Little River Bend in winter Snow Falcon -

Some information about this bird.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Snow_falcon
Snow falcon
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
The snow falcon was an avian native to Rhinnal. These creatures became extinct prior to the rule of the New Republic.
Following the extinction of the snow falcon, these avians could be seen only in the Holographic Zoo of Extinct Animals in New Republic City on Coruscant. The snow falcon holo-diorama proved to be one of the more popular attractions in the Zoo. Not much was known about these extinct animals, but researchers hoped to reconstruct these animals by fossil DNA. Scientists theorized it could be done by transferring DNA from the fossil into the embryos of a similar species.

Jack London wrote interesting stories of the wild - snow, foxes, wolves, huskies and men, all finding a place in his canvas. Each character breathed life, so much so that one ended up loving and understanding his animals as never before. Harrison's 'Snow Falcon' reminds me of Jack London's stories in its raw beauty and how man is so much a central part of the conservation and destruction of natural life. I did not know the snow falcons were an extinct species till I researched the images to upload here. In this context, the story becomes more alive and more touching for me.

Cull, one of the last few snow falcons surviving, majestic in its free rule of the skies rides the air currents and ends up over the skies of Little River Bend home to small towners. Cull sees and thinks, however, only from its perspective as a bird, not realising that it will change the lives of its hunter and saviours forever.

Cull is wounded by a gunshot by an errant and greedy hunter in search of quick money and he sees in ACull, an opportunity to regain lost pride; it is a moment for him to exercise his bruute power and show the world and his wife, who is mightier.

Cull is, however, rescued by Michael, a man in search of his freedom from the lies and secrets that haunt him from the past. Cull is nursed slowly back to health with infinite patience and understanding by Michael to allow him to fly again, at the same time ensuring that none of Cull's natural instincts are lost. In this process, he learns some precious truths about himself and his past and a return to sanity.

There's also Jamie, a child struggling to come to terms with his father's death who also sees in Cull some small, vulnerable part of himself. Susan, his mother, is fighting against loneliness and sees in Cull, a bird that offers her hope of love and laughter.

In the lives of these four people, Cull is the unifying factor. Cull changes their lives forever.

It is a moving tale of each one finding truth and happiness and freedon from the trauma of their past through their subjective and emotional bonding with the mission of releasing the bird to its world of freedom and survival. The descriptions of the small town of Little River Bend are stunning in the eye for detail. The stark snow covered landscape comes alive in the hands of Harrison.

There was so much in this tale to linger on that there were several moments when I paused to take it all in. This is not your fast, page turning thriller. This is something that one takes in small, thoughtful bites to allow the taste to reach and satiate the senses. Beautiful.

The Testament and The Snow-Falcon

River Pantanal, the setting of Grisham's, The Testament

Reader's Digest Select Editions, Vol 4 1999. New York: The R.D. Association, Inc.

Grisham, John. The Testament

Written in the backdrop of the Pantanal River in Brazil, Grishma draws upon the stark, cruel and hard-hitting remoteness of Brazil's reiver- homw to Indian tribals and missionaries to present a legal drama of interesting dimensions. Intertwined in Phelan, a billionaire's unexpected 'testament' is Rachael Lane, his illegitimate daughter and inheritor Nate O'Riley, a brilliant lawyer with a drinking problem, brought out of rehab to find Rachael among the reeds and banks of R.Pantanal in the outreach of Brazil's Corumba and the host of greedy and pathetic brood of Phelan's daughters and sons and wives.

Out of the courtroom battle and Nate's adventures in Brazil emerges a good story of a man reclaiming his faith and his self-esteem. The characters - Josh, Wally, Valdir, Troy, Jevy and Rachael- are each given healthy dimensions.

A simple story with a twist at the end. The beauty of the story lies in the fact that we,the readers, want Nate to find Rachael, we want Rachael to accept the inheritance, we want Nate to be happy, after seeing him fight his demons. Is that why the story is immensely readable?

Here's some interesting information about R.Pantanal from www.ridingbrazil.com

The Pantanal, known as the world biggest ecological sanctuary and largest wetland area, covers some 240.000 square kilometers of the upper Paraguay river basin. About 2/3 of it belong to the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, extending to the west into Bolivia and southwest to Paraguay.


