Customer Reviews

Romeo and Leila & The Enigma of Time

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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...

This book although fiction is based on current events and tells it like it is. It is a relatively easy book to read and understand. You have to have an open mind to fully appreciate what the author is saying.