Book Review - Demons of Time: Race to the 7th Sunset (✩✩✩✩)

Even though I finished reading this book more than a month back, it is only now that I got the time to pen down my thoughts. Varun, apologies for this terrible delay!)

When one thinks of the sci-fi genre, we mostly end up thinking of foreign authors, Varun Sayal, in my opinion, is here to change that. The first book that I read by him (Time Crawlers), which also happened to be his first book, fascinated me so much that when Varun approached me with his second book, I just could not not accept the offer. In fact, it was an honour to be able to read the ARC of Demons of Time. Thank you, Varun, both for letting me read the ARC and mostly, for writing this wonderful book!

Plot: If I had to summarise the story in one line, I'd say it is a race against time story, topped up with fight between the good and the evil, with a slice of sci-fi, garnished with a squeeze of Hindu mythology - in short, a perfect recipe. (Even though that would be majorly simplifying the story-line.) While I am usually a fan of blurbs that do justice to the content of the book, for a masterpiece like this one, I do not think there can be any blurb to prepare you for the roller-coaster ride you're in for. In short, what I am trying to say is that the story has layers and layers that a reader will enjoy discovering right from page one.

Language: The language is the star of this book. If you have read my reviews, you would already know that I am a fan of simple language. Demons of Time is definitely one of those books. The language used is simple, yet very descriptive, and it surely paints a picture for the reader. There is no unnecessary jargon or use of random flowery language, just a crisp narrative that I enjoyed a lot. Further, the science part of the sci-fi has been broken down very well, for the ease of understanding of the readers. And the way the same has been blended with ancient Hindu mythology is commendable. Reading the intricate details of the blend of science and mythology is what set this book in a different league for me than most others. 

Characters: Most of the characters have been well-developed, especially the main ones of Tej, Rigu and the 'evil' brothers. However, there were still certain characters that I would like to know more about. I would like to read a prequel from the point of view of Tej's mother, for example. I think it would be interesting to have different takes coming together in one story. That is something I think the author can explore.

Climax: For me, the reason why I have given this book four stars and not five is the revelation that comes towards the end of the book. For me, even though the same was very predictable, it did not leave me very justified. As a reader, I would've wanted more juice towards the end. Since the plot was developed so well since the beginning, it ended up in me expecting much much more at the end. Since this is the first book in the series, I am looking forward to what happens next, and maybe that'll make me feel differently about the ending of this part.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves sci-fi, time travel, fantasy fiction, mythology - in short, anyone who enjoys reading beyond the realm of reality as we know it. You will not be disappointed. I, for one, am eagerly waiting for the next part!

*****

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My Solo Travels in Italy - Tips, Tricks, Hacks (Part 1 - Venice)

Venice 02/03/2019

First Sight @ Venice

Vezenia was my first almost solo travel in Italy. What initially started as a group trip ended up being me in Venice with just one more classmate. Nevertheless, Venice was remarkable and I am glad I started with this. 

Ferry Stop at Venice

Venice hosts a masked carnival every year from mid February to beginning of March. On initial enquiry, most of my European classmates, especially the ones from Italy, discouraged the idea of going to Venice during Carnival time. The reason being - it'll be too crowded! Well, I have lived in India all my life, so crowd was a challenge I was totally up for. In fact, it was barely a challenge!

I was out for a party on Friday night, which ended around 3am. My bus was scheduled at 4am, so I walked from the party place to the bus stop. The journey to Venice took about 7 hours, and I was in the land of Shakespeare by 11am. My first stop was Burano. My sister and brother in-law had been there a couple of years back and swore by it. Needless to say, I absolutely had to visit it. And Burano didn't disappoint! 

Burano is a very small island located 40 minutes away from Venice. One can easily catch a ferry and reach there in under an hour. I had my breakfast (sandwich that I'd packed a day before) in the ferry, brushed my teeth and got all set to discover Burano.

Burano was not only spectacularly beautiful but the fact that it was small and compact made it even more charming. I could really cover the entire island on foot in 1-2 hours. I took a short wine break at the port before heading back to Venice.

