Atul
A periodic twist that keeps the reader one step behind in guessing game. A satisfying read for the Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock Fans.
I am including below a mildly spoiler filled enumeration of the murders in the book linked to the narrator's blog, which forms the central theme of the book. Though I have not actually revealed the culprit, please read only after finishing the book.
Spoilers Ahead...
List of Murders with respective inspirations:1) Claire Mallory >>> "Malice Aforethought" Nicholas Pruitt >>> "Malice Aforethought"2) Eric Atwell & Norman Chaney >>> "Strangers on a Train"3) Steven Clifton inspired by the book "The Secret History"4) Robin Callahan, Ethan Byrd & Jay Bradshaw >>> "ABC Murders"5) Bill Manso >>> "Double Indemnity"6) Elaine Johnson >>> "Deathtrap"7) Marty Kingship >>> "The Red House Mystery"8) Malcolm Kershaw >>> "The Drowner"You will observe that there are two murders linked to "Malice Aforethought"... committed by two different culprits ;-)
I persisted and read through the entire trilogy. I was fascinated by the prospect of reading conspiracy theories based in Indian Mythology and Prehistory. To be fair Vineet Bajpai has done justice in blending facts, assumptions and fiction in a great Bollywood Masala style.
But I feel the content is unnecessarily stretched into 3 books. This makes the narration repetative and bloated. Also for us Indians ... many twists and reveals are predictable.
I also have some objections:
* Standard sci-fi trope of “Culling of population” by the Villains to solve problems of humanity seems ironic in a book where “Pralay” reboots civilisation
* The right to rule is professed based on Blood-line rather than meritocracy
So, the book is OK ... but could have been great tighter writing and consistency in theme of the novel ... Good vs Evil, Merit vs Entitlement, Free-will vs Control
Very well written sequel to “Foundation & Earth”.
Brings in all characters from the #5 of Foundation series and also the Robots from Foundation's Triumph by David Brin.
Fast paced. Conforming to Asimov Foundation Universe and written in same style.
Only Four Stars because the ending is still open-ended... but to be fair how can anyone give a satisfactory resolution to a matter left open by the grand master himself.
The debate will rage on eternally ... Free Will v/s Controlled Progress of Humanity.
Great primer on Quantum Physics... and on the debate of Free Will v/s Fate (Ananke). A little heavy at times ... but worth it.
Some quotes from the book:
We live in a conspiratorial universe that actively resists certain types of scientific endeavours.The universe is just as absurd for a snail as it is for a human being; the difference is that the snail doesn't care.I may think of myself as a volitional being struggling against determinism, but the only way determinism can successfully thwart my intentions is by anticipating my intentions and becomes active; dark becomes light; Yin becomes Yang.What we call “reality” is really the interplay of two elements, the line between dark and white. And yet, if we look closely, we see that there is no line, only the beginning of one thing and the end of another.Odysseus tied himself up to the mast of his ship so that he wouldn't be tempted by the song of the Sirens. The Sirens were evil creatures who tried to lure passing ships into the rocks. Odysseus had his sailors plug their ears with beeswax. So he could hear the song, but wasn't free to take any action, and the sailors were free to act but couldn't hear the song. You can hear or you can act. But if you try to do both, you're doomed.Free will is the name we give to the phenomenon of consciousness causing changes in the physical world around us. However, it isn't the self that has free will; it's the will that creates the self. An embryo has no sense of time or space and therefore has no consciousness. What an embryo does have, however, is a will. A will to live. Life cannot exist without will, and over time, will gives rise to consciousness – that is, to the self. Is the self just an observer, a passive figurehead created by the will? Not exactly. It is clear that once consciousness arises, it can then affect the will in some way. Consciousness is not entirely passive, but it is secondary to the will. Consciousness needs the will, but will does not need consciousness. It is not I who chooses, but the will.Did your free choice determine the external physical situation? Or did the external physical situation predetermine your choice? Either way, it doesn't make sense. It's the unresolved quantum enigma. We experience an enigma because we believe that we could have done other than what we actually did.If you make life into a battle between free will and determinism, you're going to lose. The key is not to get into the fight in the first place. You do your thing and let Ananke (fate) do her thing.
A psychological thriller. Not edge of the seat, not nail biting but... Could not abandon. Multi person narrative is a really frustrating at times. Like Rachel... Continued to drink though she knew it was not helping her. Story is weaker than Gone Girl... But more readable. I found Gone Girl absolutely unreadable.
Great atmospheric thriller which starts as a noir mystery about a young girl who apparently jumped to her death. Investigative reporter McGrath is intrigued by the event and wants to get to the root.
