Red Dragon- Thomas Harris

The book which started Hannibal Lecter, one of the most famous characters in literary history.

There is a demented killer on the loose. His name is Francis Dolarhyde. He calls himself the Red Dragon, after a painting by William Blake, but the media have dubbed him the Tooth Fairy. FBI Special Agent Jack Crawford needs to catch him fast, before he strikes again. So he turns to Will Graham, his protegé. Graham was responsible for putting the cannibalistic killer Hannibal Lecter behind bars. But, he had retired after he was nearly killed by Lecter.


Crawford convinces Graham to take up the case. Soon after taking it up, Will realizes he must consult Lecter to help him capture the Dragon. However, facing Lecter is a tough thing for Will, not to mention the pressure of solving the case. But he must do what he needs to in order to succeed.


One of the best book I have ever read, in any genre. The story held me till the last word, and the ending was an unexpected surprise. The suspense was astounding. 
I found Hannibal Lecter one of the most interesting and unique characters I have ever encountered. I took an instant liking to him. Though this book is considered in the horror genre, it really isn't that scary. But it can get kinda freaky at times.


If you still haven't heard of Hannibal the Cannibal, then you better start reading right away. You don't know what you're missing. 

The Godfather- Mario Puzo

This was my first try at reading mafia books. I kinda liked it.


The Godfather begins with some people having certain problems that can't be solved by normal means or with the help of the authorities. So who do they turn to? The Godfather, Don Corleone. He is the head of the Corleone family, the most powerful family in New York. The Don is a kind and understanding man who helps people out for apparently nothing except a future favor. 


But soon, he finds himself in trouble after he refuses to do a deal with a man called Sollozzo in narcotics. Sollozzo turns to other the families for help. They thing narcotics is the new breakthrough in the trade and want to put a firm hand in it. In order to do this, they have to bump off Don Corleone, who doesn't extend his support to them. But their attempt goes wrong and he survives. Soon, all the families are involved in the Five Family War. 


The story doesn't end there, but I won't go any further. I found the story quite fascinating. I liked how each character was developed. I could actually understand their personalities. I have some friends who found the middle of the story quite boring. This was when the history of the Don was described. I thought this part was one of the best segments in the book. It helped me understand how the Don came to be who he was, and clarified the story.


The Godfather is a book which some may like, while others may not. It all depends on one's tastes. But I think people should try this book out anyway, whether its their type of genre or not. 

The Magician's Guild- Trudi Canavan

 I had come across this book in a bookstore about a year ago. I liked the cover design. So I read it. A year later, I've finished all three books in the series ( The Black Magician Trilogy ), plus the prequel, and I have my eyes on the new book from another series which is sequel to this one.

The book is about a girl, Sonea, who accidentally discovers she has magical potential. Now the problem is, she lives in the slums where the richer and more powerful magicians are hated. So, she has to be hidden to prevent the magicians from catching her. The magicians however don't want a rogue magician roaming on the streets because a magician without training is likely to loose control and kill ( in this case) herself and a lot of people around her. So they go on an all-out hunt to find her.

So thats what the the first part of the book is about, a cat and mouse game.   Eventually, they find her just in time, before she blows herself up, and take her to the Magicians' Guild, which is their home/school/everything. One magician, Rothen, who is sympathetic to the poor people of the slums takes up her training. But her inclusion in the guild causes a rift to form between the magicians. This is because a slum person has never been trained in the guild before.

Thats all I'll say so that I won't ruin the story for potential readers. My synopsis may sound dull, but the truth is, the actual way things play out makes this book a gripper. The story, I feel, is quite original and is very interesting. You always want to know what happens next. Thats what led me to complete the series with real enthusiasm. I wanted to know what happens.

It was also written in such a way that the type of audience was never forgotten. It suits the young adult fantasy genre perfectly. The only problem I felt was that the actual literature wasn't that good. It lacks that finesse which makes a good book great. But I guess where writing style is lacking, the storyline makes up for it. Thats  pretty much it about this book. I think people should definitely give this book a try.

Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Verghese- Sidin Vadukut

I want to start out by saying that anyone who hasn't lived or worked in India won't appreciate the true beauty of this book. It's audience is exclusively Indians.

Dork was gifted to me for my birthday by a friend who assured me that it would keep me laughing for a long time. He was right. Dork is the diary of Robin Verghese which tells his story from the day he gets a job to when he becomes a corporate success. Robin has a brilliant story to tell, only made better by his hilarious way of thinking. I especially like the way his relationship with his crush, Gouri, plays out.
All in all, Dork was a very good read and I can't wait for the other two books to come out.

