Rashmi bookmarks “Death Note”

Written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata.

There are murder mysteries where no one knows the killer and both the investigator and the public slowly follow the clues and in the end figure out what is going on. Then there are murder mysteries where the reader knows who the killer is and in a cleverly written way, events - and the reasoning behind them - unfold. And then there is "Death Note" where both the investigator and the killer know each other and are working together to catch the killer, while the reader waits to see who will win.

Welcome to the fantastic world of Light (Raito) Yagami, whose accidental discovery of the "Death Note" - a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it - starts an unprecedented rush of events, most fascinating amongst which are the appearance of a shinigami (god of death) called Ryuk, and a brilliant battle of wits with "L", a world-famous detective.

Light's journey starts with a truly well-meaning desire to rid the world of its criminals. But right and wrong start to blur, when he appoints himself as "the god of the new world" with the creation of that utopia. Enter "L". And this is what I found the most fascinating aspect of this series: I loved how equally brilliant the two characters were - I loved that each person was immediately able to figure out the other's thinking almost to the point of being able to predict the other's moves. And I loved how - unlike average crime / mystery tales - this narrative did not hide the denouement till the final point of the grand finale. All tricks and plans are played and counter-played throughout this saga, and that made for a very exciting read.

Although, without a question Light and L are two of the stronger characters I have ever come across, I found it fascinating that this was not a story only about the one good guy and the one bad guy. The stories of many characters, with multiple layers, were woven in and out of the narrative. Their relationships added yet another dimension to the story. Light and his shinigami Ryuk; Misa and her shinigami Rem; TV host Kiyomi Takada and devout "Kira" follower Teru Mikami; heirs Near and Mello... With the possible exception of Misa Amane, who tended to get a little annoying at times, each and every character in this story was strong, fascinating and so unique.

Showcased through the actions - and their far-reaching results - of the two main protagonists, Death Note is also a great comment on society, its beliefs, its stand on right and wrong, good and evil. One of the marks of great writing is, in my opinion, its ability to present characters and/or a point of view, in such shades of grey as to have the reader constantly oscillate between admiring and loathing a character, constantly arguing for or against the stand, and never being able to put an easy, permanent label on any one. And that is exactly what this series does.

Also, for a narrative that spreads across 12 volumes, the action was quite fast paced throughout. Told through cleverly inserted flashbacks, there were some truly brilliant "reveal" moments. If there was one time where I felt the story to be lagging a bit, it had to do with events at Yotsuba Group. While the events at that organisation were an integral part of the story, I felt that at times the story lingered around the building and its people, and lost some of its power. A lag, however, that was more than picked up by the concluding events at Sakura TV and the follow-up events, leading to the conclusion at Yellow Box Warehouse; which were some more exciting concluding action scenes I have ever read.

I do have to say that I was a little disappointed with the conclusion insofar as it had just a touch of the didactic - which was more of an anti climax when you consider the brilliant storytelling that had preceded it. Still, overall, a fantastic read.

Oh, and this was my first Manga, so I have no frame of reference, but I thought the art was awesome. In some cases, the illustrations carried the story forward even in a complete absence of words, and that was pretty cool.

(Yes I realize this is an extra long review, but, like I just said, it was my first ever Manga and I did not feel like editing my reactions!)

Rashmi bookmarks “The Monuments Men”

by Robert M. Edsel.

In a special meeting held at the Met in 1941, the Fogg Art Museum's associate director Paul Sachs addressed the war and its impact on the arts community: "If, in time of peace, our museums and art galleries are important to the community, in time of war they are doubly valuable. For then, when the petty and the trivial fall way and we are face to face with final and lasting values, we...must summon to our defense all our intellectual and spiritual resources ... Art is the imperishable and dynamic expression of these aims. It is, and always has been, the visible evidence of the activity of free minds."

Along with every other physical and emotional plunder, Adolf Hitler had set about stealing the finest art treasures in Europe, a process wherein he and his armies took it upon themselves to judge what art deserved to be preserved, and what could be ruthlessly destroyed. Set in 1944-1945, “The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History” is the account of a mission to save some of the world's greatest art from the Nazis.

Without a question this is a fascinating slice of history, and there were so many things here that I was not aware of. (For one, I did not think it possible to hate the Nazis any more, but after reading this book, I do). More importantly however, this recount sheds light on the extremely adverse conditions that the MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives) men and women worked under. With little or no official / political support, or access to arms and ammunition, a small band of American and British art historians, museum curators and academicians risked their very lives to save cultural treasures. James Rorimer. Lincoln Kirstein. Walker Hancock. George Stout. Rose Valland. Harry Ettlinger. It is a pity that these names are not more well-known as war heroes.

Overall, however, while this is definitely an important part of history - and something that is unfortunately not as common knowledge as it should be - just as a reading experience, the narrative left much to be desired. Perhaps an introduction to the mission and its background could have been followed by a report of a handful of missions and/or highlights. Detailing each and every mission became very repetitive, and I reached a point where I had to force myself to finish the book.

Rashmi bookmarks “Counter-Clock World”

by Philip K. Dick.

From starting a conversation with "Goodbye" and ending it with a "Hello", to blowing smoke back into cigarettes and making them grow back to normal size, this is the world where time has started going backwards. The most significant change in this universe - in what is known as The Hobart Phase - is that the dead have started coming back to life and living out their lives, quite literally from the grave to the womb, when the zygote finally separates into an egg and a sperm.

The story revolves around the anticipated rise of religious leader Anarch Peak, whose revival is followed with a lot of interest by various groups including the Vitarium (an organization that revives and prepares the dead for their new life), the Library (an organization that eradicates books - which, by the way, was a brilliant idea) and of course, opposing religious groups.

