Romeo and Leila & The Enigma of Time [Paperback]

Bizhan Karimi (Author), Amruth Laxman (Editor), Michael Morshed (Editor), Sina Salimi (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2007

Seven seductive Middle Eastern women join a party on a Western Federation cruiser which floats on the Persian Gulf. The women turn out to be narrators of a science fiction story. They mesmerize the crew and draw a dark picture of the future which handles a fictive nuclear war between Iran and USA : "After the explosion of the first atomic bomb, the question is raised if it is possible to turn back time itself?"

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Erfan.Net Publishing (September 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979661315
• ISBN-13: 978-0979661310
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,126,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Not my cup of tea, but..., March 5, 2008

By 

Doug (Iowa City, IA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romeo and Leila & The Enigma of Time (Paperback)

This book is not my cup of tea, but I don't often drink tea. It turns out to be surprisingly tasty.

I prefer reading hard science fiction with its technology and characters solidly based in the real world. This book is solidly based in fantasy.

To me it seems more in the genre of magical realism than sf. There is almost no technology involved, and what there is is more like a parody of our actual technology. The science, like almost every other aspect of the book, is explained in a way that gleefully creates more questions than answers.

The writing has a lilting, kind of eccentric, poetic quality. It's hypnotic, filled with compellingly absurd phrases, characters, situations, and occurrences. Readers who allow it to carry them away will find themselves wrapped in a sometimes spooky, often funny, enjoyably strange dream.

4.0 out of 5 stars delves into the aspects of birth, life, after-life and time. Interesting reading., January 28, 2008

By 

MSS (IL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romeo and Leila & The Enigma of Time (Paperback)

I have never read any science-fiction novel before. I took to this book because of it's interesting title. The book starts off nicely and just as I prepared my mind for a vivid story line I had to quickly adjust it in order to get used to what the author was trying to say. Chapter 1 becomes a little tedious with elaborate description of the 'APCA' humans. The book becomes exciting again with chapter 2 and the following chapters. There is also a subtle humor in the narration and that is refreshing. The characters in the stories are sketched as a slightly exaggerated simile to the present day human beings in order to depict the extremities of downfall that man can bring upon himself. Bizhan ventures into the scientific and philosophical aspects of birth, life and after-life on a time line in an off-beat manner. Overall I think it is a good attempt at evoking awareness among the readers about the significance of time and existence irrespective of whether they are from the east or from the west. Some of the descriptions in the book were not pleasant and could have been avoided ( I might feel this way because I am not accustomed to reading science fiction). I think the summary I derived from the book is that men all over the world have the dangerous potential to drive the course of mankind towards destruction but if they stay alert and realize the truth in time, they can use their energy towards constructive realization of the good alone.

4.0 out of 5 stars This Book Has an Interesting Perspective, January 11, 2008

By 

Julie Goodwin (Boca Raton, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Romeo and Leila & The Enigma of Time (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading Romeo and Leila because it has an interesting perspective about the conflicts between East and West. It also makes us realize that wherever we come from we have more in common than we are different.

The time travel concepts presented in the book made me realize how little we really know about time and how much more we need to learn. It was fun for me to read this book and imagine what it would be like to travel either forward or backwards in time. It also made me think about which time I would like to visit if given the opportunity.

I wish the book had provided more interaction between Romeo and Leila (as implied by the title) since I was hoping for more of a love story or an adventure between these two characters where their strengths (Leila from the East and Romeo from the West) could help each other.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would like to see a sequel to continue the story further...