Book Review: Silverthorn by Raymond Feist (Riftwar Saga #2)

  After I discovered the treasure that is Magician, I paddled on, and read the second book in Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist, titled Silverthorn. In terms of the sizes of these books, Silverthorn is only 380 pages, not even half as long as Magician which is 840 pages. The general consensus from Goodreads (and from other book review sites), is that Magician is the best book in Riftwar Saga. In fact, a few people even claimed that Magician is the best book Raymond Feist has ever written. As a result, I lowered my expectation as I ventured into Silverthorn. Yet, the question remains, even if Silverthorn cannot fully re-create the charms of Magician, does it stand up as a worthy sequel to Magician? Let's find out.

Synopsis:

Following the events in Magician, the Kingdom of Isles enjoyed one year of peace under the reign of her new king, Lyam coDoin. While his younger brother, Arutha, ruled as the Prince of Krondor. More blessings greeted the already peaceful kingdom, when Prince Arutha and Princess Anita announced the news of their engagement.

Tragedy struck at Arutha and Anita's wedding ceremony, when an assassination attempt left Princess Anita wounded by a deadly, poisonous dart. To save his beloved, Arutha must discover the cure. Old and new friends joined Arutha on this mission, as they set out on a race against time, to uncover the cure to the poison. However, our band of brave heroes could not have foreseen, that their quest would unveil a sinister plan at work, manipulated by an ancient, dark power seeking to dominate Midkemia.

What I think about this book:

I was surprised at how good this book is. Perhaps this is because I lowered my expectations for Silverthorn after reading various book reviews. In my opinion, I do think Silverthorn is not as charming as Magician, because not only is this a much shorter book, but the scope in Silverthorn is also much narrower than in Magician. In other words, while Magician gave readers a very “epic” feel, Silverthorn feels like a much narrower, specific story. Instead of having a storyline that spanned over a decade like in Magician, the story in Silverthorn took place over a much shorter period of time.

Another major difference between Magician and Silverthorn is, while Magician had a theme that's not common in fantasy fictions, the theme in Silverthorn is a one that is more typical to a novel in the fantasy genre. i.e. At its core, Silverthorn is a quest story, where a band of heroes travel to a certain location to fulfill a mission, while combating the minions of a dark lord. Furthermore, unlike Magician, Silverthorn is not a stand alone novel. The ending of Silverthorn has a cliffhanger, where the story would be completed in the final book in Riftwar Saga.

Having said all of these, I still think Silverthorn is a good book. While it is not in the same league as Magician (but again, not many fantasy novels are as good as Magician), still it spellbinds its readers with its own strengths. For starters, Silverthorn is supported by a very strong cast of characters. Not only do readers meet returning characters such as Arutha, Lyam, Martin, Pug and Tomas, but this book also introduced a very interesting, new character called Jimmy the Hand. He is a witty, young thief who became a loyal friend to Arutha, and provided invaluable aids to his quest. The story in Silverthorn is much darker than in Magician, but Jimmy's occasional, witty humor certainly brightened up our heroes' perilous journey. I really like Jimmy the Hand, I think he is a fun and interesting character, and I can't wait to see more future stories featuring Jimmy.

Feist also did an excellent job at creating mysteries and suspense in the story. Several plot twists and mysteries unfolded gradually as the story progressed, and the suspense was gripping enough to keep me guessing throughout the whole book. I was surprised by several unexpected twists and turns in the story. While reading this book, I never knew what to expect in the next chapter, although at the back of my mind, I knew our heroes weren't going to endure any permanent harms in the story, but I still felt a real sense of danger for the characters anyway.

The scope of Silverthorn is nowhere as grand as in Magician. Nevertheless, Feist still jam-packed a lot of story elements and sub-plots into Silverthorn. Despite the large amount of contents in this book, it never became convoluted, and it was really easy to follow the story. Feist seem to be a master storyteller who is able to spin a yarn loaded with contents, yet still tell it in a most simple, unconfused way; complex but not complicated. The pace of the book flowed smoothly, I cannot recall a single, dull moment while reading this book. When I turn to the last page of Silverthorn, I was eager to start reading the next book.

