August Sizzling Reads.

A Review By MyDen
With time on my hands as i am on leave, i managed to catch up on my reading and the following are 3 of the hottest books for August :


The End Of Mr.Y by Scarlett Thomas.
Voted as one of the best young writers, Scarlett Thomas's narrative is a breathless one that propels you relentlessly like a bullet train. About a smart young woman, a voracious reader, who stumbles upon a rare book by an obscure Victorian writer and her fantastic journey. She discovers that the book contains a secret to accessing the "Troposphere", a sort of universe of the collective unconscious and she attains the ability to leap into the mind and bodies of other living beings. This book is a literary equivalent of the science fiction movie, The Matrix, and is a rollicking adventure story with ideas about sub-atomic particles, existence and reality. A delirious valentine to the pleasures of reading. The End of Mr.Y is available here.

The Religion by Tim Willocks.
A historical fiction, The Religion refers to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem where they earned their rights in history when 700 of them defended Malta against an 8,ooo strong Ottoman army led by Suleiman. That great siege in 1565 is the setting for this rowdy entertainment. It's main protagonist, Mattias Tannhauser, is an apostate, first by force then by choice. Willocks gleefully describes the horrifying effects of medieval warfare and its impact on the human body with stomach-churning details. By exploring so vividly the clash of the civilisations divided by religious fervour, this work of fiction makes history, contemporary and in light of the current world situation, this book is aptly relevant. The Religion is available here.


City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.
An odd mating of Gothic horror and romance, City of Bones has beautiful and mysterious strangers, horrible monsters and a magical parallel world. It begins with the 15 years old protagonist, Clarissa, witnessing a murder where the victim disappears into thin air. Strange occurrences surrounds her where her mother goes missing and she is attacked by a monster in her own home. The first book of a planned series, City of Bones is a pleasurable gothic read as you explore the magical parallel world with Clarissa. City of Bones is available here.