The Satanic Verses

THE SATANIC VERSES (Salman Rushdie) - Four Stars

I think I will now go on record as stating that Salman Rushdie is the greatest living author on the planet. His use of magical realism is less confusing and more (for lack of a better term) believable than other authors (Marquez included). Plus, he's one of the best I've ever read at weaving plot threads and ideas together. There's so little that's "throw-away" in his work: even the most minor, humorous asides add to the purpose of the novel and have a cumulative effect on the reader.

How to sum up such a (typically complex) novel like The Satanic Verses? I don't think I can. I've been thinking about the book for two days and can't figure out a simple outline for it: there's too much ground to cover. A hijacked airliner explodes over Britain. Two survivors plummet to Earth, one an India actor disillusioned with his Bollywood fame, the other a successful English voice-over actor disillusioned with his attempts to meld into English society. After a miraculous (safe) landing, one begins to transform into an angel (halo and all), while the other grows hairy legs, hooves and horns. But so much more follows that.

The novel is partially a study on the duality of good and evil. Far from portraying them as opposites, Rushdie portrays them as two sides of the same coin: with good capable of evil acts, evil capable of good acts, and the propensity of both in every living person. Even the omniscient narrator, at different parts of the novel, comes across as (is implied to be) both God and Satan. Are they the same entity?

The novel is partially a study on faith. Largely pessimistic, Rushdie makes some harsh comments against the origin of Islam (basically retelling the story of the Prophet Mohammed from a different angle than the Quran) but, surprisingly, leaves his thoughts on the validity of faith fairly open-ended.

The novel is primarily a study on alienation, and the lives of outsiders. From immigrants trying to form a new life in a foreign country, to people trying to form a new religion, even believers trying to live amongst non-believers (and vice versa) in both the religious and the political senses.

And yet, on top of all this, Rushdie still layers a poignant commentary on the nature of a person's hopes and dreams, and of the envy that arises from watching another live your dream. The capability of good and evil in two wonderfully developed characters, and the actions and interactions that bring those passions to the fore is, to me, the heart of the novel.

Question: What is the opposite of faith?
Not disbelief. Too final, certain, closed. Itself a kind of belief.
Doubt.

Bloodsucking Fiends

BLOODSUCKING FIENDS (Christopher Moore) - Four Stars

Chris Moore books are like candy. They are breezy, quick, delightful reads. They don't kid themselves (or the reader) by trying to delve very deeply into matters of great importance. The plotlines aren't terribly complicated or convoluted, though there's usually one or two surprising plot-twists towards the end. But, in both of Moore's books that I've read so far, they've kept me very entertained (in part by being quite funny) and I've come to care for the characters very much. That's what makes the books a success. His novels are little more than clotheslines upon which are hung one set piece after another, but it works because I care for the characters and am interested in finding out what happens to them next.

Moore's take on the vampire mythos covers some old ground, but makes a few interesting changes while good-naturedly ribbing some of its forebearers (like Bram Stoker and Anne Rice). One of Moore's earlier novels (his third, first published in 1995), his writing style isn't quite as refined as in A Dirty Job: the absurdist wit isn't as sharp, although the humanist elements are still present. I'm glad he wrote a sequel to this novel (You Suck, 2007) as I enjoyed Jody and Tommy even more than Charlie in A Dirty Job.

This book also has the best author bio line I've even seen...

Christopher Moore is the author of seven novels, including this one. He began writing at age six and became the oldest known child prodigy when, in his early thirties, he published his first novel. His turn-ons are the ocean, playing the toad lotto, and talking animals on TV. His turn-offs are salmonella, traffic, and rude people. Chris enjoys cheese crackers, acid jazz, and otter scrubbing. He lives in an inaccessible island fortress in the Pacific.