The Trials of Apollo - The Burning Maze

Author : Rick Riordan

Review:

I am a huge fan of Rick Riordan and follow all his books. Those who have read my earlier reviews  know how much I like this author and also the reason why. In synopsis, he blends mythology in the current day setting so well that along with a gripping plot, you learn a lot about the eccentric Gods and their demeanours. And his sense of humor is terrific. On any gloomy day, pick up one of his books as relexation therapy. You never know when that smile comes on your face and in no time, you are laughing aloud.

Coming to the book itself, this is book 3 in the Trials of Apollo series. The fallen God Apollo is in pursuit of his quest to find the third Oracle, the Sybil of Erythrae. The prophetess is imprisoned in the Labryinth, which for some reason has frequent fire outbursts. The fire outbreak has caused major part of California to go dry and humid, and harming the nature. Apollo has to journey through this burning maze and solve the ciphers to rescue the Sybil. In his mission, he has to suffer grief and part with people who are dear to him. 

The book starts in a very light note and the plot is really gripping. But somewhere towards the end, it starts picking steam and turns serious. There is urgency and pain in the voice of Apollo, as he looses his dear friends, one after another. The transformation of  a detached, cynical God to a caring brother and a loving friend is hard to miss. You empathise with Apollo as he is miserable and helpless, when circumstances go beyond his control.  

Surprisingly, there are deaths, deaths of very prominent characters. Not to give away the plot, I was really surprised that one of the most level headed and leading characters of the Olympus series is brought in and killed. Very unlike Riordan to kill his protogonists. 

To summarize, undoubtedly, one of the better books from Riordan, full of wit, humour and yet at the same time, poignant and moving. If you have not fallen for Apollo by now, you will, by the end of this book. Don't miss this one !!

Recommended :  👍👍

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Wives and Daughters

BBC Adaptation based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell

Review:

The adaptation is based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell, one of my favourite authors. Her books are usually compared to those of Jane Austen. Though I feel her stories are more grounded to reality than Austen's, which are far more romantic in nature. The central theme of Austen's books is romance, whilst Gaskell focuses on all others relationships including romance.

Set in provincial England, the story is centered around a sensible girl with dreamy eyes, Molly, her family , her friendships and the society she lives in. It is her journey and struggle from childhood and mainly focuses on her relationship with her father, her step mother, her step sister and her secret love.  Molly looses her mother in her early years and her father, a well established doctor in the province, falls in love and marries again . Her step mother is a governess with polished manners and though outwardly appears a kind person, is very concieted. She has a daughter from an earlier marriage, Cynthia, who is ravishingly beautiful but is rebellious in nature. Molly endures a silent struggle of acceptance and gets accustomed to her father's divided attentions to the new family. The squires in the town are very fond of Molly and they consider her as a part of their family. She falls in love with the younger son, Roger, but she never reveals her feelings to him. He in turn falls in love with Cynthia and Molly has to deal with the hardbreak silently. 

The squire, over a period of time, looses his wife and his elder son to illness. He struggles between the matters of status and heart when he figures out that his elder son had secretly married a French maid and has a son. Molly helps him accept the daughter-in-law and grand son.Cynthia has her share of struggle with her secrets of the past and has to deal with heartbreaks herself.

The story is more of a journey of each one of the characters, they recognize their weaknesses and evolve over a period of time . Set on the backdrop of provinicial England, there is an undercurrent of how the society was, at that point of time. The character of a young girl , if she is seen with someone unworthy and exchanging a secret word, is looked upon on derogatory terms. The fame of the girl and her family is questioned. There is a matchmaking talk which always goes on in town between a certain eligible young man and a pretty girl. What is worthy and who is worthy is discussed with utmost scrutiny.  

The BBC adaptation is brilliant and sticks to the book to the core till the end. The ending is modified a little bit as the book was left unfinished by the author, who died suddenly. Shot mainly in the country side, the visuals are beautiful. The costumes, the sceneries, the carriages transport you to the period which is so appealing. On a weekend, sit back, relax and enjoy this adaptation.

Recommended : 👍👍

Buy Wives and Daughters online

Also read my review on North and South

Review !!!

Avengers - Infinity War- Part 1

Review:

I am a huge fan of Avengers, and I look forward to see all the Marvel movies. In Avengers-Infinity War-Part 1, the plot follows Thanos going behind all the six powerful stones in the universe and gaining the ultimate power to wipe out the life on Earth. He follows the typical logic , which is followed by most of the villians in the science fiction movies -  help the Earth from getting over burdened , annihilate most of the life , and leave the chosen few to pave the new path. In his quest of six stones, he has to encounter and fight the Avengers and the Guardians, who are in posession of those stones. The part 1 ends in a distressing note when he manages to acquire all the six stones and disintegrate half the team of the Avengers and the Guardians, and wrecks havoc on Earth. He,for some reason, leaves the oldest ones alone .Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America are all intact, watching helplessly, as the world around them diminishes. Looks like Part 2 will pick up the strings and turn things around. The plot is a good one, and you are hooked to the film from the beginning to the end. But I felt the movie was one of the most grim and serious one from Marvel. I missed the quirky dialogues ( not that they are completely missing, they are there, but very few). I missed the wit from Iron Man, the star power from Thor, Banner's innocent and adorable comments. Each hero has very less screen time, simply because they were too many of them. I somewhere seemed to have sided with Hulk who refuses to show up throughout the movie. It was like a boycott from him that he would'nt show up. The whole film looked like a red carpet where the Avengers come, show their face and go. The good part though is Captain America competes with Thor on his good looks with his newly grown beard and super toned body. But we are all so used to Avengers now, and we wait for them to come, entertain us in their own sporting and stylish way. So, I left the movie hall wishing they would have made their presence better in the film. One of my cousins had shared a pic which summarizes the cast and the sequence of the whole movie.

To summarize, Avengers is always a feast to watch. But too many cooks, spoil the broth. Here's hoping, by the end of Part-2, the broth is indeed tasty.

Recommended : 👍