In a way this is a sequel to Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I actually wrote a review of it which I will post below. Luke and the Fire of Life really stands on its own though. The story follows Haroun’s little brother many years past the end of the first book.
Luka’s father is dying. Through magical means never truly explained Luka “jumps” into the world that sits right next to ours. The world of dreams. The world of imagination. Where all the things that people make up become real. Luka’s pets Dog the Bear and Bear the dog join him on an adventure to find the Fire of Life. With this they can save Luka’s father. They come upon this knowledge from the suspicious Nobodaddy. He is a doppelganger of Luka’s father and seems to be becoming “more real” as Luka’s father falls further into sickness.
This story is intended for younger readers and has more magic and fantasy than other Rushdie books. I hope to someday read both Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Luke and the Fire of Life to my son, once his attention span is a bit longer.
Luka finds the river of stories and along with some magical fish starts to travel through the land of imagination. He has adventures and meets enemies and allies. Much of the story gives the impression that Luka is in a video game of some sort. Within his vision he has a running total of how many “lives” he has left and whenever he makes a mistake he is reset and allowed to try again.
As the story goes on Luka gets involved with Queens, flying carpet, mazes, gods and unclimbable mountains. Everything is written with great attention to simile and metaphor. Rushdie, as always, takes the English language and shows the reader what it can really do.
2: Emotional/Intellectual: I never felt that attached to Luka or his friends even if I was entertained.
5: Readability/Style – Rushdie is a master writer.
2: Long Term Impact – Even though Rushdie is a fantastic writer he will be known for his other books before this.
9 out of 13 – This is worth your time, but I would suggest checking out Haroun and the Sea of Stories first. I have added my review of it below. Please, take into consideration this was very early in my review writing.
Keep Turning Pages
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
Rushdie has written a fairy tale filled with fun and adventure. It is interesting especially when compared to Rushdie's other works, but not all surprising. Typically his works have an element of fantasy. This book takes it to the extreme. Haroun the young man and hero of the book has a story telling father. His father, tragically, has lost the ability to tell stories any more. Haroun wakes one night to find a genie in his father's bathroom taking out the story water supply. After stealing the genie's wrench Haroun is soon taken on a fantastic trip into space and eventually to the source of all tales ever told, the Sea of Stories . There he is drawn into a plot to save the world from a future filled with sadness and no stories.
I found this book very entertaining. I was pleased as an adult, but the book could be read as a bedtime story for a child. (Over many nights of course) The use of words within the book is very unique. From characters that talk like a walking thesaurus to fish that only speak in rhyme; Rushdie makes the English language as fun to read as the story itself.
I admit that I am a huge fan of Rushdie and have always enjoyed his books. I think he is one of the greatest living authors and therefore my opinion of his books are somewhat biased. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a fun, quick, if a little predictable book this makes a great choice. If you have young children I would say this is a must.
On a scale from 1-13 I would give this a ten. I really think this should be a classic story read by children the world over. Because of Rushdie's somewhat tarnished reputation I doubt this will ever reach that level of popularity; much to the world's misfortune.
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