I enjoyed reading Silverthorn. While it may not be as epic and charming as Magician, but Silverthorn has its own unique beauty, enchanting its readers. It has a very strong cast of characters, and a gripping story to warrant a fun, enjoyable read for lovers of fantasy fiction.

Book Review: Magician by Raymond Feist (Riftwar Saga #1)

  There is a list for books called The Big Read, this is a survey carried out by BBC in 2003, to find the most beloved novels in the UK of all time. There are 200 books on this list, very few of them are fantasy novels, written by famous practitioners of the genre such as; Terry Pratchett, J.R.R Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, and C.S Lewis. At number 89 of this list, is a fantasy novel called Magician, written by Raymond Feist,.

When Magician was published in 1982, it was an instant success. Based on this success, Feist expanded the storyline and wrote 2 more books, and the trilogy is collectively known as Riftwar Saga. When Magician was published, it defined what the fantasy genre was going to be for the next two decades, at least until the recent arrival of “grim dark” fantasy such as A Song of Ice and Fire and The Malazan book of the Fallen, in the 21^th century.

I guess this means, a 21^th century reader may expect Magician to be a typical fantasy trope tumbling with cliches. This is why I did not read this book until recently, when Magician (and the rest of Riftwar Saga) were published with new covers. I really like the artworks on these new book covers, so I purchased the entire trilogy (yes, I confess, sometimes I buy a book based on its cover). After I read Magician, I have to say this is an excellent book, but most importantly, I was really surprised by this book, because it proved my expectations for this book were completely off the mark.

Today, I would like to provide a review for Magician.

Synopsis:

Kingdom of Isles has enjoyed two decades of peace, one of its frontier cities, Crydee, is ruled by Duke Borric, the third most powerful man in the kingdom. Our story began at the city of Crydee with two boys, Pug, and his best friend Tomas. Pug was an orphan, a kitchen boy at Duke Borric's castle, while Tomas was the son to the master cook at the castle. When they came to age, Pug became an apprentice to a master magician, his friend Tomas became an apprentice to the duke's sword master.

An otherworldly, mysterious shipwreck landed at the coast of Crydee. Out of curiosity, Pug and Tomas arrived at the scene to investigate the alien wreckage. What Pug and Tomas discovered at the wreckage whirled them into a tornado of conflicts, a war waging across a rift that tore through the fabrics of time and space. Here began an epic adventure, where a kitchen boy is destined to become the most powerful magician ever lived, and the fates of two worlds will be changed forever.

What I think about this book:

I love Magician. I regret not having read this book sooner than later. As I have mentioned earlier, when Magician was published in 1982, it defined the fantasy genre for the next two decades. Therefore, it does have story elements that would be deemed as cliches by modern day readers. For examples, not only do elves, dwarfs and goblins appeared in this book, but the story hinged on the journey of two seemingly unimportant boys, as they gradually transitioned into mighty heroes who would eventually save the world. This kind of story elements have almost taken the status of permanent residency in the fantasy genre, especially in fantasy novels from the 80s (such as The Belgariad by David Eddings).

However, at the same time, Magician also surprised me. Yes, this book does have elves, dwarfs, and goblins. Yet, unlike most fantasy novels, these magical creatures have very little to do with the main story. Furthermore, while the protagonists are two boys becoming mighty heroes to save the world, but the story of Magician is also refreshing, and in many ways, it is unique because it is not a typical good versus evil yarn. Neither is Magician radiating auras of moral ambiguities (A trademark of “dark grim” fantasy). Instead, what makes Magician unique and refreshing, is at its centre, it is a story about the clash of cultures. Not just a clash between the old culture against the new one, but it is also a story about two, totally different cultures colliding heads on against each other, presiding over a conflict of interests.

Let me explain (minor spoiler alert here), in Magician, the story revolves around a war, waged across a rift that tore through time/space, bridging two worlds together. On one side, we have the protagonists who are denizens, and defenders for Kingdom of Isles, which is based on a culture resembling the medieval, European influence. On the other hand, we have the invading Tsurani forces, they resemble a pseudo Samurai, feudal Japanese culture. In this book, the invading Tsurani forces played the role of antagonists, but as the story unfolds, readers gain an insight into the Tsurani world, where the book explored the motivations behind the Tsurani invasion. And just like most real life wars involving 2 nations, there are good and bad people fighting on both sides. Meanwhile, the conflict may be resolved by improving the old culture with an integration, and an understanding of the new one. This book weaved the theme of a cultural clash into its essence, depicting the complexity and the dynamics of a cultural clash thoughtfully, it is unique and refreshing in that it did not inherit the typical fantasy trope such as a quest against an evil overlord (minor spoiler alert ends here).

