Luka and the Fire of Life, by Salman Rushdie
Toronto: Alfred Knofp, 2010.
Many people know Salman Rushdie as a result of the Fatwā issued against him by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, after the publication of The Satanic Verses, for which he won a Booker-prize. While in exile, separated from his first-born son Zafar, now 31-years old, he wrote Haroun and the Sea of Stories, in which the hero struggles against forces attempting to silence storytelling.
Twenty years later, Rushdie has written a companion novel for his second son, Milan, called Luka and the Fire of Life; another magical-realist quest. This one is in the form of Arthurian Romance, with a 21st Century gaming twist. The Green and Gold flying carpet— reminiscent of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight— the dragons, and the mythical figures interact with Luka’s real-life adventure to save his father’s life. The difference in this tale is that Luka is afforded multiple lives and the ability to save his progress as he journeys through “The World of Magic.”
The adventure begins one beautiful starry night in the land of Alifbay, where a terrible thing happens: Luka’s father, Rashid, the legendary storyteller of Kahani, falls suddenly and inexplicably into a sleep so deep that nothing and no one can rouse him. To save him from slipping away entirely, Luka must embark on a journey through the world of magic with his loyal companions, Bear the dog and Dog the bear, as they encounter a slew of fantastical creatures, strange allies, and challenging obstacles along the way—all in the hopes of stealing the Fire of Life, a seemingly impossible and exceedingly treacherous task.
—from Rushdie’s website
Salman Rushdie is currently planning a movie adaptation of his Booker-Prize winning novel, Midnight’s Children, with Deepa Mehta. He is also writing his memoirs, due to be released in 2012, and spends several weeks each year teaching seminars at Emory University, in Atlanta.
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Mel Rhodes Gray
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