A Book Review: Temple by Matthew Reilly

Do you like a book with heart-pounding actions? Do you like Indiana Jones?

If you answer "yes" to both questions, then check out a novel called, Temple. This book, written by Australian author Matthew Reilly, is a page-turning thriller set in the green jungle of Peru. Temple was published in 1999, and it is one of the earliest entries in Matthew's bibliography. If I may add, Temple is also one of his best books.

Synopsis:

- A mystical, precious idol carved in the shape of a legendary creature.

- A temple, housing a sacred but ancient secret belonging to the Incan people, buried in the jungle of Peru.

- A diary, four centuries old, detailing the unbelievable yet harrowing adventure of a monk.

- A professor of language, forced into joining a strange expedition organized by the US army.

These four factors collide, unearthing a forgotten memory. In the process, unleashing the apocalypse!

My thoughts on this book:

I am a slow reader. I usually read 2 hours a day, and I can only read 50 pages in one hour. Temple is approximately 600 pages and it took me 3 days to read the first half of it.

But I devoured the second half of the book, 300 pages, in one afternoon.

I don't think "fast-paced" can adequately describe, the thrilling experience of reading Temple. No, this book is unputdownable and its pace "flies". As for the story, this one is a roller coaster ride. Just when you think the story is over, Matthew would surprise you with more tricks up his sleeve, and the plot suddenly does a 180 degree turn. This book borrowed some elements from Indiana Jones, and firing up the adventure with pages after pages of octane driven actions, all narrated in Matthew Reilly's trademark – writings and descriptions with a cinematic quality. It suffices to day, Temple is hella fun!

Matthew casted William Race, an unassuming language professor, to be the hero in the book. I think most readers would like William Race. For me, 20 pages into the book, I already rooted for him. I like William Race's character. He may be bookish, but William is also capable of diving into the actions, though reluctantly. The result is a somewhat comical but very admirable hero, one that stands out from the galore of fictional protagonists in mass paperback thrillers. I wonder if Matthew will write another novel about William Race's adventure. I hope he will, and I look forward to reading it.

The bottom line, Temple is a must read for fans of treasure hunt stories and Indiana Jones movies; you know who you are. If this is you, then check out this book. I bought this book for $1 at a second hand book fair, it was money well spent. But I would be willing to spend $20 for it, because Temple is damn good.

Until the next time, happy reading!

A Book Review: City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett (The Divine Cities #3)

Why do we read fictions? What is the point of reading made-up stories about imaginary characters who aren't real?

For me, looking into a story of a made-up person is like staring into my reflection in the mirror, it shows me things about myself that I cannot see; the flaws, the hopes, the strengths, the weaknesses, and the colors of life. I find great values in made-up stories about imaginary people. Recently, I read City of Miracles, and this book spoke to me in a profound way.

Written by Robert Jackson Bennett, City of Miracles is the final book in a trilogy known as "The Divine Cities". I like the first, and the second installment in this trilogy, but I like City of Miracles the most. Here is a synopsis for the book.

Synopsis:

A bomb exploded in a luxurious hotel. When the dust settled, the police found the mortal remain of Shara Komyad, the former Saypuri prime minister, and a friend to Sigurd Harkvaldsson.

Sigurd grieves for his friend, vengeance has his heart, it always has. And so Siguard made his way to the main continent, seeking the assassin who killed his friend. The investigation ultimately led Sigurd to the city of Bulikov, the city of miracles. In the streets of this ancient city, Siguard would uncover a hidden war, and challenge an angry god. At the bottom of all this, lies the truth to Shara's death, and the key to Siguard's salvation.

My thoughts on this book:

In The Divine Cities trilogy, every book features a different protagonist. In City of Miracles, the protagonist is Sigurd, who has consistently appeared in the previous 2 books as one of the main characters. In the first book, Sigurd made his debut as a silent protector of Shara, and readers were given a glimpse into his dark, violent past. In the second book, Sigurd was the catalyst in a great event. Despite his heavy involvement in the series, there was always something mysterious about this man, and the author never gave us the answer. In the third book, though, we finally get to see a story from Sigurd's perspective, and the book also satisfied our curiosity, when it revealed the answers to all of our burning questions about him.

Every book in this trilogy has a different theme. City of Stairs explores how censorship can affect people at every level in a society. City of Blades explores the belief about the afterlife. So, what is the theme in City of Miracles? This book, is about Sigurd's rage, it is about his life-long obsession with righting the wrong, how it tormented him, and how, he found peace at the end of a journey, an ending that tasted both bitter and sweet.

I deeply connected with Sigurd and this book. I don't know how to explain it, but have you ever had the experience, where you discovered that something big, something popular, is terribly wrong? Then you feel the need to right the wrong, so other people won't fall victim to it like you did. Then you throw yourself into the fight for the truth, or for justice. You may become very good at fighting against this "wrong". But this "wrong" you are fighting against always comes back, to make you fight more. It's like rolling a snowball down the hill, a fixation that takes over your whole life. Years later, you discovered that you never moved on from where you were at.

Have you had this experience? I believe this is called, an obsession. What I described above is Sigurd's story, and my story, too.

The funny thing, last week, a friend and I were just talking about the topic of obsession. We have had a similar experience that was life changing. Then during the weekend, I read City of Miracles. This book, a mixture of thrillers, fantasy, and a spy novel, gripped me with its beautiful story and powerful writings. Meanwhile, its theme, about obsessions over correcting the wrong, this theme deeply touched me. Peace did come to Sigurd, albeit too late, but I still have plenty of time to make up for the lost years. When I closed this book, I was overwhelmed by feelings that I cannot put into words. I sat on my bed, stared into the vacant space and reflected on my life; all the time I misspent, every opportunity I wasted, the hurts I architected for myself, all because I could not let go. At that moment, I made a decision to change – be free, live for a better tomorrow, not for a bad yesterday. I don't have to correct every wrong I encountered in my life. 

