Excursions

The novel is an entertaining read overall. Expected given that it is penned by an experienced story weaver. But then it also has those parts that make the experience average, at times.

It starts out promisingly, Strike interested me. So did Robin (sigh!) and their case at hand. Mystery is woven, with the prose heavily studded in the initial part. Studded it felt, given I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It made me know the characters, though very few, more.The main characters and the plot are built perfectly at about a forth into the book. And then it gets stuck.

The mystery that was revealed stays the same; neither does it become more intriguing nor clearer. Lots and lots of characters get introduced, but hardly any new information is unravelled. It was during this time when the prose, that I had initially relished, became a hinderance to my enjoyment. Especially ones that broke the flow of conversation. So unnecessary they felt, so much so that I skipped some paragraphs.

The plot does pick up towards the final third of the book. Unnecessary prose continue. But this is also when the book becomes unputdownable. So much is revealed, in such intriguing a way. And the plot stays interesting till the end. The climax, unlike so many mystery novels, doesn’t feel dragged. The mystery is unravelled in satisfactory a way; a way I do not usually cherish however.

Yes, I do not cherish the style of suspense novels when we do not have the access to the detective’s thoughts. Style where the key information, or the interpretations, are hidden from the reader only to be revealed at the end. The Cuckoo’s Calling presents Strike this way. Satisfactory, but not preferred.

And that’s where the novel lets me down, unnecessary prose, non-preferred style of revealing suspense and too slow a mid-third. Overall, though, for the way the plot & the characters are introduced and the case closed, this is a one-time read for sure.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Inferno by Dan Brown Going in to the chapter 1 of Inferno, I didn’t have too high expectations. I was looking for a breezy page-turner with some anecdotes on sculptures, people, places intermingled with the story. However I was disappointed to see Dan Brown fail to deliver even that.

Anecdotes are way too many and completely irrelevant to the story. Many a times, the novel reads as Brown’s travelogue of places during his research, just there to increase the page count. I remember ignoring many paragraphs describing some sculpture or a building or a painting. Uninteresting. Plain boring. Do research Mr. Brown; just don’t force everything into a novel.

And there are so many discernible and ludicrous attempts at being relevant to the current tech-aware audience. All the references to iPads, iPhones, ebooks etc. fall flat, cringeworthy.

Finally to the story, what is expected is a mystery to be solved by Professor Langdon through the clues sprinkled in historic symbols. I feel the novel fails there too. Codes and clues are way too simple, straight-forward. Many don’t even lead something significant; they are just there to bring Langdon in picture. Inferno could well have been a sci-fi mystery novel instead of a Robert Langdon one. Disappointed.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First two chapters down and I knew am in for an epic saga. The book had me right from the stories of the two protagonists being christened.

This was one of the finest examples of how the characters are built. Every single one, even the supporting ones, was well shaped. With that done in the backdrop of the historical events, they felt real. To see how each one of the events impacted the characters had a smile on my face. I was emotionally with them in their rise to success, rooting for one at times, while the other at others. Their stories might feel cliched, but I felt them. And then they met, right around the middle.

I felt the second half was a bit weak. The events became forced every time the characters had to meet. Kane and Abel, as individuals, had me intrigued. But Kane and Abel together? Not much. The rivalry felt contrived, childish. Agreed, I was interested to know what unfolded next. But it played out just the way I predicted. Interested, and then disappointed not to be proved wrong.

And I have to mention that the romantic parts were the weakest. Such lifeless, boring mentions of jumbled adult words. There for just no reason. Good they didn’t last long, I cringed every time.

Having said all, I did enjoy the novel, an entertaining read. It had me interested in Kane and Abel till the end. And that’s where it succeeded.

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