Magician is also vast in its scope. The story spanned over almost a decade, where more than a handful of characters appeared in this book. All characters are very likable, portrayed vividly with memorable qualities. Feist included a titanic amount of story elements, and subplots into this book, but it is marvelous that with this amount of content, this book never became convoluted. Despite it enormous scope, the story was extremely easy to follow through. The story flowed at a very good pace, it is fast enough such that there is not a dull moment. Yet, the story is not told in haste, allowing readers to explore the world and the characters in great details, savoring the rich background and the atmosphere in this book. This book can truly be described as “epic”, in a good way. I was really impressed by how Feist managed to fit a story of this scope into one book, and still kept the story exciting, concise and easy to follow. I mean, usually a story of this scope would be released in the format of a series, but Feist managed to put everything into one book at 800 pages in length, so that at the end of Magician, all plots and subplots are neatly concluded, and it is pretty much a stand alone novel by itself.

After I read Magician, I have decided to add this one to my personal list of favorite books. This book is vast in its scope, and rich in the story, blended with an interesting theme that is atypical to most fantasy novels. I have read many fantasy novels, and many times in the past, I felt a sense of relief when I finished a book. Magician, however, is not one of those books, I felt refreshed after I read this book instead. In fact, reading Magician turned out to be a rare occasion when I wished a book would never end, and was sorry to see the last page, wishing for more. In my opinion, I think Magician is a “must read” for any lovers of fantasy fictions, don't miss out on this one!

Book Review: The Power that Preserves (The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #3)

 Does morality matter to each of us, at an individual level? Or does morality only matter if our beliefs in (and about) this world are real and true?

As I turned to the last page of The Power that Preserves, the final book to The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, I walked away, feeling inspired to further explore this dynamic question. Most importantly, I just can't believe that despite a troublesome start at book 1, book 2 and 3 managed to turn around and grabbed my interest. I am so glad I persevered with this series after the first book, and read the entire trilogy. Today, I would like to review The Power that Preserves, this book provides a satisfying conclusion, to this very unique fantasy epic.

Synopsis:

Thomas Covenant has been twice summoned to the fantastic world of the Land, to aid the Lords at Revelstone, and combating the tyranny of Lord Foul, who is the physical incarnation of Despise.

However, Thomas Covenant found it hard to believe his experience at the Land was real. As a result, Covenant was reluctant to aid the Lords in their quest. Furthermore, Covenant's unbelief behaves as a double edged blade, cutting both ways. While his unbelief occasionally thwarted Lord Foul's advance, but his unbelief, leading to inaction, also harmed many people who came across his path in the Land.

Now, Covenant has been summoned to the Land for the third time. Upon his arrival, he found 7 bitter years has passed in the Land. During these 7 years, Lord Foul has mastered the power of Illearth Stone, and had become even more powerful through some mysterious, devious means. With his great power, Lord Foul brought an ever-lasting, harsh winter upon the Land, murdering this once fantastic world and its populace with blood chilling claws of icing death. Covenant is the Land's last hope to stop Lord Foul, he must discover, the power to preserve.

However, Lord Foul is the incarnation of Despise. What power can defeat Despise?

What I think about this book:

While The Power that Preserves provides a satisfying conclusion to this trilogy, but it is not a flawless book. I found the pace of the book uneven, and I felt this book would have been just as good, if it was shortened by 50 pages. This is because Stephen Donaldson's writing style is verbose, and the use of vocabulary in this book (and this series in general) is overly expansive. My opinion is, while this type of writing style does weave an atmosphere of intelligibility around this book, but after a while, a reader may find, that deciphering Donaldson's writings prove to be a nuisance than a stimulating exercise.

