First off, I’ll say that unlike most reviewers here, I really loved this book. I am an avid sci-fi / fantasy reader and after recently reading books like Gormenghast (Mervyn Peake), the fifth HP or the three first books of Ashok Banker ’s fiction-based Ramayana, this was a joy to read.
It is perhaps less flowery in its writing than The Lord of the Rings, and the characters are definitely less realistic than those of the Gormenghast series, yet where I found the humour of authors such as Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) a bit overdone at times, I found the numerous subtle jokes and reference to sci-fi classics in this book amusing. Indeed, you will come accross ’’Dark Lords’’, ’’Golems’’, ’’Rashases’’ and books that speak to the readers.
In my opinion, Samit Basu was not trying to make fun, let alone attack, the masterpieces of sci-fi that are Lord of the Rings and others. On the contrary, I found this book to be a bit of tribute to them. A spoof is not always meant to ridicule the book it mimicks. On the contrary, I wouldn’t be surprised if Samit Basu greatly enjoyed the works of Tolkien, J.K Rowling and T. Pratchett.
So, what, in my eyes, makes this read thouroughly enjoyable? Not only are the characters as absurd as can be, the settings colourful and varied, the book also holds a captivating (I couldn’t put the book down) plot and many surprises.
All these things, and more, make this novel a joy to read and I would definitely recommend it to all fantasy readers with a sense of humour.
The only thing it lacks, is a sequel!