Day 9 : 11.22.63 - Book Review

I love Stephen King. He is one my favorite writers and I haven't yet come across any of his books that I didn't like. And this is definitely one of his better books.

11.22.63 is about one of those milestone events that had an immense impact on the lives of Americans. JFK was assassinated. A (dubiously) well-placed bullet struck the President's head while he was on a motorcade with his wife in Dallas, Texas. The guy they arrested for this was Lee H Oswald. An American marine who defected to USSR and then defected back to the US. He was famously a wife-beating whackjob, and was also famously quoted saying, "I'm just a patsy!"

This event seems to have just enough fodder to make just about any author water in his mouth. And in the hands of the King. It is nothing short of a masterclass in prose.

Stephen King is not always known for being a stickler for straightforward classical form of story telling. He usually does it in his own nonchalant way that resonates with the reader and actually feels like we are all sitting around a bonfire with Mr King and when is going on about the day a rabid dog got a woman trapped in her own car. But in this book he seems to have toned down his macabre side and taken the persona of the small town teacher that he himself once was. Only difference, the protagonist in the book is a teacher who quite possibly can change the world as we know it.

The book explores the idea whether given the chance to go back in time and put and end to vicious evil, would you?

Time travel.

Most of us would probably just use it to travel back in time and become the most excellent historians ever, I know there are dozens of other books fiction and non-fiction on this topic. But seriously, this book makes more sense of it than a lot of those.

As always, the story itself is brilliant. Very sensitive and grounded. There is no over-the-top, unrealistic heroics. No too-evident effort to make the character extra-hated or extra-loved. Everything is just right. Everything is just proper. And understanding the sort of book Mr King is out to write, this strategy actually makes sense. I loved the scenes were Jake Epping became the good angel. The really violent heart-wrenching ones ones. As also the sweet cribbage-playing sweet-wife ones.

Most of all I liked Sadie. The sweet, clumsy, naive school librarian who makes the protagonist fall in love so hard that he would've been willing to change the course of all mankind just to hold her one more time.

Mr King rarely is known to be a sensitive writer. In pop culture, he is nearly always known for his horror and thrillers. But read this book, and you'll probably start to better appreciate the writer's range.

Plus, it really is a GREAT story!

Day 8 : A Dance With Dragons Part 2 : After the Feast - Book Review

I'd mentioned before, in my review of Part 1 of Dance, this book is awesome. In a lot of ways it makes up for the dull pace of Feast of Crows. And in this Part 2 of the Dance With Dragons the timelines almost overlap with that of Feast. For example, the events with Cersei Lannister ("Shame!") in Dance comes chronologically towards the end of Feast. Thus now at the end of this epic book everything now has come to a common tipping point. And the outcome promises to be a glorious chaos of intrigue and battle. As one of my friends put it, every plot point at the end of this book can lead to only one thing - War is coming!

Spoilers ahead, duh.

Bran, has traveled across half the wilderness in the Beyond the Wall and finally reached the three-eyed raven. He is now learning the art of a greenseer and is very well poised to be inherit the responsibilities of his master and his spot under the weirwood tree. He dreamed of running and flying, but in the end was showered with the gift of the See.

Tyrion, has had a lot to do in this book. Traveled up to Volantis. Then Slaver's Bay. Then with the Yunka'i. Has changed camp and allies at least three times. Was Yollo, Hugor, Groat's ghost. And now a sellsword with the Second Sons. He was as resourceful and conniving as ever. It would have been brilliant he did reach Daenerys in time. They never do though, throughout the books.

Daenerys, has all of Meereen up in arms against her. Each passing day her followers are diminishing. Firstly by the pale mare, then by gold, then by shadow war of the Sons of Harpy. She is compelled to take Hizdahr of Old Ghis blood as her new husband. But even taking him as her King doesn't stop the assassination attempt on her. Drogon's meddling helps her get out of it. Now she is somewhere in the Dothraki Sea, heading back to her kingdom on foot, weary and weak by the minute. Oh and by the way the part where she flies Drogon is awesome!

Quent Martell, the Prince of Dorne, is really not built for the Game Each of his attempts to Daenerys heart or the dragons' collar has been thwarted pitifully. And his last folly proved to be a fatal one, for himself and for Meereen.

Victarion, the captain of the Iron Fleet, is sent of by his elder brother, Crow's Eye to capture Daenerys and to make her Euron's queen. Victarion, who's tired of playing second fiddle to his elder brother all of his life, plans to take the Silver Queen for himself. But then, as for every character in this book, things don't go as per his planning and in the end he is minus a human arm and a whole lot of queer magic on board.

Griff, Rhaegar's compatriot, has reached the shores of Westeros with his Golden Company and have started plundering and putting siege to the castles and strongholds along the shores in the name of Aegon the Young Dragon. Griff is a tough guy, and determined. And his intentions are made of stone. Literally.

Arya, was turned blind yes. But she learns to use that loss to her advantage and impresses the kindly man in the House of Black and White. She soon learns the art of the Gift. And of the mysterious disguise of Jaqen H'ghar. She still is the most promising badass of the Starks.

Cersei, the Lannister Lioness has been put to the shame. And is now more timid than any household cat. But even timid cats have claws, this one has Ser Robert Strong!

Jon, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, is assigned with a tough task. And his sense of right and honor is only making him the most hated brother in Castle Black, He has already opened his gates to the wildlings, given Tormund Giantsbane and his likes the command of a number of castles along the Wall. He has allowed spearwives into the Watch. He has allowed Mole's Town to be swamped with wildlings. He has allowed a giant take refuge within the Castle's courtyard. He has allowed a wildling to marry a Northern lady of high birth. He now plans to send out all of the Watch's fleet out to Hardhome to bring thousands of the wildling this side of the Wall, better them alive and with them, than dead and walking. Jon much to his brother's woes, plans to break his oath and take a number of wildlings and march on to Winterfell to face Ramsay Snow. For which he takes those stabs, "for the watch". And as I've said here and here before. Jon Snow is not dead, yet.

Varys, the spider, whoa. Of all the events and character development that has happened throughout this book, the Spider's is my favorite. He only had the last few pages of the epilogue to himself. And darn was it good. He is going to be so awesome in the next books. So much like a super Bond villian type. He is definitely not the bad guy. I don't think anyody is entirely a hero or a villian in the Game of Thrones. But Varys is so much like a villian in the last chapter, it is creepy. Will give you the goosebumps. 

What this book basically does is pack up a few initial POV chapters to build up the scene and mindset of the characters and at the end, simply goes and puts each of them in such a cliffhanger that you kinda feel hungry for more. And angry knowing that there is nothing more, until Mr Martin come around publish the next book. Can't wait for the Winds of Winter to come out. Fingers crossed.