A Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale is the most horrifying non-horror novel I have ever read. This book terrified me, because its dystopian vision feels both familiar and real. It is as if this book is describing a nightmarish future that can be, because it is a future that will repeat the past.  

Margaret Atwood wrote this book in 1984, and it was during the time when the Christian fundamentalists were gaining political influences in the US. Despite its contents and the historical background, this book is not targeting at any specific religious or political group. No, The Handmaid's Tale is a warning, of how easily and quickly, things can go wrong, when a group, a faction, or a person, gains too much power in the absence of accountability. Totalitarianism can go by any slogan; be it the left, the right, Hitler, Stalin etc.. you name it. Indeed, power manipulation, is the major theme in this harrowing novel, and it is even more relevant to our current time.

Synopsis:

The US government dissolved after a nuclear war and environmental destructions. In its place, The Republic of Gilead was born. This new government is founded on ideologies even more extreme than that of puritanism.The fertility rate, meanwhile, has plummeted to an all time low.

The Gilead government introduced new laws in the name of anti-terrorism and re-population. These were laws that redefined the status and the role for men and women, and giving birth to a class of women known as the "handmaids".

Inspired by the story of Rachel and Jacob in Genesis 30:1-3, a handmaid's primary function is to give birth, and her value depends solely on her reproductive power and the viability of her ovary. It was here when our story began, with a young woman known as Offred. She is a handmaid, who lies on her back once a month and hoping the Commander can successfully make her pregnant...

My thoughts on this book:

Dystopian fiction is not my forte. Admittedly, I have not even read iconic works in the genre, such as The Hunger Games, Fahrenheit 451, or Nineteen Eighty Four. So why The Handmaid's Tale? Why did I choose this book to be my first voyage into the world of dystopian fiction? Because everyone in my book club has read this book except me, and I have also read a lot of good reviews for this book, about how, its story is especially relevant to our time.

I borrowed this book from my local library, but I waited 5 months for it. This book was so popular that the moment it was returned, someone else would borrow it. When this book finally became available to me, I could not help but feel the excitement surged through me. Finally, I was going to read The Handmaid's Tale!

Over the next four nights, I read this book from the start to the finish. While I cannot say I "enjoyed" The Handmaid's Tale, but the book is thought provoking. I liked this book, but I could not enjoy it because it was too disturbing and terrifying. This is not a story that was meant to be "enjoyed" as one would enjoy, say, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea or Harry Potter. No, The Handmaid's Tale is the stuff of nightmares, and it is scary because every horror and curel act in this book is grounded in our very own history.

Yes, the terrible stuff in this book did not come from the author's own imaginations, but they were inspired by our history. This is why, a sense of familiarity, like deja vu, will creep up your spine while you read it. I have read some essays arguing if the scenario in The Handmaid's Tale can happen in today's world. I think those arguments are missing the point. Personally, I think the value of this book is not dependant on whether if it can accurately predict our future. No, I think this book is relevant to our time because it is sending us a warning, about power manipulation. It warns us about the danger of zealously subscribing to an ideological camp while abandoning independent thoughts. Indeed, our society has a growing trend, where independent thinking is dying slowly. People are no longer evaluating and judging a proposal based on its own merit. Instead, more and more people are identifying themselves by ideological camps and tribes, where they tick the "doctrinal checkboxes" of the particular tribe/faction they wish to belong to. That, I opine, is severely undercutting and killing the civic democracy. Why? Because once you identified yourself with a tribe and think you are on the "good" side, then even if your tribe is doing something wrong you will not see it. This is how totalitarianism can manifest and grow.

Aside from its major theme about power manipulation, The Handmaid's Tale also explored other themes such as; women's bodies as political instruments, language as a tool of power, and how we become complacent. Each of these themes is fascinating and worthy of exploration. I will leave the would-be readers to explore them. It suffices to say, in the mere space of 300 pages, Margaret Atwood weaved a story that is simple on the surface, but complex and thoughtful underneath. Her prose captured, vividly, the details in every scene, as well as the character's thoughts and emotions. This is a character-driven book, and its characters will leave lasting memories on your mind.

So far, I have praised The Handmaid's Tale, but there is one thing I disliked about this book. When it comes to speculative fictions, I (personally) prefer a novel to have the following structures - An introduction by worldbuilding, followed by the main story, before finally reaching the climax and the conclusion. The Handmaid's Tale, however, doesn't follow this structure. Instead of building the whole world at the beginning, this book was doing worldbuilding throughout the entire story. Even at the end of the story, it was still giving us worldbuilding information. This is not a big issue, but a matter of personal taste, and it did dampen my fondness for this book slightly.