According to Portuguese-English dictionary, Pantanal is a "large swamp or marsh". In reality the definition is not precise. The term Pantanal is applied to a large land mass which becomes partially submersed during the raining season, covering an area of about 210.000 square kilometers in Central-Western Brazil, Eastern Bolivia and part of Paraguay. The largest portion of Pantanal, about 140.000 square kilometers lies, in Brazil, stretching over two states - Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. By comparison, Florida Everglades has only 10.000 square kilometers.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Hosseini, Khaled. A Thousand Splendid Suns. : London: .Bloomsbury. 2007.

It sears me…something inside me aches with pain. I can’t cry. I can’t go further. I stop. I gaze into the distance. I don’t really see anything. I swallow my tears and continue to read on.


This book tells me a tale of war, of oppression, of male brutality, of widows and orphans of war in the most disturbing manner. It is the story of Afghanistan’s people suffering under the Soviets, the Taliban and the shelling and drubbing by the U.S army.

It is about seeing one’s home blown away. It is about enduring the loss of loved men and sons from families. Worse, it is watching in horror their bloodied limbs and torsos and heads severed by grenades and bombs.

But, more than that, it is a tale of the agony of the souls of Afghan women as they endure war, male suppression, loss of identity, self esteem and dignity.

Mariam and Laila are symbols of feminine strength as, together, from the battles they emerge scarred, lost, bereft of their homes and possessions, but stronger, bolder and more resilient than they were when they started their journey in the household of Rasheed.

The setting is Afghanistan. The man is Rasheed. But, it may as well be a place in India, in fact, in any part of the world. There are Rasheeds everywhere, just as there are Miriams and Lailas. The battle outside is but symbolic of the battle that rages inside. Hopefully, everything will end.

I don’t think I could’ve endured this book, but for the fact that there is happiness at the end for the women and children. There is also Tariq, the other male half of the world, to make one not lose hope in the world.

But, for me, while this battle by the women is so cleverly entwined in the battle for peace, it is the description of the war that leaves me sad and depressed. I was reminded of the wasted war of Vietnam that is shown so graphically in Good Morning, Vietnam. Yet, as Louis Armstrong sings in that heart-rending scene- ‘It’s a Wonderful World’.

There is despair; there is also hope. There is pain; there is also endurance. This makes Afghanistan, ‘The Land of a Thousand Splendid Suns’ and the book ‘an unforgettable experience’.

The White Tiger

Adiga, Aravind. The White Tiger. India: Harper Collins Publishers India. ISBN 978-81-7223-745-5. 2008

From the dusty bowls of an Indian village, a rustic boy moves to the heart of India, Delhi, as a chauffeur to a foreign returned couple. The ‘White Tiger’, a creature unique among its fellow yellow tigers, is seen by Balram Halwai as a symbol of his own uniqueness and so he nurses dreams of a better life. He chooses to fulfil it through the murder of his master from whom he robs a large sum of money, large enough to make him an entrepreneur and a successful one at that.

Seen in this perspective, it is a simple tale of greed and a new morality code- you can make your dreams come true, by chance, hook, crook or well planned criminal intentions.

There are two Indias juxtaposed here in the beginning – the India of poor, yet contented rural families, aspiring for nothing more than a few buffaloes and sons who go out to cities to make a little money; the other, the India of rich people, forever aspiring to more riches, more affluence, more money to spend.

Slowly, the underlying layers of other Indias emerge. There is the affluent young generation, no longer content with the spoils of life, but desiring something more than corrupt ridden fortunes and pretty young things as wives. This generation is confused, forever searching for something of substance, a return to the roots.

There is also the India of Balram, who moves from the village to the city and sees wealth flaunted in excess right before his eyes. It is wealth, good life, so near, yet intangible, till he takes it greedily and forcefully from his trusting master.

Contrary to all moral edicts, Balram flourishes with the ill gotten wealth, just as his masters did, with their black money. What is the moral – greed pays? Corruption paves the way for pleasures? Entrepreneurship comes at a cost? Success comes to all …the good, the bad and the ugly?

