, searches in schools begins to become ridiculous.

But to have death sentences for kids 12 and above? Public hangings? For supposedly opposing Brexit? Come on! That's too absurd. I give up.

A Western written in the 21st century

Western | The Revenant | Michael Punke

⭐⭐ aka It's OK

You see the map and you realise how BIG the continent of North America is, and how much travel the people did, a lot of it by foot. And yet, the story itself didn't move me much.

Partly, it may be because I expected to read a Western in the style common in the last century. But nowadays, they are better researched,  there are less 'varmints' in the dialogue, and there are not a lot of shootouts fastest-gun-in-the-West style at all.

On a continuum between Max Brand and Louis L'Amour, this one is beyond Louis L'Amour. Not as much fun, though.

A Detective Story about a Detective Story

Detective | Magpie Murders | Anthony Horowitz

⭐⭐⭐ aka I liked it

An editor finds the last chapter of the detective novel by the boutique publisher's bestselling author missing. Shortly after, she learns that the author is dead, presumably a suicide. Her search for the missing chapter hints darkly at murder, and she ends up risking her life chasing the chapter and the truth.

You get to read the whole of the detective story by the fictional author as well... heh heh. Two mysteries for the price of one.

Anthony Horowitz tends to place himself and his family in some of his detective books. This time, he leaves the poor folk in reality. It makes the story a bit better this way, I think. That stuff is clever-clever, not necessarily more entertaining.

James Bond Guy with Dog takes on terrorists with mutated germs

Thriller | The Kill Switch (Tucker Wayne, #1) | James Rollins

⭐⭐⭐ aka I liked it

James Bond with Dog takes on terrorists with mutated germs that can destroy whole crops (ya, attack the food supply rather than the people, an uncommon twist).

The hero cares more for his dog than he cares about most people, which always puts off speciesists like me. It's a typical Hollywood mix of running up a body count unless the character is named, whereupon our hero becomes all kind and squeamish.

Withal, a light thriller that won't tax your brain cells.

Shoot the humans first, and why

Science Fiction | Shoot the Humans First | Becky Black
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What starts off as the story of an infantry sergeant realising that the allies are likely to blame the two surviving humans and kill them, and grabbing the opportunity to escape, slowly grows in scope. It starts (only starts, mind you) with treachery on a global scale and redemption on the micro scale. Deftly interwoven scenes build up background, of a species specialising in its USP, warriors for profit. The story remains grounded in the narrator's experience, with wry humour of the type: “No point in wasting time. I started to hate him immediately.”

And yet, it raises profound questions. This is no popcorn story where you can park your brain and heart and read. It's a full meal, though without dessert or salad.

Get it here (still free).

I'm off to read its sequel, The Battle of Hollow Jimmy.

Indian science fiction that is not rehashed mythology (part 5 of 5)

Science Fiction | The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction | Tarun K Saint (editor)

Continuing the ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I really liked it) review... This is part 3 of a post broken up so that I can tag all the authors in a story-by-story review. You can read part 4 here.

Anandna by Rukmini Bhaya Nair

This is in two parts, a story and a short poem. The poem only makes sense if you read the story first. The story doesn’t have quite the impact unless you read the poem at the end. There’s a large helping of brave self-pity in it, but the poem largely mitigates the maudlinism. It’s about a trio of dedicated researchers who make a drug that converts pain into pleasure. Things don’t stay in their control.

We Were Never Here by Nur Nasreen Ibrahim

A creepy story about a sanctuary for women who can’t take their downtrodden place in the world any more. There are costs, and the benefits may not even exist. “Some of us even fear that no one had noticed our departure.”

The Narrative of Naushirwan Shavaksha Sheikh Chilli by Keki N Daruwalla

Sheikh Chilli is one of the prototypical too-clever-for-his-own-good boastful guys of folklore. This story features an insolvent crook who borrows hugely and then flees the country along with his girlfriend (where haven’t we heard something like that in recent times?) to settle on the Moon and make merry. The twists are that he’s the last surviving Parsi. This is not as effervescent a story as you might expect. Decidedly heavy handed satire.

Looking Up by SB Divya

I found this story formulaic. It didn’t touch me in the right way. It’s about a candidate for passenger to Mars, who’s applied for a seat mainly to get as far as possible from the accident in her childhood, and about reconciliation with family. Predictable.

Reunion by Vandana Singh

Mahua has helped to mitigate climate change in Mumbai and its environs by moving to a decentralised village-style economy with rounded huts to withstand the ferocious new cyclones (I roll my eyes at such utopianism, but it’s not too central to the story), and, thankfully making it science fiction, smart connections between all people and things in the village. In flashback, we see how she came to do what she did, the AI and the AR, and what happened to her sister Kalpana and her friend Raghu on the way. The best parts about the story are the looking back to the present day as a sort of golden age, the Age of Kuber, where wealth abounded and resource was wasted.

All in all, a good collection, with some outright gems, and some pieces one just has to grit one’s teeth and plod through. Hopefully, there will be more reviews of collections of Indian science fiction that is not merely rehashed mythology (hint: yes, there will be. Stay tuned).

...End of part 5 and we finally reach the end of the chopped up long post...

Indian science fiction that is not rehashed mythology (part 4 of 5)

Science Fiction | The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction | Tarun K Saint (editor)

Continuing the ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I really liked it) review... This is part 3 of a post broken up so that I can tag all the authors in a story-by-story review. You can read part 3 here.

The Beneficient Brahma by Chandrashekhar Sastry

This is a fantasy, not science fiction. It’s the fairy godmother trope with a just a little twist.

The Goddess Project by Giti Chandra

This is out and out sci fi, and the reveal at the end is a jarring extrapolation of contemporary mobs and their BMKJ cries. The smidgeon of hope is insufficient, though I suppose that may well be the best we can get.

The Last Tiger by Mohammad Salman

This is a satire that is so satirical and pointed that the less attention that is drawn to the fact, the safer the author is. Hats off, man. This is dark humour at its best and most cruel to the target, with laugh out loud slapstick moments and awful puns.

A Night with the Joking Clown by Rimi B Chatterjee

When most of the men die of over sensitive skin from Male Hypertoxic Syndrome, the rest of them rule the world, and the women are slaves, hoping to ‘make it’ to the level of getting a boyfriend instead of just being slaves. This society mashes toxic masculinity, passive femininity and predatory capitalism. Into this evil world comes an underground singer, causing disruption and dreams in the slave pits. The narrator, a New Guy without a lineage, and so lower in the pecking order, is given the job of flushing out this provocateur. I believe a book is forthcoming. But I prefer the simpler viciousness of the slave society in A for Anything (Damon Knight). This is more than I can stomach. It is gamer fantasy gone horribly wrong.

The Dream by Muhammed Zafar Iqbal (translation)

Julian jerks awake from a dream of being torn by wild dogs. Could this world, too, be a dream? He knows now how to find out. A short and brilliant gem of a story. The world will never be quite real after this.

And on this whimsical note, I once again press Pause, and and start a fresh post for the rest of the stories in this collection.

...End of Part 4...

[Link to Part 5]