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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
We’re a few weeks till the start of the new year and if you can only read one book, it’s #VauhiniVara ‘s “The Immortal King Rao”.
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The story began a few decades ago before our titular character, King Rao, was born. His mother was raped and forced to marry into a family having coconut plantation called “The Garden”. The story tells us how he grew up, move to America, and become a Bill Gates-Steve Jobs tech magnate. The story however, is told by Athena; King Rao’s daughter almost a hundred year in the future where governments were replaced by corporations, where the earth has entered a phase called Hothouse Earth, where people are judged by their Social capital via a global social media account.
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The narrative flows back and forth from the past, far future, present, and back. There is a mythological and biographical aspect to King Rao’s origin story (*ehem* The Garden? Like garden of Eden?). But the story is also sci-fi AND dystopian… almost like Westworld. What fascinates me about the author’s writing is how smooth the transition is between one timeline to another. It is an ambitious book with so many themes and genre combined but IT. WORKS. And one thing I have to mention is the very PROPHETIC nature of the story. Sometimes you read scifi and think: yeah thats not gonna happen. This isn’t the case with this book! It is actually more like: omg is this where we are going?? Let’s not forget the way all of this is combined with rhe saga of a Dalit family in India and how they rose to prominence! Vauhini Vara did ALL this and she did that so smoothly and efficiently that the book is just 300+ pages long…which is effective!
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I can go on and on about this book so I have to stop now haha. But pick it up, read it; I swear this is nothing like you have ever read before. At its core, this is a book about technology, humanity, and how we chart our path as humankind.
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The story began a few decades ago before our titular character, King Rao, was born. His mother was raped and forced to marry into a family having coconut plantation called “The Garden”. The story tells us how he grew up, move to America, and become a Bill Gates-Steve Jobs tech magnate. The story however, is told by Athena; King Rao’s daughter almost a hundred year in the future where governments were replaced by corporations, where the earth has entered a phase called Hothouse Earth, where people are judged by their Social capital via a global social media account.
.
The narrative flows back and forth from the past, far future, present, and back. There is a mythological and biographical aspect to King Rao’s origin story (*ehem* The Garden? Like garden of Eden?). But the story is also sci-fi AND dystopian… almost like Westworld. What fascinates me about the author’s writing is how smooth the transition is between one timeline to another. It is an ambitious book with so many themes and genre combined but IT. WORKS. And one thing I have to mention is the very PROPHETIC nature of the story. Sometimes you read scifi and think: yeah thats not gonna happen. This isn’t the case with this book! It is actually more like: omg is this where we are going?? Let’s not forget the way all of this is combined with rhe saga of a Dalit family in India and how they rose to prominence! Vauhini Vara did ALL this and she did that so smoothly and efficiently that the book is just 300+ pages long…which is effective!
.
I can go on and on about this book so I have to stop now haha. But pick it up, read it; I swear this is nothing like you have ever read before. At its core, this is a book about technology, humanity, and how we chart our path as humankind.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-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 found the book overall to be entertaining and quick read, considering the length. That said, I didn’t really end up sympathizing with any of the characters and found the plot to be overly ambitious. It was hard to tell what the moral was at any given moment. An inditement on tech? A warning for global warming? Fighting capitalism altogether? I just wish this book could focus long enough for me to get on board with the story or a given character.
Fantastic world building, big sweeping story, very much liked it
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eh. This was fine. I can see why people like this one but literary sci-fi just doesn’t do it for me. I liked the future parts but the past parts were kinda confusing sometimes. Then ending kinda just… fizzled out. I was expecting much more based on the build up. I liked a lot of the concepts that were talked about but the execution was just meh. It was overly wordy at some points where I was like… just shut the fuck up and get to the point already. God damn.
I really enjoyed the premise of this book and won’t spoil it by sharing more than the book’s description already has. I’d consider it less science fiction and more dystopia or unconventional family saga. It includes all the thought-provoking and depressing social commentary I usually enjoy with interesting historical references and context. While I enjoyed the premise and writing of this book, I did find myself annoyed by the pacing. Lately I’ve read several books that felt more like the author was trying to write something that could be easily adapted as a mini series for tv instead of writing for the actual audience, the people reading the actual book.
Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC.
Content Warnings: Death, Climate Change, Rape, Sexual content, Murder
Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC.
Content Warnings: Death, Climate Change, Rape, Sexual content, Murder