Review of 'Luka and the Fire of Life' by Salman Rushdie

Summary

Luka and the Fire of Life is based on the adventure of Luka Khalifa, the younger brother of Haroun, of Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Just as Haroun saved his father's storytelling abilities in the latter, Luka has his own adventure in this book, which he must embark on, in order to save his father's life. A tale of fantasy, adventure and quest, framed in a video game format, this book is written by Rushdie for his second son for his birthday.

 Review

I must admit that I am a die-hard fan of Salman Rushdie and have read almost ALL his fictional writing. My favorite novels are Midnight’s ChildrenThe Satanic Verses, Shalimar the Clown and Shame. I also enjoyed The Enchantress of Florence, The Moor’s Last Sigh, Fury and Haroun and the Sea of Stories. (of course!),

Despite my LOVE for Rushdie’s writing, Luka and the Fire of Life was a bit disappointing. Fantasy, as a genre, fascinates me but Luka’s magical world was already familiar to me, through Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I read that a long time ago so cannot remember specifics, but do remember being excited by the magical world of storytelling that Rushdie had created and being charmed by the book. A new adventure in that same world just did not work for me; recreating that context made this book WEAKER.

Rushdie with his son Milan. Photographer: Richard Young (guardian.co.uk)

The book does have Rushdie’s signature word play and puns. Calling the Sultana “Insultana” (due to her cussing habit) and Luka’s father’s death “Nobodaddy” (a combination of Nobody and daddy) is very Rushdie.  Although, it is a bit overdone, what I found particularly irritating was the VIDEO GAME FORMAT of Luka’s adventure. OK, maybe he wanted a Contemporary angle, and the book is after all written for his younger son, but it really IRKED me!

He does address larger issues of time and death, the importance of storytelling and the father-son bond but the adventure tale DOMINATES and it fails to inspire. Despite the delightful world of magic, and the imaginative use of metaphors, the book did not strike a chord in me.

If you have never read Rushdie, this would not be the book I’d recommend. It has some interesting elements but it lacks the depth, richness and texture that Rushdie’s reading usually promises.