Reviews - The Immortal King Rao

362 reviews for:

The Immortal King Rao

Vauhini Vara

3.7 AVERAGE

cordial75's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I picked Immortal King Rao hoping it would satisfy an itch I was feeling for more "micro-chip implant that lets dead people live on in MC" trope. But, the trope is barely explored. This is a generational novel, about the evolution of a rural Indian family alongside the evolution of globalism. It's a family drama, an exploration of societal transformation over a whole lifetime - the moments that shape us and build into is our identity. Very relatable as a millennial seeing tech rise and becoming outdated very quickly. From who our parents were to who our grandparents were, each building into us if not through memories, through stories. This book also explores humanity's simulataneous need for connection and desire for selfishness. While I didn't get the scifi I was looking for - this was more of an Indian historical family drama - it wasn't bad? I just think I was in the mood for something less historical and more scifi when I read it.

nuhafariha's review against another edition

1.0

I had high expectations given the interesting plot line for this story. However, as soon as I started reading this book, I felt confused. What greatly distracted me is the scaffolding of narrative within narrative, making it difficult to establish a timeline. I couldn't finish the book.

mrdietz's review against another edition

4.0

This novel bites off a whole lot. There are four distinct narratives unfolding at the same time, scattered across a timeline. Some of these work more effectively than others. The intercutting allows for some striking juxtaposition, but I wonder if I might have enjoyed this novel more if it was longer. Powerful ideas regarding the integration of economic systems, technology, and governments. Plenty to discuss and think about in the aftermath.

paulhammond's review against another edition

3.0

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

underapileofbooks's review against another edition

4.0

This was an ambitious, thought-provoking novel, addressing big themes and spanning multiple genres, decades, and countries - all in under 400 pages - and I think it mostly worked.

There are three major storylines that are interwoven throughout the book: the story of King Rao’s childhood in India, where he grew up on his family’s coconut plantation; his immigration to the US as a young adult, and the creation of his Apple-like tech empire; and his daughter Athena’s life in the near-future among the “Exes” who have opted out of participating in the global “shareholder” government - where society runs on social capital as determined by an Algorithm - and instead live communally on the world’s islands. The story is narrated by Athena, who is being held in a correctional facility, charged with her father’s murder.

Vauhini Vara jumps seamlessly between historical and speculative fiction, telling the story of the Raos in layers that are slowly peeled back, each chapter adding nuance to the developing narrative. The book feels in some ways like a cautionary tale, raising important questions about capitalism and technology - and sounding alarm bells about the climate - but mostly stops short of suggesting answers. Overall, a very solid debut and a solid four stars for me.