At the end of it all…there was a growing discontent in me. The story is not complete…the moral is not there…there is no clear definition of happiness…Indian ethos, its religious and cultural traditions do not save a Nav Bharath from emerging…All this sets you thinking, contemplating and wringing your hands in despair, but , oh, it is all so true, so convincing, so real! I realise it is not discontent, but a restlessness, an agitation born of reluctant acceptance that troubles me when I read the book.

However, one admires Adiga for his dry wit and humour. There is an amazing simplicity in his writing. That is an Indian speaking, thinking genuinely and authentically in Balram. That is why any Indian reading this story will feel discomfort…that Balram is also an Indian acting genuinely and authentically! I loved the irreverence of Adiga. It is refreshing, since it fits in with the amorality of the story.

There is nothing like this that I have read that has made me think so long and hard about the Nav Bharath emerging this century. Old, I am…

Disclosure Michael Crichton

The first thing that struck me was - Crichton, writing a story of a man facing a sordid trial of sexual harassment? The next thought was - oh, perhaps, he is unravelling the crime for Sanders. The next thought was - where is his passion for science as is evident in his other stories?

Well, to admit, this was a nicely spun story of a man caught in an act of adultery that he almost committed, but did not. The legalities surrounding sexual harassment at the workplace are very interestingly presented through Sander's attorney.

The dirty laundry found in every corporation is given a public washing in this story of DigiCom's corporate affairs. Crichton himself claims that this is a real story that has been fictionalised to protect the identity of those involved. It is a little scary,the way individuals can wreak havoc in one's life out of pure vengeance. It is comforting, the way these issues are dealt with according to the U.S legal system.

And, Crichton did not disappoint me...his Virtual Reality Programme developed by the protagonist takes one on a breath taking tour into the future possibilities as the hero and his lawyer walk into another company's database through the VRP. Amazing.

I vaguely remember Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas giving out stellar performances in a Hollywood flick of the same name...but, I don't know if the excitement of reading about the VRP was as gripping as it was in the book.

As usual, Crichton takes his readers with him, all the way, all the time.

Martini, Steve. Critical Mass. London: Headline Publishers. ISBN 0 7472 60621


Martini dedicates the book to, among others, ‘ the people of Russian Republic who have managed against impossible odds, to keep the deadly genie in the bottle’.

And yet, the tale begins with the Russians losing two nuclear devices which are intended to be used by Dean Belden paid to plant the nuclear bombs in Washington.

Involved in this nuclear fiasco is a burned-out lawyer Joss Cole. Enters Gideon van Ry, a blue-eyed Dutchman and also a nuclear fission expert.

Joss and Gideon embark on the trail of the bombs to find them before critical mass is reached. Joss is almost killed on two occasions. In one of those, she is sent to the depths of the ocean along with her car from a freight boat.

I found the action riveting, the descriptions graphic and the climax, interesting. What sets it apart from the others is this : Gideon dies of radioaction received during the rescue mission. He dies, but humankind lives on.



Patterson, James. Cradle and All. London: Headline Book Publishers. 2000.ISBN. 0 7472 66980

The beginning is extraordinary, just like the uncommon events it describes…several incidents take place all at once in different parts of the world. There is famine in India, ebola virus and polio virus outbreaks in other parts, all sudden, all devastating.

Then there are two virgin pregnancies reported…one in Ireland and the other in Rhode Island. Two unlikely protoganists, Anne Fitzgerald, a private detective and Justin, a Catholic priest from Vatican follow the lives of the two virgin mothers…

So, are these signs of the birth of the God or the Devil? That is what they try to find.

You will not believe the climax….the unexpected denouement…you can only say, WHAT!...


Finder, Joseph. Company Man. New York: St.Matrins Press. 2005. ISBN 0 312 93876 4

This book somehow reminds me of ‘The General’s Daughter’ – there is a murder on the lawn of a highly respected CEO, presently maligned because of the layoffs his company has effected and the unravelling of it brings out a spider’s web of betrayals, suspicion, mistrust and moral responsibility. It is the army in TGD and a business organisation in this.

Nick Conover, CEO of a large corporation, weighed down by the layoffs recommended by his CFO and Board, finds himself stalked by someone who even disembowers his dog…one night, he kills the intruder, Andrew Stadler, a man whose bipolar disorder makes him a danger to Stapler’s family. Dissuaded by his CFO, he does not surrender to the police and carries the guilt every day.

