govindjs's reviews
10 reviews

Dune by Frank Herbert

With the first print 60 years back, Dune — the epic in SF genre — permeates politics, religion, culture, environmentalism and imperialism. The subtleties and depth of plot, Machiavellian scheme of things defines the world order subject to
"effort at prediction."

"When religion and politics travel in the same cart, the riders believe nothing can stand in their way. They put aside all thoughts of obstacles and forget the precipice does not show itself to the man in a blind rush until it's too late."

The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire by William Dalrymple

5.0

A compelling composite narrative of the EIC from its early stages.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer

4.0

A raw and riveting account of the '96 Mt. Everest disaster, coupled with its reporting within inches of life.
Ignorance proved fatal! 
Kind of an adventure book.

മുല്ലപ്പൂ നിറമുള്ള പകലുകൾ | Mullappoo Niramulla Pakalukal by Benyamin

4.0

 ചിലരുടെ സ്വപ്നങ്ങൾ, അത് വെറുതെ കാണാനുള്ളതുമാത്രമാണ്. 

അറബ് വസന്തത്തെ ചുറ്റിപ്പറ്റി മധ്യപൂർവ്വേഷ്യയിലും വടക്കേ ആഫ്രിക്കയിലും നടന്ന കഷ്ടപ്പാടിന്റെയും വിപ്ലവത്തിന്റെയും പ്രത്യാശയുടെയും തിരിച്ചടിയുടേയും അടിച്ചമർത്തലിന്റെയും ചിത്രീകരണം.
നൂറ്റാണ്ടുകളായിട്ടുള്ള സുന്നി-ഷിയ വ്യത്യാസങ്ങൾ, അവരുടെ കഷ്ടപ്പാടുകൾ, സൗഹൃദങ്ങൾ എന്നിവ അടിസ്ഥാനമാക്കി എഴുതിയ ഈ നോവലിൽ എഴുത്തുകാരന്റെ ജീവിതാനുഭവങ്ങൾ കാണാം. ഇതിനുപുറമെ കഥ ഏത് ദേശത്താണ് ചുരുളഴിയുന്നതെന്ന് വ്യക്തമാക്കാത്തതിലൂടെ നോവലിനെ മറ്റുള്ളവയിൽ നിന്ന് വ്യത്യസ്തമാക്കാനും രചയിതാവിന് സാധിക്കുന്നു.

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

5.0

Even though it's a three-part series, this one is fast paced pooling rivalry, politics, love, mystery... A perfect page-turner from the master storyteller.
Don't wait to dig in!

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

5.0

Jack Weatherford's scholarly work on Genghis Khan, gives an open-handed account of the Mongol amalgamation - from the rise through the tribal culture to shaping the modern world of commerce, rule of law and diplomacy.
The impact on world history is something to be reckoned with. Who Genghis Khan is now isn't the Chinggis Khan of then!

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

4.0

Behind the Beautiful Forevers combines the gritty characterization of a Mumbai undercity in the late 2000s with its mix of political, socio-economic and religious contentions - and the spill over... Katherine Boo delivers well researched realities

Pax Indica: India and the World of the 21st Century by Shashi Tharoor

4.0

PaxIndica covers India's evolutionary foreign policy with it's domestic underpinnings.
Even though it's almost a decade since it was published, it seems that we're so near and yet so distant wrt a great deal of challenges
A great read!

Emergency Chronicles: Indira Gandhi and Democracy's Turning Point by Gyan Prakash

4.0

A well crafted account of the dreaded past... Emergency wasn't just a snap in the history - like popular imagination, it has its roots in the past as well as in the events after that; even in 21st century Indian politics.
It was all about the blatant misuse of power and nation building.

War of Lanka by Amish Tripathi

3.0

Disappointed!
Unlike the prequels, War of Lanka failed in captivating the reader mostly because of the kind of narrative attire, even though the storyline was good enough.