Smorgasbord Fantasia

Ben Galley came into my notice a few years back when I got this book on improving my craft, called Shelf Help I had also bought the first two books of his series, the scarlet star trilogy (Bloodrush) but never got around to reading him. And then, two weeks back, his tweets on Grim Solace, the new book in this series stormed the twitter world and I felt I had to check this one out. Grim, dark and a world-building that reminds you of Michael Moorcock's Elric series, hell count me in!

Chasing Graves, the first of a trilogy is set in the fascinating city of Araxes, the capital of the rift-laden Arctian empire. Also known as the City of Countless Souls where your status and richness is measured in terms of the 'shades' you own and not just the weight of silver. In Ben's beautiful prose, this bustling metropolis comes alive - beset on one side by a brutal desert, bordered by poor slum-regions known as the outsprawls which slowly lead into the city through the countless market…

Will the F&F franchise that has been dragged bloody and dusty to more than eight frigging outings but still remains un-apologetically high on the style factor (Dwayne Rock Johnson with his smaller meaner and more vicious version in Jason Statham ), without muh substance ( read, sans Vin Diesel) stick the landing this time?

Trailer looks fun - but if you get bored of the relentless quips and the unending bashing-up-of-each-other - then Gods save us, huh. I really have low hopes but Idris Elba might just be the X-factor that saves the day. Brings in enough menace and sincerity to that grey role.

I am on a Malayalam movie watching spree – given the resurgence in the quality of movies being churned out in the last few years, each begging for rewards and recognition at global levels. I am really happy about this state of affairs. The glut of this sudden talent, in terms of the fresh and original ideas translated to scripts and screenplays brought to life by the technical brilliance of the set of directors like Amal, Abu Ashiq, Anwar Rasheed, Anjali Menon etc, all that is just the tip of the ice-berg. But it’s a sign of times to come and I know, that dam has burst.



Does Varathan belong to that unique set of movies? I am frankly confused after having watched it. So Varathan is touted to be a thriller, from the stables of Amal Neerad known for his technically brilliant movies like Iyobinte Pusthakam, Big B among others. Now thankfully, before I had decided to watch Varathan, I didn’t really have much clue as to what the movie-subject was and that possibly was a reason for the mixed…

Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence marks the end to the glorious proceedings in the grim world of Abeth: Where the ice is advancing and that corridor of life is receding. We cannot wait to get back to the enthralling story of Nona Grey and her friends, hunted down by heretics and religious zealots alike. I cannot wait for the epic conclusion [ And with that, it will be the third complete series by one author, that I have read and completed, say wooooot!]


They came against her as a child. Now they face the woman. The ice is advancing, the Corridor narrowing, and the empire is under siege from the Scithrowl in the east and the Durns in the west. Everywhere, the emperor’s armies are in retreat.
Nona faces the final challenges that must be overcome if she is to become a full sister in the order of her choice. But it seems unlikely that Nona and her friends will have time to earn a nun’s habit before war is on their doorstep. Even a warrior like Nona cannot hope to turn the tide of war. The ship…

Koode is a special movie, in more ways than one. It came into the headlines for two big reasons: It marked the comeback of two of the most loved Malayalam cinema personalities on this one project; Nazriya Nazim was doing a big-screen comeback after a long while and Anjali Menon helming the movie was doing her first movie, after Bangalore Days. It also had Raghu Dixit doing the music for a mallu movie for the first time.


With that weight of hefty expectations dragging it down, I really was a bit skeptical about the movie. But I needn't have worried. Koode soars high, just like the dreams of the protagonists of this movie. This is a story about a disjoint family trying to find their broken rhythm in life after their darling daughter dies at a very young age of twenty, due to a congenital breathing disorder. Koode, means 'Together' in Malayalam and that is the underlying theme of the whole movie - as Prithviraj's character Joshua nursing bone-deep bitterness about how he…

So The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan ranks right up there, in terms of my most anticipated books of 2019 and the pre-publication buzz has been nothing short of fantastic. I stalk Gareth on his blog and followed his reddit AMA and so no wonder, when I got approved for the ARC for Gutter Prayer, I was way over the moon, sun and all the stars.



Now having breathlessly finished his gut-punchy debut, I guess I finally know what all the fuzz was about. And well deserved, I might add. Grim-dark by way of New Weird (Think China Mievelle) Gareth has built  an immensely intricate and detailed world in his accomplished debut, The Gutter Prayer. Friendships, betrayals and forgotten myths come alive in a mad chaotic tale set in the ancient city of Guerdon - a crumbling metropolis that runs on alchemy and broken faith. Three unlikely allies go up against ancient guilds, a corrupt watch and a horde of demons from the underworld as the world around them gets caught up in an age-old war. Alchemical…