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thejhg83's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
duparker's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting and original, in some ways, novel. They characters were alive and detailed and the variety of settings and depth of the plot was enjoyable. Very real book. Reminded me of station eleven in the sense that the timeframe is here and in the future with both feeling capable of existing.
rhaeyyan's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book answers the question, "what if Steve Jobs was a Indian Dalit?" But also much deeper than that. I had a hard time following a lot of the character moments but the book is extremely well written, it and lavishes in the abstractions of identity, caste (and class), the immigrant experience.
natecheadle's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
larkspire's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Immortal King Rao takes on a lot: the South Asian emigrant experience; historical fiction in three different periods of Indian history and the US technology industry of the 1980s; near- and then still-nearer- future science fiction, with all the attendant speculations about the direction humanity is headed and the nature of identity (Vara is more concerned with raising questions than answering them - I like that, but I know a lot of people don't).
It's easy to follow despite its scope, and only one or two short segments felt meandering. In fact, though I'd say the book is slow-paced over all, some of the "history of the future" segments felt rushed. Nonetheless, I sometimes felt like I had skimmed a Wikipedia article and can't help but wonder if better justice might have been done to some of these themes had others been dropped.
I read this for the sci-fi/climate fiction parts, originally, and at first I was a little frustrated with the book's preoccupation with the past. But I came to be much more interested in the historical characters; the sci-fi ones (even the ones that had also appeared in the historical sections) seemed like sketches in comparison, and I quickly became bored with them. Some of the future geopolitics seemed very blunt and simplistic, which I found hard to mesh with the meticulousness and attention to detail to the historical parts of the book. I guess Vara was trying to show the scope widening from a single coconut grove to the entire world, but for me it doesn't work; the latter part felt clumsy and out-of-place compared to the former even though I could see the obvious parallels between the two (actually, that might have made the effect worse).
A great read overall; if Vara returns to science fiction in the future, I hope she narrows the focus a bit so she can give all of her characters and future speculations the attention they deserve.
It's easy to follow despite its scope, and only one or two short segments felt meandering. In fact, though I'd say the book is slow-paced over all, some of the "history of the future" segments felt rushed. Nonetheless, I sometimes felt like I had skimmed a Wikipedia article and can't help but wonder if better justice might have been done to some of these themes had others been dropped.
I read this for the sci-fi/climate fiction parts, originally, and at first I was a little frustrated with the book's preoccupation with the past. But I came to be much more interested in the historical characters; the sci-fi ones (even the ones that had also appeared in the historical sections) seemed like sketches in comparison, and I quickly became bored with them. Some of the future geopolitics seemed very blunt and simplistic, which I found hard to mesh with the meticulousness and attention to detail to the historical parts of the book. I guess Vara was trying to show the scope widening from a single coconut grove to the entire world, but for me it doesn't work; the latter part felt clumsy and out-of-place compared to the former even though I could see the obvious parallels between the two (actually, that might have made the effect worse).
A great read overall; if Vara returns to science fiction in the future, I hope she narrows the focus a bit so she can give all of her characters and future speculations the attention they deserve.
iekanayake's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tony_from_work's review against another edition
4.5
While there were some parts of "The Immortal King Rao" that didn't totally land for me, the parts that did land riveted me more than any new novel I've read in several years.
This is a complicated book, and it's hard to summarize in an elevator pitch. But it basically tells the multigenerational story of King Rao, a talented Dalit boy born into a large family on a coconut plantation in Southern India, who emigrates to the US, becomes a tech pioneer, and ends up massively altering the course of human history through his innovations. The book is narrated from the future by Rao's daughter, whose brain has been altered by her father to both connect to the internet and contain a cache of all her father's memories. The story jumps between roughly three time periods: King Rao's youth in India, King Rao's ascent through the US tech world with his wife and collaborator, and the adventures of King Rao's daughter in a dystopian/utopian future. See? Hard to describe. And that was a very superficial summary of this cornucopia of a book, which can barely contain all it has to say.
"The Immortal King Rao" is about the myths of meritocracy and "Great Men," the different meanings and uses of capital across cultures and classes, the relationship between humanity and technology, and the role of memory in the individual and society. With all these Big Ideas and all this plot, it would be easy to assume "The Immortal King Rao" is dry, academic, or pretentious. For the vast majority of the book, nothing could be further from the truth. This book is driven by feeling and passion. The characters are vivid, and the storytelling is tight and purposeful. Most of the world-building is delivered organically with incredible economy, and despite a zillion things to keep track of, I was never confused. Most importantly, I couldn't put it down. The split timeline is deployed brilliantly, and the information revealed and withheld in each thread complicates and deepens the others.
I said there were parts that didn't totally land for me. Unfortunately, there is a patch in the third quarter of the book that doesn't live up to the standard it set for itself. For a while, summary replaces scene, exposition dumps replace drama, and the political allegories become too on-the-nose. You'll notice it when you get there. It comes off a little bit like a Wikipedia entry on an alternate history mixed with a series of ham-fisted stand-ins for contemporary figures in pop culture, politics, and technology. That being said, the book is never bad. This weakest section is kind of par for the course in contemporary speculative fiction. But amidst so much brilliance, it sticks out for indulging in the lazier impulses that the rest of the book deftly avoids.
