Review: Ford County

Ford County by John Grisham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A collection of seven short stories, I bought it with high expectations. Didn't live up to it. The first one "Blood Drive" is about three people volunteering to go to the city to donate blood to one of the residents of Ford County. This is a funny account of their misadventures. "Fetching Raymond" is about a family of three, a mother and her two sons, visiting their third son in prison. This is somewhat a tragic story including "Michael'sRoom". "Fish Files" is about a down and out lawyer prospecting for a fortune by cheating his clients. It was kind of boring. I liked "Casino" & "Quiet Haven" but the last one "Funny Boy" simply takes the cake. It is a beautiful story about how a young white man dying of AIDS ends up in a black township near Clanton and is looked after by a black lady after being abandoned by his family.

The protagonist is not the character in the stories but Ford county itself. Its residents are depicted as racists, bigots, misogynists, petty thieves, creepy crooked lawyers and gold-diggers. I think this is the first book of its kind where the author has delved into short stoy format. But I liked Archer's stories more than Grisham's. Happy reading for folks interested in reading short stories ! Nothing great about it. Maybe for Grisham fans only.

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Review: Disclosure

Disclosure by Michael Crichton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first time I saw the movie based on the book, it was fabulous. Normally i try to avoid books based on movies if I have already seen the movie. So i gave up many opportunities to buy this book. Finally I couldn't resist when I saw a bargain on this one and I bought it since it was almost 15 years since i watched the movie. I was not disappointed at all. The movie might have taken liberties with the plot subtly but it was not so obvious.

The plot is about our protagonist who is sexually harassed by his female boss and how he unravels the plot with the help of a female attorney. The subject of sexual harassment is equally relevant today. It might have been a novel thing 20 years back and to bring out a book on the subject where the harasser is a woman, is definitely commendable at that time. According to the author, it was based on a true incident.

The plot is wonderful and the climax is equally rivetting with its twists and turns. I couldn't put down the book. Real edge-of-the seat thriller.

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Review: Excise

Excise by Danielle Girard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A giveaway from Netgalley. I liked the book. At places I found it tedious and the plot drags. The killings do not tie in. There is another subplot of the medical examiner's (our heroine) husband in jail and due for release. The protagonist fears he would come after her for his revenge and suspects his involvement in the murders. This thread also is incomplete. The climax is good and the twist in the story is great. However, the book lacks in building up the suspense and the excitement of reading it for the what-happens-next moment is missing.


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Review: Yama's Lieutenant

Yama's Lieutenant by Anuja Chandramouli
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Note - Free copy from the author in exchange of a review. Thank you Anuja Chandramouli for the copy. I was intrigued by the title so I agreed to review this.

The book is a fantastically written (pun intended). It deals with a young lad Agni Prakash, a human being, who is anointed as Yama's lieutenant to fight the evil forces out to conquer the three worlds i.e. heaven, hell and earth with the help of a kritya, a divine woman with magical powers. Agni Prakash is heartbroken over his twin sister Varu's death and brooding over his sense of loss. One fine day, he is recruited by a goddess Taravarsha to save the three worlds from Naganara, a necromancer.

The plot flits between the mythical and the real world, weaving an interesting story of Agni Prakash and his travails in battling with the arakshas who have escaped the nether world and wreaking havoc on the earthlings. There is also another thread with a backstory of Yama in the form of a book written by Varu before her death. So little is known about Yama, the lord of death and the netherworld. This is like an eye-opener.

This was my first book in the fantasy genre by an Indian author. I am not a keen fan of books on fantasy, however I was not disappointed. Published by Random House India, you can expect a top-notch quality product, no less. After a long time, I have reviewed a book which is tightly edited and the language is absolutely superb. The author has a mastery over the language with a wide repertoire in vocabulary. The prose flows beautifully. However, I found the first hundred pages
a bit of a drag with so many multiple characters flitting in and out that I almost lost track of the plot. However, Varu's book on Yama and his emergence as the lord of the netherworld kept me hooked.

Overall, I liked it and for those interested in fantasy / mythology, go grab it !


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