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marsican's review
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
sapphirebubble_'s review
Please note this is not an attack on the author's capabilities or body of work. These are just my opinions based on what I have read.
I have seen other people enjoy this book, so I think it just wasn't for me. Maybe I am too stuck in my ways of how stories should be told or something to that effect.
This is in need of a serious restructuring and editing. I don't mean to be rude or explicitly mean, but it reads like a first draft that never passed through a professional editor's hand. It throws too much information at you immediately while giving you no markers that help you remember that scene or even recognise its importance. The prologue was 39 pages long, and it read like a chapter instead of a prologue. With the amount of information that is regularly thrown at you, the worldbuilding becomes too confusing and actually tiring to try and understand. Not only are the characters described in a fashion that allows you to imagine them in your mind's eye, their role in the squad or the story does not become clear. Readers need to be given a reason or curiosity to see the story through, none of which I encountered. I think it has a lot of potential and an editor's careful touch would have brought it out, not only highlighting important parts of the story but also cutting out some unnecessary pages that just padded the book.
I was provided a finished copy of the book by the author. All my opinions are my own and unaffected by this fact.
I have seen other people enjoy this book, so I think it just wasn't for me. Maybe I am too stuck in my ways of how stories should be told or something to that effect.
This is in need of a serious restructuring and editing. I don't mean to be rude or explicitly mean, but it reads like a first draft that never passed through a professional editor's hand. It throws too much information at you immediately while giving you no markers that help you remember that scene or even recognise its importance. The prologue was 39 pages long, and it read like a chapter instead of a prologue. With the amount of information that is regularly thrown at you, the worldbuilding becomes too confusing and actually tiring to try and understand. Not only are the characters described in a fashion that allows you to imagine them in your mind's eye, their role in the squad or the story does not become clear. Readers need to be given a reason or curiosity to see the story through, none of which I encountered. I think it has a lot of potential and an editor's careful touch would have brought it out, not only highlighting important parts of the story but also cutting out some unnecessary pages that just padded the book.
I was provided a finished copy of the book by the author. All my opinions are my own and unaffected by this fact.
theurban_reader's review
4.0
“There is a world to discover, isn’t there?”
Gautam Bhatia’s debut fictional novel is what I’d like to call a masterpiece in the making. A story of a walled city – Sumer - which knows nothing of the world beyond it and of curious minds who feel caged up inside. A story of revolution, of yearning, of smara.
The city of Sumer is divided into 15 mandalas (circles/rings) which is separated from the farmer’s land by a river Rasa which flows through the middle. The society has a matriarchal structure and the people don’t seem to be evidently homophobic, which is a welcome change from the world we live in today. Despite these developments, like every society there are flaws in this one too. There’s a difference in the opportunities you have based on the mandala you live in, you can consider the mandala system similar to that of a class-system, where the first five mandalas are superior to the next ten.
There are various groups/clans within the city with different ideals, the Shoortans who preach their incendiary doctrines, the Select who rise to oppose them, the Coterie who teach a new creed, the Young Tarafians who call for bringing down the wall and lastly the Hedonists who simply cause general chaos in the city because they have nothing more adventurous to do.
The focus of the book is mainly on the Young Tarafians and their leader Mithila. Her determination to breach the wall is inspiring while her will to sacrifice everything for what she believes in lights a fire inside you which might’ve been dimmed over the years of adulthood. The Shoortans and the council of Elders will infuriate you enough throughout the book to keep that fire raging.
The Wall speaks of various issues surrounding a society like class divide, power struggle, freedom of speech and expression, population and even the question way too many people seem to ask these days, “Who is a citizen?” My favourite chapter in the book was when the all the members of various groups gather together to try and ban the young Tarafians, dismissing their ideals like a crumpled bit of paper. The speeches given, the points made, the questions asked... it is most captivating.
But if I were to give you five reasons as to why you should read this book, they are:
1. The book is well-paced and the story structure is as such that while dropping enough hints of what may be yet to come, also keeps you wondering and hence you continue to keep reading on.
2. If you love beautiful personifications used for nature, you’ll definitely love this book.
3. Are you a sucker for MCs who will give everything they have to stand by what they believe in? Yes? Get ready to meet Mithila and her friends!
