STARDUST by Neil Gaiman

Faerie, a vast land beyond the small village of Wall, where all manner of beings and creatures exist. Tristan Thorn, an enthusiastic young man, set out on a journey through this enchanted land to find the fallen star that will bring him his heart’s desire. Little did he know that his fated journey was exactly just that and perhaps more.

Gaiman did a fantastic job of creating a very charming adult fairy tale. A delicious plot that will draw you into a mystic fairyland and expand your imagination - of witches, and far-off kingdoms, and magic. His words are pure and simple, and yet they are timeless and unbounded. He made his characters significant in a way that you can vividly picture them in your head. I was amazed by how he mingled the sub-plots and fused them all together in the end. The story is a good illustration of how the hands of Fate works. A wonderful story!

I just wish he did tell what happened to the little hairy man.

Book detail:

Title:  Stardust

Author:  Neil Gaiman

Published: HarperCollins, December 23, 2008

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: ★★★★

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LIFE OF PI by Yann Martell

   

Piscine Molitor Patel was a 16 years old castaway from India who survived the Pacific in 227 days with an adult Bengal Tiger for a boat mate. -That is the easiest synopsis I can come up with. What transpired between the pages cannot be simply put into words, nor can the mind readily assimilate.

The LIFE OF PI is a book you have to really spend time to read. It may take some time for the reader to get through at first, but as they say “patience is a virtue”; and its interpretation alone is rewarding.

While reading, I was rooting for Pi for being brave and resourceful. And yet, angry at him for his lack of basic sailing knowledge. But deep down inside, I was anxious for Pi’s psychological battle- his fight for HOPE.

I was deeply moved by the ordeal Pi went through. Moreover, with his willpower to move on. I learned a lot from reading his story and did some reflection as well. Like the overwhelming vastness of the ocean, life is just as huge, and its struggles come in waves. Paddling can wear us down. The heat can leave us thirsty, hungry, and delusional. We entertain dreams and fiction rather than face reality. Yet with Hope, we may get us to our projection. It can be our sail, our paddle, and our anchor. We just have to believe.

If you stumble about believability, what are you living for? Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?

Book Details:
Title: Life of Pi
Author: Yann Martel
Publication: August 29, 2006, by Seal Books
Genre: Fiction
Rating: ★★★★

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THE RULE OF FOUR by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

   

Princeton. Good Friday, 1999. On the eve of graduation, two friends are a hairsbreadth from solving the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a Renaissance text that has baffled scholars for centuries. Famous for its hypnotic power over those who study it, the five-hundred-year-old Hypnerotomachia may finally reveal its secrets—to Tom Sullivan, whose father was obsessed with the book, and Paul Harris, whose future depends on it.

As the deadline looms, research has stalled—until a vital clue is unearthed: a long-lost diary that may prove to be the key to deciphering the ancient text. But when a longtime student of the book is murdered just hours later, a chilling cycle of deaths and revelations begins—one that will force Tom and Paul into a fiery drama, spun from a book whose power and meaning have long been misunderstood.

Four Princeton boys on their Senior year are struggling with their thesis, love life, and their future. But THE RULE OF FOUR is not exactly about them. It’s about Hypnerotomachia Poliphili -Poliphili’s Struggle for Love in a Dream- a book that is more than a book. Although it was published around 1499, it was only a decade after that the true author of the book was accidentally discovered by a Renaissance scholar. “Brother Francesco Colonna loved Polia tremendously” was revealed by stringing together the first letter of each chapter. Thus, naming the true author, Polian Frater Franciscus Columna Peramavit, a Roman scion. Yet, naming the author is barely scraping the surface, there are riddles to solve to unlock the secrets hidden in the book. Is the “Rule of Four” the key?

I don’t know which struck me more, Dr. Sullivan’s “The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong”; or Agostino Carracci’s “Love conquers all”. Both describe the story of how the main characters struggle to fight off strong influences and their deep love for uncovering the secrets of the book. This one was a (very) slow read for me, like the Hypnerotomachia itself is slower than a tortoise crawl. Those who don’t have the patience might already drop the book in the first chapter, which is a mistake. You’ll learn from it, more than you’ll learn from the Da Vinci Code.

A book more than a book…

I have to say I like it more than I expected.

Book Details:

Title: THE RULE OF FOUR

Author: Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

Publication: The Dial Press; May 11, 2004

Genre: Mystery

Rating: ★★★

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