Review – Luka and the Fire of Life

Posted August 26, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman RushdieLuka and the Fire of Life, Salman Rushdie

I’ve been meaning to try something by Rushdie for a while, and the idea of trying something I hadn’t heard of by him sounded appealing. Especially since it’s a fable-like story set mostly in a fantasy world; that’s the sort of setting that most appeals to me. I actually don’t know much about the plots of Rushdie’s other books — just that there were a lot of objections to The Satanic Verses.

Luka and the Fire of Life is a fairly traditional fable in one way: a boy, seeing his father dying, must quest for the magical item that will restore him to life and allow him to live. But then there’s also gaming — Luka finishes levels, gathers extra lives, saves his game — and modern puns like the whole section with the Respectorate of I and the Otters (and the land of OTT, where everything is, well, over the top). It’s an odd juxtaposition at times, but I quite liked it — and Rushdie can certainly turn a phrase. I’m going to read more by him, but I think I’m glad I tried this first — it’s relatively short and unthreatening, so it might well make a good gateway drug.

Rating: 4/5

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2 responses to “Review – Luka and the Fire of Life

  1. I read Midnight’s Children years and years ago, but could do with a reread to see if I like it even more in retrospect. The Moor’s Last Sigh I stalled on, so maybe I ought to give that another go first. Luka however sounds like a quick and enjoyable read, so that must go to the top of the Rushdie pile, so thanks for this!

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