Having said this, I must say, that the style of writing in this book (and book 2) is still more approachable, in comparison to Lord Foul's Bane, the first installment in this series. However, Donaldson's verbose, flowery writing style hinders the pace of the story at several places, making this book (and the series in general) hard to sit through.

Despite its flaws, I did enjoy reading this book, because I think this book (and the series in general) is probably one of the most interesting creations in the genre of fantasy literature. While this is a story about good versus evil, but in the eye of the storm, it takes its readers on a journey to explore the boundaries of human morality. The protagonist in this series, is Thomas Covenant, a 20^th century American author who contracted leprosy at the height of his career and personal life. From there, as a leper, Covenant was shunned and rejected by the society and his family, attached with labels such as outcast and unclean. Then one day he was transported to a fantastic world called the Land, where he was forcibly thrown into a quest to combat an evil overlord. But Covenant's problem was that he did not believe his experience was real, hence calling himself “Thomas Covenant, the unbeliever”. Therefore, just as Covenant struggled with his mounting bitterness and self contempt from his life as a leper, he was also uncertain whether if he should bear the moral responsibilities for his actions (or lack of actions) in what he perceived to be a dream world, making him a reluctant anti-hero. i.e. Covenant was told he had the power to save the Land, but he did not know what that power was, and he lacked the conviction to try to save the Land. As a result, in the previous 2 books, Covenant inevitably hurt many people in the Land because he was reluctant to do anything.

In The Power that Preserves, Covenant was summoned to the Land for the 3^rd time. This time, Covenant bore witness to the fruits of his past doings in the land. Lord Foul, the incarnation of Despise, was gradually killing the Land and its people, because Covenant did nothing to help in the past. This is an interesting parallel between Covenant's leprosy which was gradually killing him (bodily and emotionally), and the Land being gradually killed by an evil entity which physically represents despise. Covenant was tormented by the sights of the suffering people due to the inactions of his past, and he was loosing himself just as the Land was lost. In this book, Covenant finally came to the realization, that he had to stand at the eye of the paradox between his unbelief and moral responsibilities, to discover the power that would preserve his very own nature, as well as the Land even if it was not real, because it mattered to him.

In my opinion, this premise made this book (and the series) worth reading for. The final showdown between Thomas Covenant and Lord Foul (AKA Despise) was probably one of the most captivating showdowns in the history of fantasy literature. It revolved around a question that everyone should be able to relate to: How does one defeat despise?

I think The Power that Preserves ended the journey of Thomas Covenant in a grand fashion. Despite the fact I did not appreciate Donaldson's writing style, but I do feel inspired to further explore and expand (or even alter) my current view on human morality. I would like to share here, that personally, as I closed The Power that Preserves, I walked away with a new found understanding, that I should act morally NOT on the grounds that my existing beliefs in (and about) this world are real or true. Instead, I should act morally regardless of any ground, because if I don't, then I cannot be.

Thank you for reading this review.

Book Review: The Illearth War by Stephen Donaldson (The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #2)

  Does morality only apply to a world that we believe is real?

Stephen Donaldson (perhaps unintentionally) provoked his readers to explore this question, in Lord Foul's Bane, the first book to The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. I thought Lord Foul's Bane had an interesting story, but I found it very difficult to read, because Donaldson's writing style was verbose and overly flowery. Yet, I decided to continue with reading this series, because the premise behind the story intrigued me. Furthermore, Donaldson named his fictional hero, Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. With a name like that (and what it may imply), I thought this series must contain some aspects of significance, for it to have achieved such a wholesome reputation.

At this point, I am happy to report, that I like the second book of this series, titled The Illearth War, ALOT more than Lord Foul's Bane. Today, I would like to provide a review for The Illearth War. If you have read Lord Foul's Bane but is uncertain if you would like to continue with reading this series, then feel free to read on. I hope my review will provide some useful information for your decision making.

Synopsis:

In Lord Foul's Bane, Thomas Covenant, an American man inflicted the dire disease of leprosy, was transported to a fantastic world known as the Land. He helped the Lords to retrieve the Staff of Law, an instrument to combat the evil Lord Foul. Upon the completion of the quest, Thomas Covenant woke up, and found himself returned to the “real” world. Covenant doubted the genuineness of his experience from the Land, he thought of it as an unreality, spawned from the depth of his tormented consciousness. Yet, he could not shake away those vivid memories from his mind. Nor can he ignore the overwhelming sense of responsibility and connections which he felt towards the people from the Land.