Befriending Cassie Stadler, he finds himself empathising with her. The sympathy and empathy turn into something more intimate soon. Even his truant teenage son and young daughter respond to her.

However, he soon finds that there is a dark past to his victim's daughter...the cost he pays for this is very high.

Every page a compulsive turner...entertaining and interesting.

Long Lost by David Morrell

Some books just explode on you... or are more like stuccatto bursts...they leave you in a shock...they grip you for a few hours...you begin to live the lives of the characters in the book...

David Morrell's 'Long Lost' was borrowed fromthe library because the book was conveniently sized and the font was extremely readable. Boy, what a powerful story this is.

Brad welcomes his long lost brother Petey, twenty years after he just disappeared during a ride back home. Brad just does not know the dark secrets lurking in his brother's mind till he finds himself pushed down a gorge by Petey. On recovery from the fall, Brad finds that Petey has disappeared from his home with his wife and son.

A year long trail follows...Brad's memoir like writing takes one back to the events,as Brad tries to relive the moments of his brother's return, looking at everything from his brother's perspective. The shocking truth hits him with intensity...Brad follows his brother and saves his wife and son. His love saves them, but not his brother.

This is a searing tale of a child's life gone awry due to screwed up adults playing havoc with the child's psyche.

The language is taut; even the chapters are very short, sometimes, just two paragraph long.

The climax is the stuff of Reader's Digest's unbelievably true stories - a drama in real life.

The Seventh Scroll - Wilbur Smith

Smith, Wilbur. The Seventh Scroll. London: Pan Books. 1996. ISBN 0 330 34415 3

If in River God, Smith made us unobtrusive spectators in the drama of an Egyptian tale featuring a eunuch slave Taita, his beloved Tanus turned Queen Lostris and his friend turned Pharoah Mamose as they lived out their passions, loves, fears, betrayals, royal insurgencies and survival instincts on the shores of the mighty Nile, the Seventh Scroll takes us as fellow adventures alongside Royan al Simma, an archaegologist and Lord Quenton Harper, a rich man with a love for Egypt's ancient mysteries.

The two go on a quest of Pharaoh Mamose's tomb guided by Taita's Seventh Scroll in which he encrypts the keys to the tomb. A greedy billionaire prospector and his entourage of evil men follow them, even as Mek and Tessay, two of the proud descendants of Egypt's ancient glorious past and fellow rebels seek to join the mainstream of life.

All of them come together to set a searing pace that never slackens. It is fast; it is furious; it is menacing; it is redolent with the sights, smells and sounds of an Egypt 4000 years ago; it is cruel; it is gentle.

The action leading to the finding of the Tomb showcases Wilbur Smith's amazing capapcity for capturing details. If I believed in mysteries, I would say that Smith must've lived 4000 years ago to give us such minute details. I know research plays a major role, but research becomes a fabulous yarn, rich in details.

My favourite images in the book include the brilliance of incandescent colours bathing the Pharoah's tomb, Taita's handmade little wooden statue of himself and the dark deep pool with unseen predatory fish turning the pool into swirling red waters whenever a victim steps into it.

Like Taita, Wilbur Smith likes to leave something of himself in his work. He and his previous work, River God, become characters in this story - the author and his are integral in unravelling the secrets of the 7th Scroll.

Interesting reading.

Signs of the Gods?

Daniken, von Erich. Signs of the Gods? London: Souvenir Press. 1980.



Origin of humankind...the missing link between chimpanzees and humans...two sets of humans living in the same prehistoric periods...the Ark of the Covenant, a machine?

A lot of mysteries still surround the humankind...were terrestrials our ancestors...do religious writings substantiate this belief? Are cave paintings pointers to an evolved, spacesuited people who are revered as god figures in religious writings? Was Eve an instance of cloning just as Adam was...a clone of God?

Are the well planned and meticulously constructed underground Malta hypogeums(built in the prehistoric period, when man was just using his flint headed spears to kill and hunt) an example of higher intelligence visiting earth and helping humankind?

This book is for believers and the non believers. Read, if you want to challenge yourself with unthought of dimensions in facts.

DEVIL MAY CARE by Sebastian Faulks

Set in the era of the Cold War, this book entertains for the simple reason that for any lover of Bond, the setting is familiar and the action familiar. It is like a howmrun.

