River of Gods
by Ian McDonald
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Book Reviews of River of Gods
Book Review: Good Book
Summary: 5 Stars
First I read his book Brasyl - it was ok.
This book is MUCH better. I enjoyed it thoroughly even though I didn't understand all of the physics in it.
Book Review: Complex, visionary, totally engaging
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought River of Gods on spec - it was an Amazon recommendation because I like Jon Courtney Grimwood's fast-paced cyber-punk mystery/thrillers. From the moment I started River of Gods, I was sucked in by the story. McDonald has crafted a totally believable near-future world where India has fractured along political and religious lines into separate squabbling states, the US has banned certain kinds of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology (but secretly contracts out to Indian tech-centers where such technology is available and highly advanced), and an intricate multiprocessor computer-simulation soap opera is the center of the entertainment world across the Indian subcontinent.
Into this background, McDonald weaves the stories of separate people whose lives will become entwined; Vishram, the black sheep son of the family that controls Bharat's major power company, called back into the family fold; Mr. Nandha, a Krishna cop in charge of "excommunicating" rogue AIs, and his wife Parvati, a country woman trying to fit in with the city culture; Shaheen Badoor Khan, the sole Muslim in the Hindu government of Bharat, and the quiet, dissenting voice of reason there; Najia, a woman journalist struggling with her lost Afghani past and her drive to succeed; Shiv, a small-time member of warring organized crime gangs; Tal, a "Nute", a surgically transformed non-gendered person living in a hostile, judgemental world; Lisa Darnau, an English/American creator of a virtual universe and her ex-lover/professor/colleague Thomas Lull, who has dropped out of the Western world to try to find a safe harbor along the Mother Ganges, the River of Gods.
All these characters and the others who enter the story are three-dimensional, believably drawn and engaging. McDonald's interwoven tale of their stories against his high-tech, culturally fascinating background is a masterpiece.
Book Review: Exquisite AI romp!
Summary: 5 Stars
Hindu neo-culture, stirred frequently with well developed AI intrigue, provides an intriguing curry of characters and very "real" virtual realities. I highly recommend this book!Book Review: Not Free SF Reader
Summary: 4 Stars
Aeai life cycle.
I have a Merlinesque Once and Future McDonald thing going on it seems, going backward through his work.
I just recently read Brasyl, which I think is superior to this book.
River of Gods is still a good book, however, and possibly as India is a bit more familiar that the setting wasn't as interesting.
Whereas the former had three story strands going, although in different periods of history, River of Gods has around triple that, and all at the same time, which can leave you feeling that there isn't necessarily much point to some of them.
Basically, AI above a certain level of capability have been banned, and hounded out of most countries, and have taken refuge in India.
Via military, economic and political manipulation they are trying to keep themselves alive. However, the major focus is on the people that are the main players in this, a corporation, some researchers and the Indian prime minister, and a few more minor characters that perhaps got a little much 'stage time' and made this longer than it needed to be.
Americans have discovered an object in space older than the solar system, and an Indian corporation appears to have developed early zero point energy.
This all eventually ties together rather abruptly.
Still, definitely worth reading, and McDonald is top class.
Book Review: Amazing Future India
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite a too-succinct ending, River of Gods is an incredible story of individuals living in an India of 2047 whose lives intersect and converge in an imaginative and exciting tale. McDonald is a master at creating a totally believable set of characters and conjuring up a future India that integrates ultra-sophisticated technology with an ancient culture. At times, the settings seem reminiscent of Blade Runner. This is a sci-fi novel that demands the reader think as he reads, so if you're up for both a challenge and a fantastic read, I suggest you check this one out.