Thank you, Robert Jackson Bennett, for writing one of the most creative and moving fantasy series of all time. This book, is the perfect way to end a majestic trilogy. And thank you again, for writing Sigurd's story, a story that showed me, how I can move on and find inner peace. Mr. Bennett, you may not be aware of it, but City of Miracles is changing my life.

A Book Review: City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett (The Divine Cities #2)

Today I am going to review Robert Jackson Bennett's book, City of Blades. This is the second installment in an urban fantasy trilogy titled, The Divine Cities. After a lengthy consideration, I decided to write this review in a very different way. I hope my thoughts will interest you. I am going to start my review this way...

Some say, life has no meaning if there is no afterlife.

I question, can afterlife have meaning without afterafterlife?

Ok, let me set aside the (half) joke.

Lying at the core of most religious/spiritual beliefs, is the notion, there is a heavenly existence beyond the current one. By following a particular god, so say the evangelists, one can be granted with salvation, and receiving the key to enter some sort of “heaven”. While different religions phrase the mechanics for salvation differently, but the general idea remains the same. Therefore, let's just stick to this concept for what it is– you follow some god, and that god will give you salvation, and brings you to some kind of heaven when your earthly existence is due.

I suppose, people can incessantly argue about the existence of heaven, hell, salvation, sin, and the whole shebang. But I am interested in a different question:

Will you still follow your god, if your god does not promise an afterlife and reward in heaven? If your god says, you only have this single life, when it is due and the universe dies, then it is game over and you cease to exist, no more. Will you still follow your god?

“But there must be heaven for the faithful and hell for the rebellious”, you said, “otherwise there is no judgement for the moral right and wrong." With a stern face, you concluded, "a god who does not reward or punish, is no god at all”.

“What do you mean, right and wrong?”, I said, “currently, your god sounds awfully like a deity who was created in your image, to fulfill your fancy for how the universe ought to behave”.

“In fact”, I continued, “Is a thing good because your god says it is good? Or does your god say a thing is good because it is good? If you respond with the later, then it means “good” comes from a higher source, and it imposes itself on your god, making your god redundant for moral good. On the other hand, if you respond with the former, then you are subscribing to a harmful belief, where whatever your god commands to be good, is good (religious terrorism, anyone?).

“Ok listen”, you said, “there is a third option, the nature of my god is good, so my god cannot command anything that is against his nature”.

“Hmm”, I questioned, “where did the nature of your god come from?”. A small pause, then I continued, “If you say, your god is the uncreated creator, and is therefore in control, or self-creating, of his nature, then it means good is once again, based on your god's authority, and we are back to the harmful belief, where you believe whatever your god commands is good, is good. Alternatively, if your god does not choose that nature, then the source that imposed the nature upon your god, is the source of good and your god is once again, made redundant for moral good.”

What a dilemma! Please excuse me if the above paragraphs are dense and heady. I hope it is interesting. However, you are welcomed to try and resolve this problem. But this dilemma, known as Euthyphro dilemma, first proposed by Socrates, has remained unsolved for thousands of years. This is the silver bullet to those who use the moral argument for the existence of supernatural deities.

My gentle readers, while I leave you to explore this dilemma, my question remains: Will you still follow your god if he does not promise you an afterlife, or reward in heaven?

City of Blades explores the above question.

Like many good novels, this book started with a mystery. A secret agent has gone missing on the cold, windy shore of Voortyashtan. This is a domain once belonged to the (now) deceased goddess of war and destruction. Since the goddess' demise, the city of Voortyashtan has lost much of its former glory, it is reduced to an outpost, troubled by savage tribes. General Turyuin Mulaghesh received a call from the prime minister of Saypuri. Reluctantly, Mulaghesh left her retired life, and agreed to investigate the fate of the missing agent. As Mulaghesh came closer to the heart of the mystery, so does the dead whisper louder in her ears. She wonders, after a god died, what happens to the souls of the dead who are trapped in the afterlife?

City of Blades stands apart from a galore of books in the genre. The worldbuilding in this book evokes the image of post-colonialism. Furthermore, its characterization is unlike most fantasy novels, it does not feature a young and dashing hero. Instead, Mulaghesh, the protagonist, is a 50 something year old woman. She is an ex-military, a weathered creature, who became handicapped during her service. This also means Mulaghesh walks around carrying some baggage from the past; a few regrets, a few horrid memories from wars, and she has tasted the bitter and the sweet in life. Mulaghesh is far from being the all-powerful and flawless hero of fantasy archetype. She is experienced and a bit cynical. Yet, under her hard exterior lies a tired soul who genuinely tries to do the right thing. I like Mulaghsesh, while there are many interesting supporting characters in this book, but she carries the narratives on her own.

City of Blades, like its predecessor, is a fusion of fantasy, mystery, and spy novels. It explores the question about afterlife, and its role in the relationship between believers and their god. It does so, through a story about gods, miracles, the death of gods, and the death of miracles. The theme is thought-provoking, and not wholly unrelated to the philosophies I attempted to expound in my opening paragraphs. The book is very well-written, its story is interesting, featuring a cast of memorable characters. I do have a minor complaint about this book, its pacing was a bit odd at certain places. Otherwise, this book is great. This book features an unusual protagonist, a good story, while exploring the philosophical question about the afterlife. City of Blades has my recommendation. Check out this series, starting from the first book, City of Stairs.