Bond here is rejuvenating his tired senses with a sojourn, when he is asked to report for duty. Sent to the land of Persia with its baths and cruel underworld, Bond is exposed to the brutal land of Iran - along with two of the most beautiful sisters he has ever met -Scarlet and Poppy.

His adversary is cruel, unfeeling and the devil's very accomplice. Bond fights him with all the booties at hand , his wits, his gun, his shrewd logic and cool.

The pace, ofcourse is not the searing action that one is used to in the Bond movies, but the paraphernalia of all Bond action is there in plenty - girls, fights, stunts etc.

For me, it was sedate reading...this Bond did not make me drool over him, as I usually do...and if one considers the Bonds that would be suitable for this Faulk's Bond, maybe Craig, with his cool blue penetrating gaze and lips that easily twist into a smile or a sneer, might fit the bill. This is that kind of a Bond...not all fun, not all romantic, not all passionate not all caring. A little sensitive, a little cruel, a little shrewd, a little lucky...

It is good to know Bond lives on.

Jefferey Archer. A Prisoner of Birth.

For the first time in many months, I read a book at a stretch.

It was undoubtedly an unputdownable book. This man, Archer, he has strong story telling ability.

For a time, as I read the book, I kept remembering pure story tellers like Alexander Dumas and Scott, whose stories pack sheer adventure and heroics of the most unexpected and romantic kind.

These books appeal to those whose visual intelligence is strong. Archer's new book is brilliant in capturing the events and bringing them before one's eyes . One can see the escapes, the murder, the courtroom scenes, the pathos of love, the imprisonment, the term at the prison, the old world humour that is intelligent and a wronged man's focussed attempt to wreak revenge on his enemies - all unfolding before one's eyes.

Pure cinema in print.

The craft of writing absorbing stories is losing its innocence. Jeffrey Archer retains that innocence and sweetness of moral fibre and old world values. There are several places where one is caught chortling, chuckling, smiling and in general, nodding one's head in emphasis.

The climax takes your breath away. You will devour each word for fear of missing something interesting.

To an English teacher, the manner in which literature and language are subtly used by the characters as part of the narrative, makes this book something that can be recommended to one's students.

There is no lurid sex, there is no pathological violence, there are no serial killers in this story. Yet, I am sure no one will put the book down till one has finished it to the last line.

It was with a sigh of satisfaction that I finally put the book, A Prisoner of Birth down. Aah, sheer bliss.

Grisham, John. The Pelican Brief. Century Limited: UK. 1992

I chose this book from Balas Cellar not because Grisham was new to me. I've liked his 'The Firm' and 'The Client', but because this was made into a movie with Julia Roberts as the lead lady.

Darby, the lawstudent who writes a brief about the death of pelicans in Loiusiana and the possible link to the death of two Supreme Court judges is hounded by unknown killers. Who is dependable? Who is not? Who can she turn to? How does one save oneself from predators on the hunt? Darby on the run is an example of a small fish put into a tank with a shark which survives because of its survival strategies.

The book can be called The Adventures of Darby...so full of action is it. Her smart manoeuvers and quick thinking are a delight to read about. I know that I may not be followed by killers, but if I am, I think Darby will be my hero and role model. And, I think this is precisely where the book scores - its ability to make readers believe that they have the wit and intelligence of Darby and to make them want to be a Darby in times of need.

The shady world of greedy lawyers and greedier wealthy clients with enough clout to influence presidential decisions shocks one. If one tends to disbelieve the law after this, one also tends to believe in the capability of the common man to fight back such huge corporations and conglomerates.

Rating: Three and a half Stars.

Wozencraft, Kim. The Devil's Backbone. New York: St.Martin's Press.2006

The crime thriller follows the insides of Kit's mind, her thoughts, her fantasies, her unrelenting fight against the trauma of sexual abuse, attacks by masked men and the fear of losing her sanity - all these are powerfully presented. Readers begin to get into Kit's existence and find her life unfolding itself before their eyes. It is a complex world of strippers, cops, members of the club, their secret lives and longings. It does not make pretty reading. If one wanted a feel good book then this is not it. The shock keeps piling until the end when one is left with no moreability to take in all this.