The Handmaid's Tale is a disturbing novel and it is not for the light hearted. Yet, it is an important book. Its themes are especially relevant to our time. It warns us to be forever watchful of power manipulation, especially of those factions and tribes we dearly trust. This is because totalitarianism can go by any name and slogan. My gentle readers, I highly recommend The Handmaid's Tale to you.

A Book Review: The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker (Prince of Nothing #3)

“Set aside your conviction,” Moënghus said, “for the feeling of certainty is no more a marker of truth than the feeling of will is a marker of freedom. Deceived men always think themselves certain, just as they always think themselves free. This is simply what it means to be deceived.”

        -R. Scott Bakker, The Thousandfold Thought

Written by R. Scott Bakker, Prince of Nothing trilogy reached its conclusion in The Thousandfold Thought. This saga, began with The Darkness That Comes Before, is a fantasy epic, and a vehicle, to explore the consequences of certainty and the human conditions. The story is set in an ancient world not dissimilar to our own pasts, vibrant with history, cultures and religions. Yet, just like our own violent history, Bakker's world is also bloodied by horrendous acts, committed by faithful, pious men and women out of sincerely held beliefs.

The Thousandfold Thought is remarkably shorter than its two predecessors. This book stands at a reasonable length of 481 pages. The question, did this book deliver a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, or was it a let down? To me, this book was hit and miss, while the book had its moments of brilliance, but overall, I opine the book is leaning more to the side of disappointment.

Synopsis:

Anasûrimbor Kelhus, the Warrior Prophet, is now the supreme leader of the Holy War. From the army camp to the besieged city streets, men and women sang praises for this new messiah, they look upon him with eyes full of wonder and awe.

"Hail Kellhus, the infallible prophet".

"Hail Kellhus, our Aspect Emperor".

The Holy War marches on, while the chants and songs for the Warrior Prophet shake the heavens. Their destination – The City of Shmieh, where the Holy War will finally confront and destroy their enemy, the Cishaurim.

My thoughts on this book:

Prince of Nothing trilogy is among the most thoughtful works in the fantasy genre. These books laid bare, the truth about belief systems, and the role they played in the history of a world that is very much like our own. Some parts of this trilogy reminded me of the crusader history, while other parts reminded me of the disturbing stories I read about from religious scriptures. There are so many take aways from these books, especially the first two installments; they were wonderful.

Yes, the first two installments in the trilogy were marvellous, but what about the last book?

The truth is, I did not enjoy the third book as much as I did its predecessors. The first half of this book maintained the pace, and the gripping story, from The Warrior Prophet. In this half, Bakker continued the stories of Kellhus, Achmain, Esmi, and Cnaur. There were many plot twists and shocking revelations. By the second half, however, Bakker suddenly departed from the narrative style in the first half (and the previous books). Instead, the storytelling began to jump from one POV character to the next, in very short successions. In the second half, each POV character's "segment" average to about 3 to 5 pages, and it made the book very confusing and difficult to follow. To make matters even worse, these characters weren't the major characters that we (the readers) have become familiar with. No, in the second half, Bakker introduced dozens of new characters, and new locations, to establish his new POV narratives. As a reader, I found it really difficult to keep track of these new characters and places, and the second half of the book often confused me. The last 150 pages, in particular, was the most confusing part of the book, and I am still not quite sure what I was reading.

It was only after I finished reading this novel did I discover, a massive, 150+ page appendix at the end of the book. I am guessing the author intended his readers to consult the appendix for the galores of new characters and locations that he introduced in the second half. Fair enough, so there is an appendix. In my opinion, if a story requires its reader to constantly consult the appendix by flipping to the back of the book, then it is not good storytelling.

Indeed, the storytelling, it is the bane for The Thousandfold Thought. Don't get me wrong, I still liked Bakker's prose and his characters, but in this book, the storytelling was especially poor and disjointed. Furthermore, the ending in this book was a let down. Why? Well, the previous two books, both massive in sizes, built up a promising and rich story, but this (arguably) concluding volume ended the story at a cliff hanger, with many threads unresolved. It felt like the author was kind of saying, "oh look, by the way, this ending is actually giving you a taste for my second trilogy".

This book may be disappointing, but it does not mean the whole trilogy is not worth reading. No, I think Prince of Nothing trilogy is intelligent. In our world, there are many people trying to sell us, certainty, in the guise of philosophy, but what they are truly selling us is philosophy with questions left out. True philosophy is a position of humility, it should ask more questions than providing answers, so it is the opposite to certainty. In many ways, Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy has good philosophy; its story is a vessel, for exploring the consequences of certainty, and it does so by asking great questions.

A Book Review: The Warrior Prophet by R. Scott Bakker (Prince of Northing #2)

"Most men would rather die in deception than live in uncertainty. "

     

   - R. Scott Bakker, The Warrior Prophet

In The Warrior Prophet, fantasy novelist and philosopher, R. Scott Bakker, continued his sprawling epic and exploring the consequences of certainty. This book has a holy war, fought in a fictional world rich with history, culture, and religion. Indeed, religion; for what else can symbolize certainty better than religion?

