Book Review of "For We Are Many, Bobiverse #2 - by Dennis Taylor"

Bobiverse #2 - "For We Are Many" is a fine-fitting sequel to the first book. Its fun, its fast and more action packed than its predecessor. But its strengths are also its weaknesses. This book feels very similar to the first one. Since the novelty has worn off by now, it seems kind of repetitive as well. There are hardly any new science fiction ideas introduced.

That being said, the AI characters, the nerdy-dry-sarcastic humor and the overall intrigue and strength of the story is enough to pull it off and not make this a dull read.

Just like the previous one, this book also has no logical end and no cliffhanger - it simply ends - just like that! It makes me think, if instead of the trilogy, there should have been a single book. Well, it is what it is.

All in all, Bobiverse #2 is good - not as good as the first but a decent & fun sequel nonetheless. 4/5 for sure.

Book Review of "We are Legion, Bobiverse #1 - by Dennis Taylor"

Bobiverse #1 is a fun, fast and enjoyable read. Smart and snarky character voiceovers, some cool science fiction concepts and some entertaining nerd-humor & easter-eggs! Pretty good deal if you ask me. Thanks for the recommendation @Prajwalit !

The author weaves in some of the most believable and at the same time some of the most amazingly farfetched science fiction concepts in this story. The result isn't as bad as it sounds - quite the contrary in fact. The sarcastic and dry humor reminds you of The Martian, the space-operatic scale of the story reminds you of Star Wars and the crisp, fast-paced narrative keeps you on the edge. The protagonist is a full-blown AI (which you can't help but root for) and all the humans are war-mongering idiots bent on destroying the planet and the environment (so not that different than our present situation).

My only gripe with the story - the way the book ends. Rather it does not end at all. It just stops. I understand this is a trilogy and the author would want to keep the readers wanting more. But there is no cliffhanger, no logical break, the book just ends. Its actually kind of annoying and left a bad taste. You have been warned.

All in all, good, fun read - 4/5.

Book Review of "Jaya - by Devdutt Pattanaik"

I have seen roughly two types of Mahabharata books - the ones aimed at telling the story and the ones which don't focus on just the storytelling aspect of it but also on analyzing, theorizing and interpreting the Mahabharata text. Obviously the books which fall into the second category are way more interesting than the first ones.

Having said that, I felt that "Jaya" by Devdutt Pattanaik was neither here nor there. This isn't necessarily a bad thing mind you. Its just that, one gets the feeling that the author "holds back" or rather "dials down" on the interpretive aspects and chooses to go down the "tell it as it is" path. Still a damn fine book though, but can't help but wonder if it could have been a great one...

More specifically though, "Jaya" is definitely crisp, to-the-point, fast-paced and yet sufficiently detailed. Some of the footnotes and illustrations are astutely done. My favorite parts of the book are the regional variations & folk retellings of the well-known stories - many of them I had never heard of before. Very interesting.

To sum it up, "Jaya" gets a well deserved 4/5 in my view. 

Reading any book about Mahabharata never gets boring. Reading a good book about Mahabharata, a reader can't ask for much more.

Book Review of "DayTripper - by Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá"

I dig comics and graphic novels. So when "DayTripper" showed up as a Goodreads recommendation to me a few days ago, I picked it up without any hesitation. But boy oh boy, was I utterly unprepared for it !

One doesn't expect a graphic novel to tell a story with 'death' as its pivotal theme, to leave a lasting impact without doing any emotional manipulation and also have a beautiful imagery that blends effortlessly with the narrative. "DayTripper" does all of this and so much more. Even with the subject of 'death' being an integral part, it still manages to paint everyday life as something immensely valuable and worth pursuing.

"DayTripper" is a graphic novel by Brazilian twin brothers Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá. The protagonist of the story, "Brás de Oliva Domingos" writes people's obituaries as his day-job and spends rest of his time dreaming about being a successful writer.

I kid you not, but the story that starts with a fairly mundane premise as this does not have a single cliche in it. Just go for it.

A definite 5/5.

Book Review of "Forty Stories - by Anton Chekhov"

This was my first Chekhov book and I can't remember the last time I was so deeply moved by a short story collection. 

Forty Stories is a great read, Chekhov's acute observations of the human spirit, the beautifully portrayed 19th century Russian countryside and the gut-wrenching emotional turmoil of his characters leaves a lasting impact. 

In my mind, the first few stories didn't really seem that captivating and were somewhat off-putting but the last few stories more than made up for it. By the time I turned the last page of the book, I felt awestruck by Chekhov's ability to paint vivid and lasting images of his characters. Even though the stories are over 130 years old, each and every character feels hauntingly real and each story reminds us of the intricacies of human personalities.

All in all, 4/5, a great read indeed.