Grisham,John. The Appeal. U.K: Arrow Books.2008 ISBN 9780099481768

Two lawyers, the Paytons, give their all - material and legal expertise to represent the case of Jeanette Baker, a victim of chemical contamination from deadly toxic waste dumped by a chemical company at Bowmore.

It is a dreary prospect of science vs. humans,with humans ultimately being sacrificed at the high altars of science and all the money that can be accrued from making use of science.
The defendants are the mighty chemical company backed invisibly by political support. Incredibly, the Paytons win the case with a judge who is sympathetic to the cause of Bowmore.

The case goes on appeal to the Supreme Court on the verge of its elections. The power game as the defendant decides to buy a judge is filled with legal intrigue.

It reminds one of David and Goliath, with just one difference ; David here is the clever and insidious CEO and Goliath is the cause of justice.

Gone Baby Gone. Lehane, Dennis

Lehane, Dennis. Gone Baby Gone. UK: Transworld Publishers. 1999.

Love, compassion and care in a tough cop's life? The story is a blend of these impossible combinations. Patrick and Angie, two private detectives are drawn into a tale of child kidnapping, pedophiles, killers, a hard hitting police department, an aunt and uncle bound by love to discover the truth behind their niece's disappearance and a mother's lovelessness...and, in the midst of all this is the pair's incredibly tender exploration of their own need for fulfillment of their relationship.

The narrative is taut, the dialogues funny, the characters real, chillingly real and the fear for one's own children in this cruel world - frightening.

Rating: Three Stars

Gerritsen, Tess. Harvest.

Gerritsen, Tess. Harvest. London: Transworld Publishers. 1996,2006

Yakov and his friends, underdeveloped, malnourished and sexually battered children from the back streets of Arbatskaya, Russia.

Dr.Abby Di Matteo, a second year surgical student at Bayside, the doctor with a heart.

Nina Voss, with a failing heart and the wife of a rich businessman.

Josh, the fourteen year old, desperately in need of a new heart to start living life once more as a baseball lover.

Vivian, the astute doctor.

Dr. Mark Hodell, the man whom Abby loves.

Katzka, the toughned and seasoned detective on the beat, strangely drawn to Abby.

Scalpels. Organs. Codes. ECGs. Cross matches. Ventricullar fibrillation. Transplant. Organ rejection. Greed. Money in millions.

The bare thread is here.
And, what a tale this turns out to be. Every page is a heart stopper. Every line, a shocker.

Rating: 4 stars

The Negotiator by Frederick Forsyth

Reading a book into several pages and then suddenly recalling that one has already read this book is, I hope, not an entirely new experience for a reader.

The second reading was indeed as good as the first - fast paced, thrilling, fascinating and so credible. That I think is the secret of many a good book - it must sound credible even if one is far removed from the kind of environment or atmosphere given in the story.

The fact that a small towner who has never seen the world beyond her own cities - one or two at the most, can easily be drawn into a complex tale of vicious actions, violent terrorism and political betrayals and manoeuvers is what makes Forsyth so good as a writer.

Quinn is heartbreakingly real...all his efforts seamlessly blend into one's own efforts...his daring moves make him the hero of such adventures...his battle with himself is the battle that many of us fight with ourselves...his redemption is ours too...his clever moves are the stuff that we come to expect from those whose lives are lived in the shadow of CIA or FBI...writers like Forsyth make the U.S. of A the country of unknown heroes whom we all love.

What a story, Mr.Forsyth, what a story!

Magic of a different kind - Salman Rushdie

Rushdie, Salman. The Enchantress of Florence. Jonathan Capre: Great Britain. 2008. ISBN 9780224061636

Post modern writing takes liberties with history and fiction and produces some of the most delightful books. Rushdie's latest novel is pure storytelling. There is magic of fantasy and imagination combined in canny proportions with history. Akbar and his nine gems are real enough. Mogor dell 'Amore and Qara Koz are imaginary, but in Rushdie, fact mingles so well with fiction that the borders finally vanish. One feels like one is looking at hard, real and tangible objects through the shimmering and blurring wave of heat rising from the desert sands.