Synopsis:

The Holy War is marching to the city of Shimeh, but deceptions are threatening to tear down its massive ranks from within. Among the factions of the Holy War walks Anasurimbor Kellhus, a charismatic individual seeking to extend his dominion over the entire army. It appears, that Kellhus would either make, or break, the Holy War. On the outside, Kellhus is benevolent and preternaturally intelligent, but what is his true purpose? Is he the Warrior Prophet and the voice of the solitary god? Or is he a blasphemer?

My thoughts on this book:

I liked The Warrior Prophet more than TheDarkness That Comes Before. The previous book, The Darkness That Comes Before, was a difficult read, it had me puzzled over its strange character and location names. By the time I was reading The Warrior Prophet, however, I was more familiar with this fictional world and its people, and so I was able to appreciate the story better. Having said this, I think The Warrior Prophet would have been a stronger novel if it was shortened by 100 pages.

R. Scott Bakker wrote well in this book. Although I would say his characterization is better than his storytelling. In my opinion, sometimes Bakker dwelled too much into a character's thoughts, and it hampered the storytelling as well as bogging down the pace. On the other hand, Bakker's characterization was top notch. There were 4 major characters in this book; a sorcerer called Achmain, a barbarian chieftain called Cnaur, a prostitute called Esmi, and finally, Kellhus, the mysterious prophet. The story is built upon Kellhus and his deeds, but it was mostly narrated from the perspectives of Achmain, Cnau, and Emsi, and this is where the book became very interesting. Allow me to explain.

Almost every religion has holy scriptures, scriptures describing the ministerial lives and the teachings of its founder. This founder was usually charismatic and inhumanly intelligent (and wise). However, the scriptures were often written from the perspectives of the followers and the admirers of that founder, and not by the founder himself. Therefore, not only do we lack the complete information about the founder's entire life, but more importantly, how do we know, what were the founder's real thoughts and desires underneath his benevolent exteriors? In this regard, The Warrior Prophet provided an interesting thought experiment. As mentioned, this book is mostly narrated from the perspectives of three characters, and each of them represents a different view/take on Kellhus and who he was. Achmain was in awe of Kellhus' preternatural intelligence and abilities, Cnaur, who knew Kellhus the longest, saw him as a monster to be feared and hated, while Esmi admired Kellhus' benevolence. Meanwhile, Kellhus himself was more like a force of nature in this book. The narratives, and these characters' viewpoints, brought an an interesting dynamic and tension into their relationships. On the other hand, as readers, we are given an omniscient view of the story, and therefore we were handed the truth about Kellhus himself. It suffices to say, I found Kellhus a most fascinating character, but I also found his true purpose, and his moral centre, deeply disturbing.

Overall, Bakker's characters were tormented and flawed. There was authenticity in the way he depicted the human conditions. Bakker also did an excellent job at depicting every faction in the Holy War. No one was "good", but no one was "bad", each faction was simply doing, in accordance with their faiths, what they believed to be righteous.

The results of these "righteous" acts were horrible, and they also felt familiar, as if they are echoes from our own violent pasts. For example, one of the major scenes in this book was a city invasion, it was a massacre, and it was depicted in the form of a military report, blow-by-blow accounts, detached of emotions. However, this type of "fact-driven" narrative was curiously effective, it felt more brutal and terrifying despite its lack of embellishments. This book was about a Holy War, the city siege/massacre scenes in this book were disturbing, just like the Old Testament is disturbing (such as the Canaanite conquests). This is a very dark book, but it provokes its reader to think, not just about religion and beliefs, but more importantly, about certainty. The world of Earwa is much like our world, it is rich with history, culture, and religion. Yet, just like our world, Earwa is also full of deeply flawed people who did horrible and nasty things to each other, out of deeply and sincerely held beliefs.

This book reminds us of the importance of doubt - Doubt begets understanding, understanding begets compassion; it is the conviction that kills, hurts, and destroys. Sadly, a lot of people would choose certainty over doubt, even if the things they are certain about is a lie.

The Warrior Prophet is a very good fantasy novel. The book's storytelling may have some shortcomings, but its realistic and suffering characters will hook you into the story. The tone in this book is very dark, very grim, and it has a world inhibited by deeply flawed people. But it reminds us of our own violent history. It reminds us of why doubt is essential and certainty breeds tragedies. This book (series) may not be for everyone, but if you are a fantasy enthusiast, and you like to think about the human conditions, then I would highly recommend this trilogy to you, starting with the first book, The Darkness That Comes Before.

Stayed tune for my next post, where I will be reviewing the conclusion to Prince of Nothing Trilogy, titled, The Thousandfold Thought.