It has been a month since Covenant returned to the “real” world, Covenant has resumed his life as a leper. One night, Covenant once again found himself summoned to the Land for the second time. Upon his arrival, Covenant discovered that, 40 years has passed in the Land. During which, Lord Foul has gained possession of the Illearth stone, a source of ancient power. With this power in hand, Lord Foul marches unopposed, towards fulfilling the prophecy of doom. In their moments of helplessness, the Lords turned to Covenant once again for hope. However, Covenant lacks conviction, because he still does not believe his experience is a reality. Furthermore, Covenant is filled with self loathing and bitterness from his life as a leper. As a result, Covenant remains to be a wild card in the upcoming struggles against Lord Foul.

Will Covenant bring salvation to the Land? Or will he doom it for eternity?

What I think about this book:

In my opinion, The Illearth War is a much, much better book than Lord Foul's Bane. Perhaps I am getting used to Donaldson's writing style, but I found this book a lot easier to read than its predecessor. Whatever the reason may be, but the language in The Illearth War is not as verbose and pretentious as the one found in Lord Foul's Bane, and this book is more readable than the one before it.

This book is also structured differently compared to the previous installment, because the story in this book is narrated in the style of POV characters. The introduction of POV narration is a welcoming change, because it sheds new lights on the various characters who appeared in this book. Therefore, instead of constantly reading about Thomas Covenant's self loathing and bitterness as a leper, readers get to see the story from the perspectives of other characters in this book. More specifically, it is really interesting to see how other characters in the story viewed Thomas Covenant, i.e. how they marveled at the extent of Covenant's emotional wounds, therefore they are sympathetic towards Covenant although he continued to act like a jerk throughout the entire book.

The most intriguing aspect of this book, is the introduction of a new character called Hiles Troy, he is a major POV character in this book. In the story, Troy is like Covenant, who also (allegedly) came to the Land from the “real” world. Troy is an interesting character, because in many ways, he is what Covenant should have been, a courageous hero possessing convictions and certainty. Unlike Covenant, Troy is very sure about his beliefs, and he is unafraid of using available resources and powers for the benefit of his existing course. However, (without spoiling the story) it is for this reason that Troy is not, and can never be in the role that Thomas Covenant was meant to be in.

Thomas Covenant still occupies the spotlight in this book. I think Donaldson did an excellent job at portraying the character of Covenant. This time around, he is still the selfish, pathetic and bitter man who cowers in fear at the onset of every challenge. Yet, while I read this book, whenever I became frustrated at Covenant and despised him, I was also reminded that Covenant was a leper who tried to survive his ordeal. In fact, at several occasions, I was stunned by the extent of Covenant's emotional wounds. The wounds which he sustained from being branded as unclean, the wounds from being shunned by the people in the “real” world because he was a leper. Furthermore, Donaldson setup the plot quite well, so readers would eventually, at the moment of its revelation, grasp why Covenant's unbelief, despite being a doubled edged blade earlier in the story, is central to the story arc of this series.

At this point, I speculate the next book will probably contain the theme of power versus corruption. Meanwhile, I found The Illearth War to be a major improvement over its predecessor. I am glad that despite a somewhat frustrating experience with the first book, I hanged on and continued to read this series. I still spotted some problems found in the first book appearing in this book, such as the use of flowery language. Perhaps this is just Donaldson's default writing style, but compared to the first book, this book is more readable. Some readers may dislike this whole series, because Covenant is such a useless, whiny and pathetic creature. If this is you, then I suppose you would probably dislike this book as well. However, for those who found aspects of intrigues, in the premises behind the character of Thomas Covenant, may found this book to be an enjoyable read. As for me, I am looking forward to reading the third book, which is the final installment to The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, titled, The Power that Preserves.

Thank you for reading this book review. Until the next time, happy reading!

Book Review: Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen Donaldson (The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #1)

Does the human morality still apply in the virtual worlds, such as dreams?