Luckily, "The Immortal King Rao" recovers, and the last quarter returns to the intimate and thoughtful tone established in the first half. I wish I had nothing negative to say at all, because I really, truly, loved this book. It's full of beautiful vignettes that could almost stand alone as short stories, and everything builds to an insightful and nuanced portrait of how when one person appears to change the world, they really exist at a complicated nexus of history, culture, family, science, and money. You should read it!
This is a complicated book, and it's hard to summarize in an elevator pitch. But it basically tells the multigenerational story of King Rao, a talented Dalit boy born into a large family on a coconut plantation in Southern India, who emigrates to the US, becomes a tech pioneer, and ends up massively altering the course of human history through his innovations. The book is narrated from the future by Rao's daughter, whose brain has been altered by her father to both connect to the internet and contain a cache of all her father's memories. The story jumps between roughly three time periods: King Rao's youth in India, King Rao's ascent through the US tech world with his wife and collaborator, and the adventures of King Rao's daughter in a dystopian/utopian future. See? Hard to describe. And that was a very superficial summary of this cornucopia of a book, which can barely contain all it has to say.
"The Immortal King Rao" is about the myths of meritocracy and "Great Men," the different meanings and uses of capital across cultures and classes, the relationship between humanity and technology, and the role of memory in the individual and society. With all these Big Ideas and all this plot, it would be easy to assume "The Immortal King Rao" is dry, academic, or pretentious. For the vast majority of the book, nothing could be further from the truth. This book is driven by feeling and passion. The characters are vivid, and the storytelling is tight and purposeful. Most of the world-building is delivered organically with incredible economy, and despite a zillion things to keep track of, I was never confused. Most importantly, I couldn't put it down. The split timeline is deployed brilliantly, and the information revealed and withheld in each thread complicates and deepens the others.
I said there were parts that didn't totally land for me. Unfortunately, there is a patch in the third quarter of the book that doesn't live up to the standard it set for itself. For a while, summary replaces scene, exposition dumps replace drama, and the political allegories become too on-the-nose. You'll notice it when you get there. It comes off a little bit like a Wikipedia entry on an alternate history mixed with a series of ham-fisted stand-ins for contemporary figures in pop culture, politics, and technology. That being said, the book is never bad. This weakest section is kind of par for the course in contemporary speculative fiction. But amidst so much brilliance, it sticks out for indulging in the lazier impulses that the rest of the book deftly avoids.
Luckily, "The Immortal King Rao" recovers, and the last quarter returns to the intimate and thoughtful tone established in the first half. I wish I had nothing negative to say at all, because I really, truly, loved this book. It's full of beautiful vignettes that could almost stand alone as short stories, and everything builds to an insightful and nuanced portrait of how when one person appears to change the world, they really exist at a complicated nexus of history, culture, family, science, and money. You should read it!
clairebau's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. Vara has a talent for characterization through description of other characters through the eyes of the narrator; in a description of a few sentences (or fewer. usually fewer) one gets an immediate, visceral sense of a new character and also how their description defines the narrating character. This is not just appreciated but also necessary in a story that includes so many unique players, and it was done so well. The family-epic-style storytelling reminded me a bit of Eugenides's Middlesex; aptly a Pulitzer-winning novel while Rao was sadly only nominated.
Some have criticized the ending for feeling too rushed, or that the threads connecting each storyline were not strong enough to leave the reader satisfied. I disagree; I found the connections between each story to be rewarding and surprising. I do wish the end of Athena's story was fleshed out as much as the beginning was. Vara mentioned in her acknowledgements that this novel was a twelve year long project; perhaps she was simply sick of writing it, and for that I cannot blame her.
My favorite part of this novel is that it explores every aspect of the political. A theme I did not expect to come through so strongly and repetitively was that of the man's entitlement to the woman: her body, her children, her intellect. These parts were harrowing and deeply emotional, and as cathartic as one would expect.
Great stuff. I can see myself rereading in the future.
Some have criticized the ending for feeling too rushed, or that the threads connecting each storyline were not strong enough to leave the reader satisfied. I disagree; I found the connections between each story to be rewarding and surprising. I do wish the end of Athena's story was fleshed out as much as the beginning was. Vara mentioned in her acknowledgements that this novel was a twelve year long project; perhaps she was simply sick of writing it, and for that I cannot blame her.
My favorite part of this novel is that it explores every aspect of the political. A theme I did not expect to come through so strongly and repetitively was that of the man's entitlement to the woman: her body, her children, her intellect. These parts were harrowing and deeply emotional, and as cathartic as one would expect.
Great stuff. I can see myself rereading in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Racism, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Suicide, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Vomit, Infidelity, Police brutality, Sexual content, Violence, Classism, Blood, Body horror, and Sexual assault
af666014's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
3.75
A lot to think about with this book - particularly the notion under capitalism that spending/buying =moralistic.
Last line was gorgeous as well:
“Did it all mean nothing but itself”
Last line was gorgeous as well:
“Did it all mean nothing but itself”