Customer Reviews

Simoqin Prophecies (GameWorld Trilogy)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A short while ago, I happened to be wandering the isles of Borders looking for something new to read. I had currently read almost all of the "big fantasy/sci-fi" series, as well as numerous other classic novels. I saw this book on the side of a shelf, and picked it up because the cover intrigued me. Upon reading the back of the jacket and seeing that not only did it get glowing reviews, but it was the first translated fantasy book from India, I decided to support it and try it out. Boy was I surprised.

Quickly, Simoqin became one of my favorite modern fantasy novels. As other's stated, it takes many ideas from "legendary" fantasy series; but as an homage, not a rip. If you've ever considered yourself a large fantasy fan, read LoTR, enjoyed Arabian Nights, etc. you owe it to yourself to pick this one up. From start to finish there are jokes, great characters, and great dialogue.

But don't let the fact it's a parody turn you away. On its own, it still has a wonderful story that readers of all ages can enjoy. It's a world full of magic, heroes, dark lords, science, and humor. Mr. Basu made an amazing debut into the literary world, and really does his fellow Indian writers proud. We can only hope now that when the inevitable sequel gets written it gets translated as well, because the ending leaves plenty of room for advancement.

With how disappointing George R.R. Martin's newest novel was, I would place this as my favorite fantasy read of 2005.

This is the kind of book which everyone can enjoy, from die hard fans of the genre to newcomers alike. The latter because it is a masala page turner with plenty of babes, gore and humor; and the former because the content is quite unoriginal. Now you would think that being unoriginal is a bad thing. But not in this case because the author's value add comes from picking the right amount of references from a large number of sources and placing them in just the right place at the right time. It comes out as a very entertaining book. The die hard fans will enjoy it because all the years they have *cough* wasted *cough* reading SFF pays off because they will get all the tongue-in-cheek jokes that newcomers will not.
This is not to say that certain parts of the book could not have used the services of a really good editor. But such creatures are probably rarer than nandus in this day and age, and the amount of rough edges is thankfully negligible.

This book could be the start to a wonderfully rich world of fantasy that until now has been closed to Indians.

As should be clear to any reader of Samit Basu's 'The Simoqin Prophecies' Indian myths are ripe for the pickings of any good fantasy author. And yet this low hanging fruit has not been picked. Satyajit Ray's attempts at science fiction never reached the heights of his other efforts. And it never attempted to draw on the rich cultural heritage available to him.

Samit's new start has references to every possible cannon of fantasy literature. Indian and Greek myths, of course. But also Terry Pratchett's influence is very obvious in many pages. J. R. R. Tolkien peeks out from numerous corners of the book. There are nods to J. K. Rowling and C. S. Lewis as well. And yet the book is distinctively Samit Basu's.

The best part of the book is that it doesn't reveal everything about it in the first reading. The action is unrelenting and absorbing. This is quite a page turner. The reader is forced to read through the book in first sitting. But there are so many layers to the book, that it should be a pleasure to return to it and attempt to uncover references rushed through in the first reading. This is a particularly important book, given the paucity of such material in Indian writing.

This book is written to an audience reasonably familiar with the fantasy genre, both ancient and modern. This is the only reason for a 4 star review. A casual reader would enjoy it, but you really need to have read some fantasy before, or at least have nodding familarity with Indian culture before you can fully appreciate it.

When I first started this book I was not sure that I would enjoy it. My friend told me that it was like "A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" but with a real plot and references to "The Lord of the Rings" and mythology instead of science fiction, an idea that sounded more than a little dubious to me. Now this series is my favorite of all time. It's funny, has well developed characters, and an involving plot. I noticed that one other review said that it was translated, but it was in fact written in English as is the authors blog, "The Duck of Destiny." Unluckily, it's sequel, "The Manticore's Secret", is not published in the United States, so it's a little hard to acquire. Gaaaah! Can't wait any longer for the third and last book to come out.

Samit Basu has proven himself a brick-like ombudsman of an author. He's sharp, funny, irreverent, and spangly, all wrapped up in a literary cloak of many colors. I applaud him with both hands.

I loved The Simoqin Prophecies!!!! As I was reading the book, it was hilarious finding people from legends and references to other novels pop up all over the place. The important thing here is that the author is not plagiarizing. He's getting us to look at history and legend in a different way. If you can't understand that, you missed the entire plot of the novel. I can't wait for the next book.
Anyone with a love for reading and a sense of humor can appreciate this profoundly irreverent tale. And the guy who left one star review should hurry to the hospital immediately and get the stick removed!

Great book! Great Read!!
The sequel is out in India 'Manticores Secret', Penguin, India and when is it coming to AMAZON?!! I am in the US and I want to read the sequel!!!! Where will I get it?!!

This book is hilarious! It spoofs many popular books and just about any bit of pop culture you can think of without making the entire book a joke. Their is a great story line with enough plot twists that it kept my interest between the jokes. A must read for all Monty Python fans and anyone who likes The Lord of the Rings. I look forward to the sequel

Needing something to pass the time on a flight, I bought this book purely on the strength of what was written on the jacket and the first 2 pages of the book. I was not disappointed. It was the most enjoyable read I have had in quite a while.

The book is written almost like an irreverent spoof of many scifi/fantasy novels and or movies. But, it does have a very good story and plot.

cons:
1. Some of the references or jokes within the indian context may be lost on others.
2. I must say, I saw the end twist coming halfway through the book.

This book makes me sad - it could actually have been any good, if Basu had had a good editor. There are some promising ideas and some promising writing. There is, however, a whole lot of trite cliches and blantant copying of other authors ideas. Those last are among the most cringeworthy aspects of the book: they appear without rhyme or reasons as standalone paragraphs, don't fit into the universe and make one doubt the judgement of the writer.

Stay away, I wish I had.