While the central concept of this story is phenomenal, I felt that not enough was done with that unique concept. Once the fact of the reverse world was established, the story gradually moved away from that aspect into a more mundane world, complete with its political, commercial and religious realities, and I found my attention wavering at times. My final impression was one of somewhat less than the complete awe I usually have for PKD.

Rashmi bookmarks “Of Mice and Men”

by John Steinbeck

“The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry.”

Set in the world of the Great Depression, this classic novella presents a powerful story of happiness, love and dignity fighting to survive in an overwhelmingly bleak and prejudiced world.

Following a crucial section in the lives of Lennie Small and George Milton, and told entirely though conversations held between all the characters, this is the story of a mentally disabled man who only ever wanted to own a farm and tend to rabbits, an aging ranch handyman whose sole friend is an old and smelly dog, a woman who is, symbolically and most poignantly, not even granted a name in this tale, and a stable-hand who is relegated to a demeaning corner of the world based on the colour of his skin.

Steinbeck's brutally honest narrative style, which has no patience for either prettified reality or glorified language, made this a powerful write and a memorable read. With each interaction, a new hope is expressed, with each conversation an old dream is crushed. There is a darkness to be submerged in here, there are layers to be uncovered here ... This is a Classic for a reason.

Rashmi bookmarks “World War Z”

by Max Brooks.

Presented as a series of interviews with survivors of The Great Panic, “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War” is a record of an apocalyptic war with the undead that almost completely wiped out civilization on Earth.

As a United Nations Postwar Commission agent speaks with survivors of the zombie plague, we get to see such a wide range of viewpoints from across the world - and that, to me, was the most fascinating feature of this book - more than the terror of zombies, more than the horror of the plague, more, even, than the unique concept of interviews ... the fact that we get to hear the stories of everyone from a former White House chief of staff to a woman who has the mind of a four-year old. Different ages, occupations, and nationalities come together to create an immensely rich story filled with widely differing perspectives.

Of course, the overall point that cannot be missed is that this is a profound comment on how this world would react to a large-scale calamity. Yes, there would be the medical field hurriedly cashing in on the tragedy with a randomly generated placebo. Yes, there would be the political arena using the threat to further its media positioning; the media, in turn, making the most of the opportunity to sell news. And yes, there would be the nameless fellow-hideout co-inhabitant, who would risk her own life so that a complete stranger may live.

From trying to deal with 'quislings', the people who act enough like zombies that you can no longer tell the difference, to fighting an enemy that needs neither food nor rest; from living in a country that is so confident in its superiority that it hides the truth till the very end, to living in a country that would gas its citizens just to see who would re-animate, the terror of the plague is fully realized precisely because of the multi-layered background of the speakers. Their stories terrify, inspire, sadden and give hope - but they always, always intrigue.

A fantastic read ... that most poignantly ends on a note of finality, when survivors are left to live out the rest of their lives after having been "... afraid for so long, fighting and killing, and waiting to die..."

Rashmi bookmarks “The Bedlam Detective”

by Stephen Gallagher

It is Sebastian Becker's job to investigate wealthy patrons and report to the Bethlehem Hospital his professional opinion of their capability to continue to manage their affairs. One of his patients, rich landowner Sir Owain Lancaster, becomes the focus of this book, as events cover a scientific trip down the Amazon gone horribly wrong, mysterious murders of children, and an elusive monster that is affecting brilliant minds and sending them to mental asylums.

Despite the fantastic premise, I can't say I enjoyed this book much. Once the main plot had been introduced, not much happened; in fact a lot of time was spent going over similar conversations with the same conclusions. And the final reveal - coming, as it did, after such extraordinary elements - left me quite under whelmed.

What kept me going was the relationships between some of the characters and some really interesting conversations: the way Sebastian's son, Robert, deconstructs the events at Amazon and decrees where reality ends and fantasy begins ... Sir Owain's attempts at questioning his own mind and his little experiment on Sebastian ... conversations with Doctor Somerville - who was part of the original Amazon expedition - in an attempt to reconstruct the murder of his sister ... moments like these kept my interest in the story alive, more than the main narrative.

Rashmi bookmarks “Coldbrook”

Located deep in Appalachian Mountains, scientists at the Coldbrook laboratory discover a portal to another dimension. The universe that exists a few steps away holds a horrifying secret - and when the first living being bypasses The Eradicator and comes through the breach, all of Earth is changed forever.

Tim Lebbon creates a story that has elements of science fantasy, horror and drama. A world is overrun by zombies and all of humanity's future depends on finding the one person who appears to be immune to a zombie attack. Beyond the obvious fact that the basic premise of the story is really cool, I really liked the unique characters that form this story: from the omnipresent Inquisitor that can show visions of multiverses, to the sole hope for a cure in the form of a woman crippled by a debilitating muscle disease, to Furies that have quantum capabilities. I also really liked the fact that we get to see both worlds: once the zombies come through, we not only see the effects of their attack on this world, but we also follow Holly Wright into the next universe and see events unfold there.

The one thing that did not work for me in this story was the inclusion of personal relationship problems, which I considered slightly annoying; at a time when zombies have infected and changed the whole world as we know it, I could not care less about Vic Pearson and his eternal dilemma between his wife and his mistress.

I also felt that the character of the Inquisitor could have been taken a bit further. It was a brilliant concept, and in fact was introduced to the story at just the right pace and with just the right amount of mystery. Thereafter, however, it seemed to fade into the background, only to be re-visited in brief repetitive spurts.

Overall though, this was an enjoyable read with a great final denouement.