In 1978, author Stephen Donaldson explored this fascinating, philosophical question, when he debut with a novel called Lord Foul's Bane. This is the first book to an epic, 10 books fantasy series, following the adventures of a man called Thomas Covenant, and his quests in a strange world called the Land.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, is very well known in the genre of fantasy fictions. It is reputed for its extensive use of uncommon vocabulary, and the interesting portrayal of anti-heroism. I added this series to my “to-read” list 2 years ago, I bought the first 3 books (i.e. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever) from ebay. it has been sitting on my bookshelf for months. Finally, I ventured into this series last week. Today, I would like to provide a book review for Lord Foul's Bane, the first book to this series.

Synopsis:

Thomas Covenant was a best-selling author, he had a wife and a son. Everything was going well in his life, when Ill-fortune struck, and he was inflicted with the dire disease of leprosy. Even in the 20^th century America, Covenant found himself labeled as unclean, his wife took their son and left him, while the community treated him as an outcast. Although his life hit an all-time low, Covenant was determined to battle leprosy and survive for as long as he can.

One day, a police car ran into Covenant, and he swooned, fading into unconsciousness. Covenant woke up in a foreign, and strange world known as the Land. The people here thought he was a hero with untapped powers, whose coming to the Land was foretold in an ancient prophecy, to free the Land from the claws the tyrant, Lord Foul. Covenant had no choice but to embark on this quest. However, he did not believe his experience was a reality. Instead, Covenant suspected he was in a dream, a very convincing, realistic dream.

Calling himself by the title “Unbeliever”, Thomas Covenant embarked a quest to foil Lord Foul's devious plans. The question remains whether if Covenant's unbelief will save, or doom the Land for eternity?

What I think about this book:

I have mixed feelings about this book.

First of all, I thought the ideas and conceptions behind the character of Thomas Covenant, is very interesting. Never in the world of fantasy fictions, have I ever encountered a hero as useless and lame as Thomas Covenant, and that made this book fascinating. Although the general plot in this book follows the traditional fantasy trope (i.e. a quest to rescue a powerful artifact from the clutch of an evil overlord), yet what sets Covenant apart from other “goodie-goodie” type fantasy heroes such as Aragorn, or Harry Potter, is Covenant's unbelief. Throughout this book, Thomas Covenant remained a skeptic, he thought he was in a dream. Therefore, in this book, as a man embittered by his experience as a leper, Covenant constantly wrestled with moral uncertainties of his actions, running into crises of virtue, in what he believed, was a dream world. The result is, as the story unfolds, Covenant's unbelief often led to unpredictable and interesting outcomes. This means, despite being a lame hero, who lacked any form conviction or brevity, Thomas Covenant is indeed, a unique hero (or specifically, an anti-hero), whose unbelief served both as a strength and a weakness. I was fascinated by the character of Thomas Covenant, and the waves of philosophical questions marching behind this story.

Having said this, I must say, for me, Donaldson's writing style killed much joys in my reading of this book. I thought the language used in this book, is both unwieldy and flowery. Donaldson seem to have this strange tendency to jam as many uncommon words into one sentence as possible. Perhaps to some people, employing this type of linguistic style, is deemed as having reached the art of writing at its highest form. However, some readers (myself included) can be frustrated by this form of writing style, while it make the book hard to read, it also retards the pace of the book, stretching the plot to a line of perpetual boredom. The result? The book felt slow, overly long, and I skimmed through at least a third of the book.

As I turned to the last page of Lord Foul's Bane, I felt relieved that it was over (and that's not necessarily a compliment). I thought it was an interesting book hindered by a pretentious style of writing. The character of Thomas Covenant certainly provoked interesting questions about morality. This character, is both fascinating and unique. However, because Donaldson told the story of Thomas Covenant in such unwieldy language, the book lose its luster. In the meantime, it is commonly agreed that Lord Foul's Bane, being the first book to the series, is also the weakest book in the series. As I found the character interesting, so I will venture to read the 2^nd book in the series, titled “The Illearth War”.

Thank you for reading this review. Until the next time, happy reading!

Book Review: Small gods by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #13)

“ Only a mile away from the shepherd and his flock was a goatherd and his herd. The merest accident of microgeography had meant that the first man to hear the voice of Om, and who gave Om his view of humans, was a shepherd and not a goatherd. They have quite different ways of looking at the world, and the whole of history might have been different.

