The Expert System’s Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky: Book Review

A world where people live in harmony with the nature and technology that are beyond them. Handry the main character lives with his sister in a place called Aro. They both live according to the rules of the community. Everyone in the society has to work to remain a part of the community. 

During a ritual Hendry accidentally does something which leads to him being cast out of the community. Being cast out like this brings many challenges for him like being hungry most of the time because nothing is digesting properly.

All this wandering leads to being friends with people who are dangerous but they are also the ones who have been cast out of the community and now have adopted to the new life. One of the friend from this group asks Hendry to go with him to a place which is a place only consists of people like them. Arriving in the place Handry got introduce to some ancient but advanced technology which he doesn’t understand. 

During all the hospitality he discovers something which involves his sister and Handry has to do something about this to save his sister. 

The expert system’s brother is a sci-fi book with some hint of fantasy fiction. The world building is not that grand might be because its a novella and you don’t have that much time for details. The characterization of the book is acceptable. Some of things are predictable but can be tolerated. Overall the book is a quick read and highly entertaining. 

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami: Book Review

“The little People will be watching.”

Just like all the Haruki Murakami’s books 1Q84 has also the characteristics of being surreal but in the same time dealing with realism. Haruki Murakami has the ability to imagine and portrait those imagination with words that justify the objective.

1Q84 follows the life from the perspective of two people Aomame and Tengo. Aomame is a fitness instructor and also works as an assassin with a friend of hers named Dowager. She has the ability to pin-point a location in the back of a person’s neck that can be used to kill a person that can seem like a heart attack. Dowager is a old women who has taken the responsibility upon herself to punish men who are abusing women whether through violence of sexual abuse.

Tengo is a Cram school mathematics teacher and also an aspiring fiction writer. Tengo and Aomame both are unknowingly doing something which may lead to risk of their life. Tengo is approached by his friend who is a big deal in publishing industry to rewrite a novel, which has been written by a seventeen year old girl named Fuka Eri. His friend wants the book to be recognized as well as win a new writer’s award. In doing so they tap into something they should not be a part of, something that is dangerous. 

The book is about the experience of the girl who has witnessed something very bizarre from the normal world. 

1Q84 is a very dense book with more than 1300 pages. The book is divided into three parts, making it a trilogy. But the writing is so good you won’t even notice how quickly you are going. Murakami has a way to telling even a simple thing in a manner which don’t feel boring. I would suggest the book to anyone who wants to read something surreal and imaginative.