Mood: Bored. Head bursting.
Currently listening to: What I Got - Sublime

Got back from dinner a while ago - went to Jake's for steak - and, man, it just feels like my head is bursting, more so than usual, with some pretty random thoughts... Thought i might just ramble a bit in ye ol' blog for a bit about nothing in particular in the vain hope of tiring myself out enough to sleep. :p

So what should it talk about?

Hrmmm... how about books? ;p

Ok so my little list thing on the left hasn't exactly been updated for some time now but i've actually read two books in the intervening period and am currently half-way through another: Fifteen Decisive Battles Of The World by Edward Shepherd Creasy. I was reading Sartre's Being and Nothingness for a while but, hey, a 600+ page monologue on existentialism gets old real fast... :p

On to the mini book reviews then! (yes i'm bored)

The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye was a pretty darn good read. It basically takes place during the middle period of the British colonial era in India and follows most of the life of the main character, Ash, in his incredibly complex mindset and life (more so on the latter). Basically he's a boy born of British aristocratic stock in India and who, after his parents and most of the camp is destroyed by Typhoid and India is under the stresses of the great mutiny, is brought up as an Indian by his father's devoted servant. He ends up being the playmate of a future rajah through circumstance and is exposed to all the intrigues of an Indian palace to the extent that he has to escape in order to prevent his being harmed by jealous rivals who seek the death of the prince. He then discovers his true identity upon the death of his father's servant (whom he believed was his mother) and he's dispatched to be educated in England under his family. He joins the army, returns to India and (shortening things considerably) takes his revenge, by chance, on his old enemies, saves and elopes with a princess and becomes a spy in Afghanistan. I probably don't do it justice but that's about the jist of it! ;p

Good read all in all... very Gone with the Wind in terms of situation and scope with many interesting circumstances and adventures which are thrown his way, and not to mention the large cast of characters that one has to keep track of (although thankfully nowhere near as bad as War and Peace). Most interesting of all is the vivid description of India and the culture of the Rajahs, British, common people, and each one's life and mindset during this era of tumultuous colonialism and bigotry all described in wonderful detail by the author - the most memorable being the suttee rite which was practiced at the time (a rajah's wives are burned with him upon his death). That and Ash reminds me of the plight of many eurasians - born into one world, living in another but not really being accepted by either which is explored in great detail. Great book! Had me interested and curious throughout so - 4 stars!!! ;)

The other book i read is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain. The premise of this one follows a, yes, connecticut man from post civil war America (i forget his name) who is.... erm... knocked out in a fight and reawakens in the 6th Century England which is being ruled over by King Arthur. Using his ample knowledge of the future (aka, he pulls of an 'eclipse' stunt - you know how it goes) he manages to take up a high position - calls himself 'The Boss' - in Arthur's court as a magician of great renown, after supplanting Merlin of course, and then sets about bringing modernism to 6th Century England (eg. telephone lines, steam power, dynamite, republican ideals, etc.). In the end, after many adventures with Arthur, rivalries with Merlin, encounters with other notable Arthurian legends, and going about changing the land he comes undone by the Church in a final cataclysmic battle. *ahem*

I found this one an entertaining read all in all. Best parts about it are the details about Arthurian life and its characters in that, for example, Merlin and other 'magi' are complete charlatans whose legends only seem to be made when no one is actually around to see them happen (or if done by natural chance). The mindset and utter belief in faith of those times before any knowledge of democracy or republic was known is admirably conveyed in the (oft times hilarious!) descriptions of daily life. For example rumour is so prevalent that it seems ANYTHING anyone says is believed by everyone else - which includes superstitions and the stories of Arthur and his knights. Its like everything thats being done is being made up on the spot, given a history, some flowery words, and voila - its now an Arthurian fact! His working to modernise and attempt to create a better world are even funnier - such as knight errants galloping around the coutryside wearing an advertising signboard extolling the virtues of soap on an unhygienic populace. And imagine telegraphs and railway barons/knights in 6th Century England! :)

Ok, so the meanings and symbolism present in the book run deeper than this - i think its a representation of many things: the main character's death is an omen of the fate awaiting western civilization; Merlin being a metaphor for man's need to retreat from hard reality to a softer illusion; and the victims of the final battle being symbolic of a futile struggle by man to not be dehumanized by his own progress and inventions. Yes, i got most of that from the Afterword but hey, i'm sleepy now. All true though! In all, an entertaining, hilarious and thought-provoking read! Another 4 star book! :)

Yay! Me sleep now! zzz