River of Gods by Ian McDonald

[YankeyMCC]

Anyone else read this?

I picked it up a couple of days ago and find myself nearly half way through this long novel.

I read a short story by Mr McDonald based in this same universe last year in Asimov's http://www.asimovs.com/_issue_0604_5/littlegoddess.shtml

I enjoyed it but thought, "Well that was good but I don't think I could read a whole novel set in such a complex and foreign universe."

But after reading so many good reviews of "River of Gods" I thought it worth a try given how good the short "The Little Goddess" was.

And I have to say so far I'm extremely glad I did. Yes the need to frequently reference the Glossary at the back can get tedious but the rich setting, the skill with which McDonald brings Varanasi and India and the characters that inhabit his story to life is just astounding. All the more so since he's writing about an existing culture he is not native too (not one he's grown up in or one he's invented).

The quality is all the more apparent because such a complex story could easily have been something you had to struggle through but I find myself moving through rather quickly and excitedly.

[MrCoffee]

1. I picked it up...and put it right back down

I just could not get into the story. And i'd read the same great reviews you did. i can't explain it, it just didn't appeal to me. glad you like it, though.

[mike_c]

2. I loved it....

It's very good, IMO.