A literally ‘crappy’ beginning is actually a great indication of the author’s ability to make the mundane interesting! There are eleven intertwined stories which bring out a variety of subjects – the Parsi way of life, the clash of old and new mindsets, identity, the idea of home – all dealt with great skill by a sensitive chronicler.
This is the second Ishiguro work I am reading, and much like “The Remains of the Day”, it left me with a feeling of sadness. There are a couple of other parallels in both books too. But this is set in a dystopian future where humans are cloned for organ harvesting, and the clones are not considered to have feelings or emotions, though they actually do. I felt that there was an allegory I was missing, but I could be wrong. A wonderful read nevertheless.
‘Empathy’ is like the hero whom no one can hate. But the reading I have done in the past, and my own thoughts and experiences have led me to believe that empathy isn’t really the best guide for decision making of the moral or even day to day kind! While the book preaches to that choir very well, it doesn’t really make the case for rational compassion well enough.
The sequel to Daemon, this book picks up right after its predecessor and sets a scorching pace. It manages to bring up several contemporary themes like extreme capitalism, mass unemployment, neo-feudalism, cyber communities and such. The author continues to make it all seem plausible, and that’s what makes it a good read.
Martin Ford’s excellent take on the seemingly inevitable robocracy future that humanity is racing towards. He lays a lot of emphasis on explaining this inevitability and in the process, not only debunks popular schools of thought on how we can overcome it, but also calls out areas he is unsure of. It is definitely a bearer of bad news, but makes for an insightful read.