Seven Ancient Wonders- Matthew Reilly

One of my friends recommended this book to me so I gave it a try. Well, I wasn't disappointed. This book really packs a punch. Not to mention a gripping story line with interesting puzzles and fast-paced action.


The story is about a team of 9 soldiers assembled by various nations, led by Jack West Jr., an Australian soldier.
Their job is to protect a 9 year old girl, Lily, who is the daughter of the Oracle. Then, when she is old enough, they hunt around the world for the long lost seven wonders of the ancient world. Hidden in each of these wonders is a piece of the golden capstone of the Great Pyramid of Giza. But the United States as well as the European nations are also, separately, on the hunt for the seven missing pieces.


Why? Because of a rare solar event which is about to take place. The capstone, when assembled on top of the Pyramid, can grant any nation ultimate power for the next one thousand years. Pretty tempting. Which is why the Americans and Europeans are after it. But there is a group of nations who don't want this type of power to be with anybody. These nations are Canada,Australia, Ireland, United Arab Emirates, Spain, Jamaica, New Zealand, and later Israel. Each of them volunteer soldiers to their cause. 


When Jack West Jr. of Australia and Professor Maximilian T. Epper of Canada rescue Lily from a volcano, their first job is to protect and raise her. Lily is important because is is the daughter of the Oracle which means than when she comes to the right age, she can read the "Word of Thoth", an ancient language in which the inscriptions containing clues to the location of each wonder is written. 


After Lily is able to read the clues, the the team sets out to find each wonder and recover all the pieces of the capstone. But each piece is protected by a series of challenging, and not to mention, deadly booby traps. And if that wasn't enough, the Americans and Europeans both want the pieces at any cost and are prepared to do anything to get them. Even if it means destroying these ancient wonders, sacrificing their own men, and annihilating West and his team.



After the first few pages, something popped up in my mind- Indiana Jones. With all the 'running from boulders' types of booby traps to cryptic clues to deadly enemies, this book struck me as how an Indiana Jones book would  look like. It has the same suspense and the same action. The clues and codes seem a little Da Vinci Code-ish. But they still have their own unique flair. 


I can tell this book wouldn't have made Reilly popular with many people around the world considering the way he portrays certain nations as murderous, brutal and not trust worthy. But the descriptions add the necessary flair to the story which builds up the suspense towards the end. 


I also noticed that towards the end of the book, things started becoming predictable. I was able to picture the end of the book with amazing clarity about 60-70 pages before I got there . That kind of ruined it for me. This was mainly because I've already read a few Reilly books like Contest and Ice Station, and his way of plotting each book is pretty much the same. 


Overall, Seven Ancient Wonders is a better book than most in its genre and was absolutely thrilling to read. 

Next- Michael Crichton

I was thinking about which book I should start with, and I decided to do Next.


An interesting book, Next offers some fascinating insights into modern genetic science. It deals with problems of genetics told from the point of view of several fictitious characters whose lives involve genetics in some way or the other. It shows how genetics could affect people's lives. Some of the issues addressed are genetic patents, illegal testing of drugs, and how ordinary citizens may lose basic rights, like freedom, to private companies.

The book includes a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo; but somehow, Crichton managed to put it in a way that anyone can understand what he is trying to say. And once you understand what he is trying to say, you start to get scared. There are plenty of ridiculous situations and mind-boggling suggestions which may actually come into reality one day.

Take one of the characters, Dave, who is supposed to be a six year old who suffers from a rare disease whose symptoms include hair all over the body and monkey like behavior. The truth is, he is half monkey. Some scientist thought he could play around with a fetus and then dissect it, but messes things up.

There is also a legal case between a guy, Frank Burnet, and a private company, BioGen. The dispute is that the company is using Burnet's cells illegally without permission. But the court rules in favor of BioGen. Later, the company loses its store of Burnet's cells and assumes it has a copyright over them. This essentially makes it illegal for Burnet, his daughter and grandson to be alive. They assume they can just take their cells.

Crichton has managed to weave together all his arguments in such a way that you believe most of what he is saying as you read along. But later, you start to think that- maybe this is a little extreme. Next shows a world which is starting to enter a new era, an era dictated by genetics. Now that has to be a little exaggerated if you ask me. That’s when I went back to the book's opening words- 'This novel is fiction, except for the parts that aren't.' So, in the end, its' left to you to separate fact from fiction. The reader gets to choose what he or she wants to believe.