4. If you’re looking for a SFF that isn’t centred on a patriarchal Caucasian culture with a straight lead, then this one fits the bill
5. Lastly, The Wall is capable of stirring up a storm of emotions, especially towards the end and while it’s a duology and while you may have a lot of questions, the author does a brilliant job of not leaving you at a cliff hanger which will make you feel angry.
Gautam Bhatia has done brilliantly in bringing us an SFF in the form of Sumer and makes sure that he encapsulate just enough aspects of Hindu mythology and Indian culture.
I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 bookmarks, knocking off 0.5 because of the disconnect I felt in between chapters on rare occasions and also because I believe the cover doesn’t do justice to what a masterpiece this story is. I loved this book for how thrilling it was. I have not felt that way after reading a book in a very long time and will definitely recommend that you give it a chance on your TBRs.
I’d also like to thank Harper Collins India for this beautiful copy of the book and congratulate the author on his fictional debut!
Gautam Bhatia’s debut fictional novel is what I’d like to call a masterpiece in the making. A story of a walled city – Sumer - which knows nothing of the world beyond it and of curious minds who feel caged up inside. A story of revolution, of yearning, of smara.
The city of Sumer is divided into 15 mandalas (circles/rings) which is separated from the farmer’s land by a river Rasa which flows through the middle. The society has a matriarchal structure and the people don’t seem to be evidently homophobic, which is a welcome change from the world we live in today. Despite these developments, like every society there are flaws in this one too. There’s a difference in the opportunities you have based on the mandala you live in, you can consider the mandala system similar to that of a class-system, where the first five mandalas are superior to the next ten.
There are various groups/clans within the city with different ideals, the Shoortans who preach their incendiary doctrines, the Select who rise to oppose them, the Coterie who teach a new creed, the Young Tarafians who call for bringing down the wall and lastly the Hedonists who simply cause general chaos in the city because they have nothing more adventurous to do.
The focus of the book is mainly on the Young Tarafians and their leader Mithila. Her determination to breach the wall is inspiring while her will to sacrifice everything for what she believes in lights a fire inside you which might’ve been dimmed over the years of adulthood. The Shoortans and the council of Elders will infuriate you enough throughout the book to keep that fire raging.
The Wall speaks of various issues surrounding a society like class divide, power struggle, freedom of speech and expression, population and even the question way too many people seem to ask these days, “Who is a citizen?” My favourite chapter in the book was when the all the members of various groups gather together to try and ban the young Tarafians, dismissing their ideals like a crumpled bit of paper. The speeches given, the points made, the questions asked... it is most captivating.
But if I were to give you five reasons as to why you should read this book, they are:
1. The book is well-paced and the story structure is as such that while dropping enough hints of what may be yet to come, also keeps you wondering and hence you continue to keep reading on.
2. If you love beautiful personifications used for nature, you’ll definitely love this book.
3. Are you a sucker for MCs who will give everything they have to stand by what they believe in? Yes? Get ready to meet Mithila and her friends!
4. If you’re looking for a SFF that isn’t centred on a patriarchal Caucasian culture with a straight lead, then this one fits the bill
5. Lastly, The Wall is capable of stirring up a storm of emotions, especially towards the end and while it’s a duology and while you may have a lot of questions, the author does a brilliant job of not leaving you at a cliff hanger which will make you feel angry.
Gautam Bhatia has done brilliantly in bringing us an SFF in the form of Sumer and makes sure that he encapsulate just enough aspects of Hindu mythology and Indian culture.
I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 bookmarks, knocking off 0.5 because of the disconnect I felt in between chapters on rare occasions and also because I believe the cover doesn’t do justice to what a masterpiece this story is. I loved this book for how thrilling it was. I have not felt that way after reading a book in a very long time and will definitely recommend that you give it a chance on your TBRs.
I’d also like to thank Harper Collins India for this beautiful copy of the book and congratulate the author on his fictional debut!
wordylocks's review
5.0
"Garuda looked at him. ‘Fine,’ he said, ‘let the poet speak. If the world beyond is like a poem, which would it be?’
Alvar let himself rest against his shovel, and pondered. ‘Zaid’s, I think. Like nothing you’ve felt before — but once you have, you know it’s the only thing that will ever feel real.’ "
Quote from The Wall, by Gautam Bhatia
The first thought I had, when I finished reading The Wall, is that I needed the sequel to the book, immediately.
The second thought I had, is that I needed to read this book again. Because The Wall is simply the kind of book that has to be read twice, to be fully experienced.
