Geek Syndicate
BOOK REVIEW - Turbulence
Aman wants to ensure that their new powers aren’t wasted on costumed crime-fighting, celebrity endorsements, or reality television. He wants to heal the planet but with each step he takes, he finds helping some means harming others. Will it all end, as 80 years of superhero fiction suggest, in a meaningless, explosive slugfest? Turbulence features the 21stcentury Indian subcontinent in all its insane glory—F-16s, Bollywood, radical religious parties, nuclear plants, cricket, terrorists, luxury resorts, crazy TV shows — but it is essentially about two very human questions. How would you feel if you actually got what you wanted? And what would you do if you could really change the world? shape India as a “super” power in more ways than one. The good guys join forces as they attempt to figure out how to best make use of their powers, including how they could solve world poverty. The novel’s action takes place in both India and London and there are lots of recognisable locations that add a realistic element to the story. Most of the characters are well constructed which helps the reader relate to them. Some of the shadier characters are one dimensional but are still fun to read. The action is fast and full of iconic fight scenes that feel as if they’ve jumped straight out of a comic book. The humour and cultural references are fun and spot on with winks and nods to Marvel and DC comics. Author Samit Basu has also found some new twists on familiar super powers and created uses for them that make a lot of sense in the real world. The ending is climatic but also feels like a bit of a cheat with some of the action taking place off screen but that does not detract from the fact that Turbulence is a lot fun and well worth a read for comic books fans.
Author: Samit Basu Publisher: Titan Books
The Blurb:
Aman Sen is smart, young, ambitious and going nowhere. He thinks this is because he doesn’t have the right connections—but then he gets off a plane from London to Delhi and discovers that he has turned into a communications demigod. Indeed, everyone on Aman’s flight now has extraordinary abilities corresponding to their innermost desires. Vir, an Indian Air Force pilot, can now fly. Uzma, a British- Pakistani aspiring Bollywood actress, now possesses infinite charisma. And then there’s Jai, an indestructible one-man army with a good old-fashioned goal — to rule the world!
100
The Review:
The book starts off with a great tease, hinting at things to come. Not knowing much about India it was great to get an insight into it’s crazy, fun culture which includes Bollywood and cricket. One by one we are introduced to the key characters and their powers, which are not quite evident at first. These are ordinary people who get these powers and it is impressive how the writer has shown the different paths each takes in their various journey. Soon the characters’ paths converge and a sinister conspiracy is revealed that will
Christophe Montoya
Rating:
GGGGG