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vinayvasan's review against another edition
4.0
This is a wickedly Sharp and clever book with an amalgam of genres and settings and ideas. This novella sells a concept of a real powerful AI vs an all powerful recently awakened Djinn, based on an ideal utopian society nestled in a climate controlled Kathmandu with the garnish of human beings who have the potential to screw it all up. The recently awakened Djinn run into quite possibly the only human being who isn’t a fan of Karma, the AI managing and running Utopia. What follows is quite fun with the Djinn angling to be the supreme ruler while the human being has his own agenda in manipulating the Djinn while hoodwinking the AI, Karma.
Given it’s a novella, there isn’t much depth but the commentary on a host of things - climate change, wealth inequality, free will etc is sharp and subtle at the same time. This is black humor and yet quite a funny and a fun book. Huge fan of the author’s Escape from Baghdad and this one quite the jewel to add to it
Given it’s a novella, there isn’t much depth but the commentary on a host of things - climate change, wealth inequality, free will etc is sharp and subtle at the same time. This is black humor and yet quite a funny and a fun book. Huge fan of the author’s Escape from Baghdad and this one quite the jewel to add to it
nathwani's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
bgudmundr's review
4.0
What a good old time this book was. Having just been disappointed by another book's immortal/ageless protagonist, it was a breath of fresh air. It's how I imagine an incredibly powerful person that lives for thousands of years would act. Swagger, bravado, and chasing a good time. Hell, you'd easily get bored living so long.
Hossain walks the thin line of technology being explained but not too burdensome. Everything is communicated effectively and you understand the hows and whys. The AI acts a little strange at some parts, not super consistent, but that's probably what keeps the story from seeming too heavy.
A tale of revenge and true power told well. I'm looking forward to reading more of this author.
Hossain walks the thin line of technology being explained but not too burdensome. Everything is communicated effectively and you understand the hows and whys. The AI acts a little strange at some parts, not super consistent, but that's probably what keeps the story from seeming too heavy.
A tale of revenge and true power told well. I'm looking forward to reading more of this author.
k_reads_too_many_spooky_books's review against another edition
3.75
I didn't enjoy this as much as Kundo. It needed a little more time to breathe. Interesting characters with not enough to do or time to really grow. The twist didn't connect with me, but it was nice to have some more perspective on a book I liked better.
samanthaeumir's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gizmo_gadget's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
iplay_thefox's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5