V for Vendetta (Book Review)

Ok. I'm floored. Totally. It was so good, that I lay for a long time, holding my head, thinking of what had just passed through my retina and imprinted permanently in my brain. I'd suggest that you read it, even before I tell you about it. Ok. So much for drooling. :-P

V for Vendetta is a graphic novel/comic, by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. The graphics are truly one of the best I've seen and the story line plays out brilliantly. It plays on your mind for a long time after you've gone through it once (and are bound to go through it once more at least). Placed in a fascist England, devastated by the effects of nuclear war, the book shows how bad the situation can get and how resilient humans are. It portrays how one man rises against the totalitarian state and gives the people a wiff of how true freedom tastes like. The novel shows how ingrained the need for order has become that we're ready to give up our freedom for the same.

Though the thought of anarchism and the process to get to it (through chaos) does scare me, these things are exactly what V (the protagonist/antagonist) tries to convince us of - our blessed ignorant state which we're scared to give up. V proposes take-what-you-want-land and -do-what -you-please-land (both courtesy Enid Blyton) which are exactly what they are as they mean. Now, the story puts forward a time when there's order without leadership - anarchy. How that is supposed to happen I don't know and I have(had?) serious doubts about whether people left to themselves will become orderly on their own (as the book says). What about the psychopaths and the power freaks? What about all the people who'll be jobless and the problems resulting from that?

Well, one thing I can say for sure - though the ideas are a little doubtful to me, the book has more or less convinced me that its possible. One word - WOW! Please do read it. Namaste.

Metamorphosis of What ?!?

Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect - A novel by Roger Williams

It has been a day I'd rather not remember. :-( Depressing since it began. And then I had the (mis?)fortune of reading this (free) online book called "Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect". (Warning : Spoilers coming your way).
Its a nice read and gives an account of what happens once we reach the stage popularly known as Technological Singularity (MATRIX, Terminator anyone ?). You have to be stupid to read this book on a sad day. With lots of gore sex (there's even incest) and mindless graphic violence, the story does force you to think (when its not describing sex between a zombie and the protagonist lady). Would we turn into vegetables, if we had a generous God-like computer taking care of our every whim and need ? How much as I told myself that if I'd been in that world,  I'd be rather having a family and pursuing my hobbies, but given that in the story, you're immortal and more importantly, all of science is now known (huh?), I don't think anyone would be spared from the abyss that the story puts forth for every human soul, making everyone a masturbating vegetable. The book has a lot of things that speaks volumes about human lives and its messed up my mind for a few days at least.

For everyone whose going to read the book after reading this, especially people who know (and maybe like?) quantum physics, please don't pay attention to all the random stuff about it. Looking for gore scenes or interesting questions, either way, interesting read but not on a Monday. :-) Namaste.