The story written in a first person narrative in a humorous tone quickly changes genres. The journey that Mcgrath takes goes through a secret fan club, a cult following, occult, black magic, psychiatric wards, tattoo parlors, dilapidated buildings with homeless people, a film set like a horror ride in disneyland... and twists and turns.
Only the book is slightly too verbose and last chapters a little too long.
Otherwise, a good read.
Great read. Wrapped the trilogy very well. Always felt the sci-fi stuff is slightly stretched almost bordering on fantasy ... but one heck of a ride.
A real page turner.
The debate on moral value and ethics at the end is really good. Will human evolution be more successful by “Averting” conflict or by “Managing” conflict. The eternal dilemma presented by one and all sci-fi authors is presented in this book as well:
Isaac Asimov:
Foundation –> Psycho-history of First foundation OR Mind-control of Second Foundation?
End of Eternity –> Would continuous tweaking of Human history lead to a dead/ complacent civilisation?
Arthur Clarke:
2001 a Sapaceodyssey –> Were human-beings bio engineered by the black monolith?
Orson Scott card:
Ender's game –> Can Xenocide result out of communication breakdown between intelligent species?
Stephen Baxter:
Time-like Infinity–> Can we choose a better human history by time travel
A good fast paced thriller. The “Teen” inside me loved it. Breath-less action, Body-count, Suspense, Mystery ... it has it all.
My only complaint is that the Hi-tech Devices of alien/ Future-origin should be established up-front before using them in the story-line. Sometimes the reader feels cheated by use of a device for resolution of the issues in the story or for moving the story forward...
Remember what Issac Asimov had said about “Science-fiction Mysteries” ...
“You don't spring new devices on the reader and solve the mystery with them. You don't take advantage of future history to introduce adhoc phenomena. In fact, you carefully explain all facets of the new technology/ future background well in advance so the reader may have a decent chance to see the solution. The fictional detective can make use only of facts known to the reader in the present or of ‘facts' of the fictional future, which will be carefully explained beforehand.”
This is a espionage fairy tale. With super stupid villains and unbelievably smart heros/ heroines.
The story goes almost in a straight line. No twists. No turns. All the plans are perfectly executed. No last minute mess ups.
The biggest surprise is that there are no surprises. Too easy.
Or maybe I am not understanding the novel. Maybe it's not a thriller at all. It's a feel good, soap in form of a book. But damn ... No melodrama as well.
Only the love stories of Dox-Livia and Rain-Delilah create a good buzz... something to write home about.
Good fast moving modern sci-fi that's reads more like a fairy tale.
... About Social media and becoming famous and about desparately trying to stay in lime light and about wanting to stay in control.... About fear and faith.
Good read!
A clever extension of Three Body Triology.
Rich debate about following mysteries of life and creation of the universe:
How the universes end and are reborn?
Logic for the continual collapsing of dimensions from physical to Quantum Realm.
Interpretation of how Zero and Infinity are same.
Concept about Birth of Time.
How time and death are related.
How perfection may not be such a good thing after all.
Big ideas. Bold exposition. A truly thought provoking and intriguing read.
4.5 stars actually.
A philosophical, psychological roller coaster thrill of a book. Amazing charcters, economical use of flashbacks for back story, astonishing heroes (given that the story is about contract killers) and really nasty main villain.
A motely group of assassins speculate, ruminate, and postulate, asking inane questions like whether killing people is bad.
A great listen. I loved it.
The pace slackens a little in between but ultimately, the bullet train hurtles towards a satisfying conclusion.
The Transactional Ananlysis explained in form of a race of aliens which require 3 beings to reporoduce: Parental, Rational & Emotional ... amazing
Brilliant.
One word review of the entire series.
Scintillating, Sumptuous science fiction anchored firmly in Quantum Mechanics. Engaging story. Optimistic future world. Great characters that you feel for.
A truly, thoroughly enjoyable read (rather listen). I breezed through all the 3 books in a matter of days.
The third book “Quantum time” is a marvellously crafted time travel story that keeps you guessing. But at the same time it is firmly grounded in logic.
Please do read the books or better listen to the audiobooks. All three available on audible for a price of 1 credit. Enjoy.
Amazing book. A page turner. Fast pace, A Flawed hero, Suspense, Murder and wild roller coaster ride.
A great opening chapter where the author throws a gem of management concept. Success follows people who have a “Reputation”, It like iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S3. iPhone 5 still has queues of people pre-booking the model while S3 has to roll out a Juggernaut of Ads to prove that their product is actually more feature-packed.
iPhone has the Reputation... S3 is struggling to build it!
Quote that I liked ... The headhunter tells the candidate for CEO's position:
“Your qualifications, your track record, the tests and my personal impression all tell me you have what it takes. But you will not be appointed as the CEO. What you're missing is reputation. And the fundamental pillar in constructing a reputation is exclusivity.”
Must read for all book lovers