For sheep are stupid, and have to be driven. But goats are intelligent, and need to be led.”

                                        -Terry Pratchett, Small gods

For the most parts of my career as a reader, I have always been some sort of a “proto-fan” for Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. That is, I've heard of what Discworld is about, I knew it exists, and without reading it, I already knew I would like it. Discworld is a comedic fantasy series, often poking fun at things in our society using satires. The stories are set in a fantastic world, flat as a disc, supported on the backs of four elephants standing on a giant, space turtle who, swims across space. I thought this idea was grand when I heard it for the first time, it was love at the first sight! This sort of things are right up my alley, and immediately, I knew that I was going to be a fan for it.

My experience with Discworld franchise is limited to the TV adaptations for “Going Postal”, and “Hogfather”, and I liked both of them. However, I have never read any Discworld novels, mainly because the amount of books in this series, add up to a jaw-dropping number of 40 books! I simply didn't know where or how to start. But I always wanted to read these books. After doing some extensive research, in collaboration with Dr. Google, I sheepily acquired a handful of Discworld novels, subsequently arrived at the decision that Small gods, would be my entry to the eccentric yet fantastic world of Discworld. Small gods is a satirical portrayal of organized religion (in particular, Christianity) and politics, and I love this book! While reading this book, I laughed so hard and loud in a manner, that I suspect my neighbors were probably wondering if it was time for them to call the men in white coats. Today, I would like to provide a review for this book.

Synopsis:

Religion is a serious business.

Even on Discworld, a flat, circular world carried by the Star Turtle A'tuin, religion is as serious a business as it is anywhere else in the universe. On Discworld, many religions exist, competing against each other to have its influence and presence felt. At this point in time, our story takes us to an empire called Omnia, a theocratic kingdom who believed in a monotheistic religion, worshiping the one and true God, Om. The time has come again for Om to manifest himself in the world. However, this time, Om found himself manifested in the form of a small tortoise, stripped of all of his power. This is a most unexpected result! Under these drastic circumstances, Om knew he needed a disciple. This is when brother Brutha, a young novice from the temple of Om, came into the play..

What I think about this book:

I love this book! This book is full of humors and satires, and very well written. This book was poking fun at a variety of aspects in the human society; from religion, philosophy, to politics. Terry Pratchett made sharp and crisp observations about these things, then dressed them up in the colorful cloth of parodies, inviting his readers to unwrap and think about these issues for themselves, in a light-hearted, humorous manner. The characters in this book, from heroes to villains, are vividly portrayed and unforgettable. I especially enjoyed reading the interactions between Om and Brutha, and watched Brutha gradually develop from an unthinking novice in a religious order, into a wise and compassionate sage.

This book explored some thought-provoking themes. For example, (without spoiling the story), one aspect of the story questions religious individuals, that between the actual God of their religion, and the structure/theology/doctrine/worldview they established for their religion, which one is the true basis for their belief? Hence, should this God be surprised, when He found out, that just as silence stole into the heart of a moonless night, His followers has ceased to believe in Him, but are now believing in the system that promotes the religion instead?

This question touched me deeply, because my personal experience showed me that, most times, organized religion is often busy playing the role of a gatekeeper, separating the “true believers” from the “non-believers” (or fake believers) by enforcing a narrow-minded certainty and division, based on a non-negotiable, systematic dictatorship over one's theology/doctrine, or worldview.

This book, also suggested an alternative perspective on how to look at humanity. i.e. one of my favorite quotes from the book is this: “Just because you can explain it doesn’t mean it’s not still a miracle”. I believe the book is suggesting that there is awesomeness, and something miraculous about the things that occur in daily lives. Allow me to explain: A lot of the times, some people (such as moi) have the tendency to find amazement ONLY in things that we are unable to understand. While taking for granted, failing to notice, that miracles are in fact, all around us. For example, comparing to the rest of the (known) universe, it is indeed miraculous for humans to build street lamps and sewerage system on earth, while we could have just sat around and did no such thing! I mean, where else in our solar system, would you find a group of corporeal creatures, transforming metals, glasses and concrete into street lamps and sewerage system, to serve a purpose? Among the things in our dark and cold solar system, humans can give meanings to things that don't necessarily have meanings, isn't that miraculous and special? This book widened the way I look at things, and broadened my perspective. It made me appreciate humanity in a whole different, positive way that was previously absent from my religious worldview.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed Small gods. It has a thought-provoking and humorous story, set in a fantastic and imaginative world, filled with eccentric and funny characters who are absolutely unforgettable. Most importantly, I am so glad that I have now, been initiated into the universe of Discworld. I look forward to reading other Discworld novels in the near future. In the meantime, I would recommend this book to those who like comedy, fantasy, and satires, also to those who like thinky books that explore religion, philosophy and politics in humorous and creative ways.

