Sravika's Books - Reviews and Other Trivia

Annihilation  (The Southern Reach #1) by Jeff Vandermeer  Rating: 4/5  Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, 2022-read, novel plot, Mystery  DISCLAIMER  : Spoilers Ahead! I was torn between giving this a 4 vs a little  higher rating but finally settled on round 4. What a crazy story this is. It has formed the very definition of a "novel concept" in my mind. I guess this is one of those stories where we can interpret the concept in any of the many number of ways. It is terrifying and very addictive till the mystery is unveiled at the very end. The narrator is a biologist who has had an obsession with wildlife animals festering in abandoned water bodies since her childhood. She has learnt to rely on immersing herself in watching the mysteries and dynamics of such wild creatures as a coping/escape mechanism from her reckless and self centered parents. She is highly introverted and has problems opening up in her relationship with her husband. ...

Valis  By Philip k. Dick  Rating: 4.75/5 Genres: Science fiction, suspense, thriller, good vs evil, theology, mental illness, insanity, novel plot, 2021-read, reviewed. Just like living things have an 'aura'  around them with which some could guess their health/well being, books also seem to have a kind of aura around them. If it's a book written by Philip k Dick, one can be assured that it has some element of surprise, novelty, drugs, madness and a promise of a fun ride. Valis is a pleasure to read.I ran through the pages with my eyes glued to my kindle. I couldn't put this book down. Philip Dick is one of the very established authors in the genre of science fiction but for the first 20-30 percent of the book , I wondered if he diverged into a memoir. Yet, his writing is so hilarious that on the one hand I was telling myself  'what a poor fellow this Horselover Fat( an alter ego of Philip, the narrator) is' and on the other hand laughing my head off...