Burano!

By the time I arrived in Venice, the scene was even better than what I had seen when I had first arrived in the morning. Everyone was dressed up elaborately, even the dogs! (Nope, I am not kidding!) The whole city was like a Gatsby party, maybe even better, I'd say. The colours and the carnival in play made everything brighter and better. For lunch, I had another sandwich made by yours truly. (Yep, totally on a budget!)

                                                            

By evening time, I was in the main square (San Marco's) where a live band was playing. It was like attending a concert, minus all the crowd. But don't get me wrong, Venice was crowded, but not like what I am used to.

After a long walk in the city, I headed for dinner to this one pasta place recommend by a dear friend. If you know anything about me, you'll know that I'm absolutely in love with pasta. So much so, I end up having pasta even in places where you'd know for sure it'd be shitty. (Side note - I'd been craving pasta in Torino for over a month now, so my expectations were pretty high. Dan Moras, this little hole in the wall pasta place, finally came to my rescue. 

The pasta there was exquisite, so much so that my mouth is watering as I'm writing this! I had the regular white sauce penned with garlic and extra olives ad I swear I saw heaven when I took the first bite. Whether you're in Venice for an hour or for a month, you absolutely have to go to this place. The best part? It was relatively very easy on the pocket. I paid 7€ for my dinner, but the portion was so big, I packed some to eat later.

I headed back to the main square to enjoy the rest of the evening, which kept getting better with each passing moment. Finally, around 10pm, the concert ended. However, my bus was not leaving for the next two hours.

I followed the crowd and ended up reaching Hard Rock Cafe, where a full-power (Delhi slang) was taking shape. I spent the better part of next two hours dancing to random Italian (and English) songs. I was in a room full of strangers but I had never felt more at home (at ease?) at a party. Good vibes and smiles all round is sometimes all you need. Finally, at around midnight, I headed back to take the ferry to the bus stop. The next morning, I was back in Torino.

Tips:

• Must attend the carnival in Venice if you can.
• Take the day pass for the ferry. It's totally worth it.
• Go to both Lido and Burano if you have the time. Lido has excellent beaches, I've heard. However, since the weather was cold, I didn't make an effort to go there in my time there.
• Venice has no watering holes. Carry your own bottle, preferably a big one.
• You have to pay to use the restroom, so either use them in the ferry or while you're having coffee/eating.
• For Burano, every place has a cover charge, called coperto (2-3€). That's the money you pay JUST to sit in a restaurant, irrespective of what you order. Look for it in the menu before deciding on a place. If you're a big group, you could spend a whopping amount just on the cover charge

Tricks/Hacks

• Carry your own food and wine and water. You'll save a lot, trust me.
• Carry a light bag. There's only walking.
• Make most use of the washrooms on the ferry.
• If you want to buy magnets, don't pay more than 1€ for each. Anything more than that is stupid.

Budget

• Since I didn't spend much on food an drinks, I spent less than 40€ for food, ferries and souvenirs.

*****************************************Introduction 

Part 1 - Venice / VeneziaPart 2 - Florence / FirenzePart 3 - PisaPart 4 - SienaPart 5 - NaplesPart 6 - Ercolano and PompeiiPart 7 - CapriPart 8 - Amalfi and PositanoPart 9 - Baia

My Solo Travels in Italy - Tips, Tricks, Hacks (Intro)

I arrived in Italy on 25/01 for my masters that was due to start at the end of the month. Since the time it was decided that I'm coming to Italy, I'd made up my mind to travel whenever I could. However, what I didn't take into account was the amount of time I'll spend travelling solo. This series is a small snippet of my six months in Italy, when I was mostly from Torino to other parts of Italy. In the next few parts, you'll find tips, tricks, hacks and more for travelling solo in Italy on a budget.  

Are you ready?
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Part 1 - Venice / Venezia

Part 2 - Florence / Firenze

Part 3 - Pisa

Part 4 - Siena

Part 5 - Naples

Part 6 - Ercolano and Pompeii

Part 7 - Capri

Part 8 - Amalfi and Positano

Part 9 - Baia