My first reading was driven by curiosity. I was deeply invested in the characters, even the minor ones, and I just had to know what would happen. So I flew through the book, marking passages and quotes that struck me deeply.
My second reading has been slower, and at the time of writing this review, ongoing. Now that my curiosity is satisfied, I’m taking the time to think over the ideas in the book.
The Wall has that philosophical depth.
Sumer is a circular city, surrounded by an insurmountable wall. Mithila, our protagonist, wants nothing more than to see what lies beyond this boundary, the crossing of which is forbidden.
Sounds like a simple plot, right? However there are layers to it, that add complexity and flavour. Ursula K Le Guin, in her author’s note to The Left Hand of Darkness, talks about how science fiction is like a thought experiment. The Wall, though it fits within the larger umbrella of speculative fiction, and is not only science fiction (some may argue it is not sci-fi at all, but let’s just say I see glimpses of what might be), layers a number of thought experiments. about freedom, reality, justice, revolution, religion, love, family, responsibility etc. It is also sociopolitical commentary, and those who read deeply will surely see the parallels to our society.
The world building is top notch. It took me a while to get used to the geography of Sumer — a map given at the beginning of the book was useful, however, I could not zoom in to the map on my Kindle copy and so had to struggle to read it. That is my only complaint. But other than that, the world of Sumer is fascinating. Even though the book is set in a fictional world seemingly unlike ours, the effect is much like considering a ‘civilization in a box.’
That the author , Gautam Bhatia, has not sacrificed character development while pursuing a complex plot and world building, is to his credit. Even minor characters stand out as individuals rather than as caricatures. They casually defy gender roles, and are relatable.
On the whole, The Wall is a much needed and greatly welcomed addition to the Indian SF canon. I have my theories, based on the events and ‘clues’ in this book, about what may happen in the sequel, and I can’t wait too see if I’m right. In the meanwhile though, I’m sure I’ll keep discovering new things in this book with each reading.
Alvar let himself rest against his shovel, and pondered. ‘Zaid’s, I think. Like nothing you’ve felt before — but once you have, you know it’s the only thing that will ever feel real.’ "
Quote from The Wall, by Gautam Bhatia
The first thought I had, when I finished reading The Wall, is that I needed the sequel to the book, immediately.
The second thought I had, is that I needed to read this book again. Because The Wall is simply the kind of book that has to be read twice, to be fully experienced.
My first reading was driven by curiosity. I was deeply invested in the characters, even the minor ones, and I just had to know what would happen. So I flew through the book, marking passages and quotes that struck me deeply.
My second reading has been slower, and at the time of writing this review, ongoing. Now that my curiosity is satisfied, I’m taking the time to think over the ideas in the book.
The Wall has that philosophical depth.
Sumer is a circular city, surrounded by an insurmountable wall. Mithila, our protagonist, wants nothing more than to see what lies beyond this boundary, the crossing of which is forbidden.
Sounds like a simple plot, right? However there are layers to it, that add complexity and flavour. Ursula K Le Guin, in her author’s note to The Left Hand of Darkness, talks about how science fiction is like a thought experiment. The Wall, though it fits within the larger umbrella of speculative fiction, and is not only science fiction (some may argue it is not sci-fi at all, but let’s just say I see glimpses of what might be), layers a number of thought experiments. about freedom, reality, justice, revolution, religion, love, family, responsibility etc. It is also sociopolitical commentary, and those who read deeply will surely see the parallels to our society.
The world building is top notch. It took me a while to get used to the geography of Sumer — a map given at the beginning of the book was useful, however, I could not zoom in to the map on my Kindle copy and so had to struggle to read it. That is my only complaint. But other than that, the world of Sumer is fascinating. Even though the book is set in a fictional world seemingly unlike ours, the effect is much like considering a ‘civilization in a box.’
That the author , Gautam Bhatia, has not sacrificed character development while pursuing a complex plot and world building, is to his credit. Even minor characters stand out as individuals rather than as caricatures. They casually defy gender roles, and are relatable.
On the whole, The Wall is a much needed and greatly welcomed addition to the Indian SF canon. I have my theories, based on the events and ‘clues’ in this book, about what may happen in the sequel, and I can’t wait too see if I’m right. In the meanwhile though, I’m sure I’ll keep discovering new things in this book with each reading.
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