just finished reading the Simoqin Propehcies by Samit Basu. i’d heard of this book but somehow had kept away from it. these fantasy writers always seem to be hari puttar wannabes but i was pleasantly surprised by this guy. he’s brought together a myriad characters and borrowed so openly from other epics and stories and yet woven them in a tapestry of words which is solely his own.
i cant wait for the next one..this guy HAS a gift. it maybe silly at times and at times you feel certain places could have been tweaked before publication but it’s ENGROSSING! 
bongs are natural story tellers and i was smiling 1/2 the times at the typical names he’s chosen for his characters…pati lebu are you listening?
all in all, a good, fresh book. i’ve already begun to recommend it.
i think this time i’ll try to get the significant other to read it. he’s openly derisive of this kind of “genre’…read the sarcasm embedded.