Akbar as a man, as a sensuous lover, as an administrator, as a cultural enricher, as a father ever in doubt about his devious sons' plots to overthrow him and as a lover of illusory characters - this Akbar is certainly not the stately and dignified Emperor of an Empire. He is of flesh and blood and so comes closer to you than in the pages of history.

Qara Kaz, whose beauty holds men in thrall and her Mirror wield magical power over the lands that they traverse. Is it an enchantment of herbs and beauty or is it the magic of spells and incantantions? Agra and Florence come together in this Queen of Enchantment. Their fates seem intertwined...the advent of foreigners leading to the fall of the Mughal Empire and the rise of the British Empire is implied in the entry of Mogor.

For one who has found Rushdie a little difficult to understand, this book has been absolute magic.

The magic is more in the mind.

Another Cook - another thriller

Cook, Robin. Crisis. London Pan Books. 2006. ISBN 135798642

For all who believe that the Hippocratic Oath is sacrosanct and that doctors are demi-gods, Cook shakes the very foundation of such beliefs.

Dr. Jack Stapleton is SOSed by his sister to help with her doctor husband's indictment in a case of negligence and indifference leading to the death of his hypochondriachal patient. The truth behind the death shatters the idyllic concept of concierge doctors -doctors who personal medical care to hand-picked few patients.

The lives of patients who place implicit trust in their doctors who should, in principle, treat them like royalty, may be in jeopardy from these very trusted doctors. The truth, when it comes, hits you hard.

To add spice to the proceedings is the long term celibate Dr.Jack Stapleton's, the protoganist of many of Cook's stories, engagement to Laurie. To one who has been following the lives of Jack, Laurie, Lou Saldona, Chet and Warren, the question is - what next? Will it be the birth of Jack's children?

Medical mysteries and revelations are not so much a part of this story as is the medico-legal aspect. However, the court room intrigues cannot hold a candle to the Perry Mason court room battles.

The book was O.K. O.K. only.

Queen, Ellery - My new find

Queen, Ellery. The Siamese Twin Mystery: A Problem in Deduction. Victor Gollancz Ltd. Great Britain. 1993
ISBN 0 600 200752

The foreword by J.J.McG in the July 1933 edition of the book makes one wonder if this adventure did really take place. So, was Ellery Queen a real-life detective?
The locale of the story is a lodge set high on a dry mountain plateau; the lower reaches of the mountain are on a ravaging and fast spreading fire. Caught unawares by it, the Queens, father and son, take the only road there in the hope of escape from the fire.

They come to a land of no return, since the road ends at the top of the mountain plateau and the only way out is down the same road. They are forced to tak erefuge in the lodge with the seemingly eccentric and haunting presence of a scientist, his wife, a pair of Siamese twins, a monstrous servant, a silent cook and the beautiful mother of the twins.

Then comes the shock for the reader. One murder follows another. As the fire creeps closer to the lodge and the searing heat becomes unbearable, so does the anticipation of finding who the killer is.

As one guess after another by the reader falls flat, one begins to sweat it out in the heat within the pages of the book and the mind of the reader.
The neat conclusion and denouement is unexpected. The reader is left with the satisfying sense of having been there and seen it all.

There is something of a good musical piece in this - a simple opening, an exploratory middle, the rise and the fall towards the end and the lingering note at the end.

I am happy to have discovered Ellery Queen.

Haller, Richard and Rachael. The 13th Apostle. Harper Collins Publishers. India. 2007. ISBN: 978-0-00-726735-4

What begins as a conspiracy thriller ends quie unexpectedly as a universal message of hope and faith for mankind.

A diary is discovered - it sets off a trail of cybersleuthing. Gill Pearso and Sabbic Karaim decipher a scroll that the diary leads them to. The truth is set in a flashback and the story shuttles between the presetn and the past tracing Yeshua's (Jesus) death and resurrection. Myth and faith are closely interwoven and the faith takes one on the supreme yatra of discovery - the atman in the paramatman.

The message is of faith in goodness notwithstanding one's follies, foibles and frailities.

A stirring read.

Diehl, William. Reign in Hell. Ballantine Books. New York. 1997. ISBN 0-345-39506-9

The book is terrifying, not only because Aaron Stampler, a reminder of Hannibal Lector, Vail's nemesis is back, but because he is back with a religious bang...clothing terrorism in religion.