Book Review: Misery by Stephen King

Misery is a psychological horror novel, written by Stephen King. He published this book in 1987, and the book was adapted into a movie in 1990. Misery is often considered as one of Stephen King's best books. When I was 11 years old, I watched the movie adaptation of Misery on VHS. Although I can't remember the details about the movie, but I can still recall the movie kept me on the edge of my seat for 2 hours. It was one of the most terrifying movies I have ever seen in my life. However, until recently, I have never read Misery the novel. Today, I would like to review this book.

Synopsis:

Do you have fans? A lot of famous people do. As for me, I am an ordinary person, and I don't think I have any fan (not that I am aware of). But I'd speculate meeting someone who claims to be your number one fan, could be a flattering and positive experience. Well, that is, unless you are Paul Sheldon, whose experience of meeting his number one fan was anything but positive.

Paul Sheldon writes historical romances. Through his Misery series, Paul became an international best-selling author. But in secret, Paul despised his own creation, especially Misery Chastain, the protagonist in the Misery series. In the fifth Misery novel, Paul killed off the protagonist in the book, hoping that he could close off the series, so he can move on and write something different.

Paul had a car accident while he was driving to Los Angeles. When he regained his consciousness, he found himself with broken legs, and lying in the house of Anne Wilkes, who rescued Paul from the wreckage. Anne also told Paul that she is his “number one fan”. Soon, Paul discovered that Anne is crazy and mentally unstable. He was in reality, imprisoned by Anne. Then Paul found out, that there are worse things than death, especially when he was under the “care” provided by Anne Wilkes, his most loyal and number one fan...

What I think about the book:

I used to think Misery the movie was terrifying. Now I think Misery the novel is petrifying. This is to say that I think the novel is scarier than the movie. As a psychological horror novel, Misery successfully terrified its readers, not with acts of violence and gores (though the book is gory), but because the story made its readers “understand”, that the antagonist, Anne Wilke, is a truly disturbing individual, someone to be feared. This understanding surrounds the protagonist in a sense of real danger, weaving a constant suspense into the entire book. The result is a page-turner! i.e. When I was reading this book, I never knew what to expect in the next page. I was terrified, I didn't want to know what was going to happen, but I just had to to know.

This book is very simple. In this instance, simplicity is a strength rather than a weakness. For the most of the book, there are only 2 characters, Paul and Anne. But the book never bored me. Instead, this simplicity allowed the story to focus on the fascinating interactions between the protagonist and the antagonist. This allowed the readers to explore the minds of the characters in depth, making them vivid and impressionable. In fact, while reading this book, I started feeling sorry for the antagonist, Anne Wilkes. This is because from reading the interactions between Paul and Anne, I saw the true depth of Anne's insanity. I was deeply disturbed by Anne, but I also felt a sense of sympathy towards her. In vice versa, while I thought what happened to Paul Sheldon (the protagonist) was horrible, but there were times when I was annoyed by Paul because he could be very arrogant on occasions. The book also depicted an interesting portrayal of Stockholm Syndrome.

Stephen King wrote many horror novels; Carrie, Pet Sematary, IT, Salem's Lot etc.. Most of them terrorized readers with waves of supernatural horrors. After I read this book, I can see why Misery is often considered as one of Stephen King's best horror novels. This book does not terrorize readers with supernatural entities such as ghosts and monsters. Instead, Misery slices and drives horror into readers' minds, with a knife of spine-chilling realism. Its serrated edge, is coated with our profound fear for human insanity.

I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy horror/thriller, or to those who are just looking to read a good book. This book will not disappoint.