On the verge of retirement, Vail is caught up in the turmoil of American states being overpowered by religious outfits committing heinous crimes and killing hundreds of innocent citizens.

Witness protection programmes run awry...unacknoweldged soldiers of Nam assemble under a General's mentorship to take vengeance on the world that has not acknowledged them ... and the climax is totally unexpected...if one Aaron Stampler dies, there is always another to take his place.

The only good things happening are Vail surviving an attack and his getting married to Venable from the hospital bed...some consolation in the midst of chaos and hell risen from the depths of a dark and terrible world.

Absolutely chilling reading...strikes a chord with one from the modern times.

Trunk Music

Connelly,Michael.Trunk Music. St.Martin's Press:New York, 1998.

Crime thrillers that take their time to unwind may not be racy or gripping page turners...but they slowly grow one and even if they require days of reading, one keeps on because the unravelling of the mystery becomes as much of a necessity as the clearing of cobwebs in a stacked up garage. You like to see everything sparkling clean at the end of what seemed a chore.

Detective Harry Bosch returns to his job after a brief period of untouchability in his department. The file he is assigned investigates the death of a man found in the trunk of a car parked in the view of thousands of people gathered for a Philharmonic concert at the Bowl in Hollywood. It is a case of 'trunk music' - a 'wise guy saying outta Chicage...when they whack some poor slob'. The connection is not really hard to make and the curiosity begins there for the reader.

Bosch must solve this not just to regain his confidence as a detective, but also his self-esteem and dignity as a human being. He solves the crime with determined perseverance. What I liked about the book is that Bosch comes out as a detective with a heart, who finds in Eleanor Wish, another convicted cop, a woman of substance.

Connelly is brilliant at the tying up of knots of the hundreds of loose ends. Momens of dullness are interspresed with moments of brilliance.

That is one reason why I persisted with the novel.

Jayabalan stories

J.Vasanthan.Fat is Beautiful and other Jayabalan stories. Gokulam, The magazine for children. Bharathan Publications. Chennai. 2003.

Some stories are remembered long after they have been read and enjoyed...sometimes even after decades. Gokulam, a children's magazine was staple reading for children in the 1980s. I bought the magazine for my sons, hoping that they would imbibe a love for reading (the elder did).

I loved reading Gokulam too for the hilarious stories about a King Jayabalan. You smile, you chuckle, you grin and you laugh out loud...there is only one of these options when you read the Jayabalan stories.

The stories are short, don' t have moral endings, don't admonish, don't lecture and don't sermonise. That is the biggest secret of their popularity.

They tell the story of Jayabalan, the 'fat, foolish and very vain' king of Jayabalpore, whose capital has a river called Jayabalaaru and whose coastline is along the sea called Jayabalsaagar. His minister of Defence is Kavasam and in a similar fashion, we have Ayalan, Varisumai, Ganabadi, Arivili, Solmannan, Tholaipesi, Apothikari (what a play on word, this is!) , Boilslau and so on. Each has his own eccentricities and charactersitics. Does an adult reader get the feeling that one has seen or heard these characters somewhere, someplace?

Times when Jayabalan attempts to grow hair on a bald pate, to understand science, to silence a detractor, to learn English, to understand baby talk...all these are so intensely funny that one breezes through the pages without feeling the burdens of life.

The illustrations are by the author and so humourously crafted that they make one smile . I love the single hair sprouting from the kingly pate...

The stories are a joy to read...read them in silence to oneself or read them aloud to an audience of children, they are sheer fun.

Gerritsen, Tess. Body Double. Random House. New York. 2004.

Sometimes, the rush of life catches one on and then long, rambling stories will no longer suffice. One wants a rush of adrenaline in reading...something that will make one sit up and say, 'Aah, now that was interesting'. Body Double was a story of suspense..plenty of unexpected twists and turns...characters too are unexpectedly real...the fears and anxieties are real...Murders may not be the order of the day in one's life as they happen in Dr.Isles' life. But, her search for identity is something that one can relate to well. Her acceptance of what she is, is also something that one can accept without reservation.
The breath is held in suspense many a time and Tess must know that her reader felt that the book was thrilling enough to have at her side through meals, TV shows and soemtimes, once or twice, through cooking.