A Song of Ice and Fire

Trumping Lord Of The Rings is nearly every list I could find, this series is truly epic. The author George R.R. Martin has already penned down five of the planned seven books in this series.

Made popular by the show 'A Game of Thrones', the series is (in)famous for killing off protagonists at critical junctures.

Yet, somehow, the author, George R.R. Martin manages to continually fill the voids created by their absence with more twists, other characters and a flawless narrative.

In face, the narrative is so exquisite that it compels me to use words like 'exquisite' and 'compels'.
ASolaF has all the ingredients of a good book: characters you can sink your teeth into, that are fully developed and multifaceted; romance, with plenty of sex (but not too graphic... but believe me graphic enough); violence, but not without purpose; excellent pacing, with lots of twists and turns in the plot; drama, drama, and more drama; power struggles and intrigue...and that's just off the top of my head.

Author George R.R. Martin

However, this series is a time-consuming beast, with a word - count in millions. For those of you who haven't read it yet, you'd better start soon since it's a loooong read. More importantly, summer's nearly over - And winter is coming.

A picture of the fictitious map of the world created by R.R Martin (I kept the full enlarged view)

Contributed by Anshul Avasthi

Also if you want to check out the TV Show review 'A Game of Thrones' on our blog visit here

A Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs - NO! Not the Movie Review of the Oscar-Winning Movie of the same title released in 1991, but the review of the book that was written in 1988 by Thomas Harris and on which the widely famous, Academy-awarded movie which has achieved a cult status, is based.




A FBI trainee.


A psychopath locked for unspeakable crimes.


And a serial killer who is always in search of his latest victim.


"A census taker once tried to test me. I are his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti" 
                                                                                                         - Hannibal Lecter

A FBI rookie, Clarice Starling is assigned to a case by her mentor Jack Crawford, a case involving ruthless serial killings. The killer, only known as "Buffalo Bill", has a purpose behind the killings, but no one can fathom why. This is where Dr. Lecter's expertise is required. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist with a grisly history is now a high security prisoner in a mental institution. What price must Clarice pay for Lecter's insights into the case? His entry into the darkest chambers of her mind confronting her own demons and her lambs screaming. They develop a strange relationship where he offers her cryptic clues in return for information of her unhappy childhood.

Published in 1988, this book has won the Bram Stoker Award and is without doubt, one of the best in the genre of thriller fiction. The 1991 movie based on the book, starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins has won five prestigious Academy Awards. The novel is fast paced and gripping, and at times, utterly gruesome, but with no unnecessary drama. The storyline is smooth, brilliantly constructed and so coolly narrated that you actually feel amazed at the fact that it a horror novel that you are reading!

Nevertheless, Silence of the Lambs holds in itself the full capacity to haunt you for days after you ahve read it. The clock is ticking! And before you know it, you are sitting at the edge of your chair, hoping to stop the next victim from been skinned by the terrifying "Buffalo Bill"

Awesome, is the one word you will say when you are done with the book. It is a mind-blowing fiction thriller. So go ahead, grab a copy, sit with a cuppa hot chocolate and savour the brilliance of this novel!

Movie Poster by the same name

Contributed by Mehak Priya

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

**Contains Spoilers!




"In a way, it's nice to know that there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by a monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force is really trying to mess up your day."
                                                                                                                              -Percy Jackson

A pentalogy of fiction and adventure series authored by Rick Riordian, this series is surely a feast for those who have the love the Grecian mythology. Its about a dyslexic and ADHD kid, named Percy Jackson, discovers that he is Demigod. So Percy has to go to the Camp Half Blood to undergo training that Demigods undergo because they have powers far beyond that of the mortals, they must be protected and taught self protection. But all this not before knowing that his best friend is a Satyr (Half man, Half Goat) and losing his mom in a fight with a Minotaur. He enters Camp Half Blood - his parentage unascertained - finding that his teacher is Chiron, a Centaur, who taught great heroes like Hercules. Percy's dyslexia is explained by the fact that his brain is hardwired for ancient Greek and the ADHD are actually his natural inborn battle reflexes.

During a "Capture the Flag" game he finds that out the truth, that he is actually Poseidon's son. This makes matters worse as Zeus had blamed Poseidon for stealing his weapon, The Lightning Blot, and now believes that Poseidon made Percy do the deed as Gods themselves are forbidden from stealing each others powers directly. This starts of the first adventure of the series - "Percy  Jackson and the Lightning Thief" Percy befriends Annabeth Chase, daughter of Anthena and Luke, the son of Hermes and also finds  abully in Clarrise (Daughter of Ares). As the story proceeds, the initial blame on Hades is shifted as he himself had his "Helm Of Darkness" stolen. It turns out to be all Luke's work, who as is revealed in the books that follow, is actually working for the Titan King Kronos, who is the father of the current Gods of Mount Olympus and is looking for the a grand comeback. He had been banished to Hell, by Zeus, Poseidon and Hades.

Riordan does a good job of intertwining the ancient's legends in the series. Remember the Labyrinth of Minotaur? The Mount Atlas where the sky is held up a God? The Island of Calypso? The famous stable cleaning by Hercules? Well the series provides enough to satisfy a Grecian appetite. The best part of the story is that its not too simplistic, not a simple cat and mouse chase story with the perfect Gods and their children, they have their own share of mistakes, their own egos, even their own small blemishes on their larger-than-life personalities. I personally like the humour and the casual attitude of the character of Percy. He might be going to drop hundred feet, or mauled by a monster, but he still finds time for his witty dialogues.

Poster of the Movie - Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Lightning Thief

All together the series makes an interesting read for all ages. Friendship, loyalty, fatal flaws of all the heroes, rage, revenge, the wrath of Gods, their follies - all too well merged with a gripping storyline. Have fun reading it! And if you like this series, there a sequel series - Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus, which believe me takes everything to a whole new level.


Contributed by Mehak Priya

House - A Tribute!

So this is just a small tribute to House, an awesome TV Series. For people who haven't seen, please do. The character of Dr. Gregory House is brilliantly portrayed  by Hugh Laurie and is lightly based on Sherlock Holmes. The character of Dr. James Wilson is shown as the Watson-type sidekick.

There is also a subsection devoted to the similarities between Sherlock Holmes and Greg House on the Wikipedia page of House MD. Here it is:

Refrence to Sherlock Holmes

Just a fun thing:

Look at the address carefully!

Haha, So True.

I searched for some of the troll moments by House. Obviously there are a lot of them since House is very sarcastic by nature, but these are some of the best ones I found:

     
                                                              "House gives you Hell"

     
                                                           His infamous clinic hours!


This post has become too big already so I will leave you with this:

            
                                                                It is aptly titles House-isms

For more information go to
Wikipedia or IMDb or The Official Website

Castle (Season 5)

**Yes, this article contains spoilers. Be certain of it. If you haven't seen the finale of Season 4, don't even think about venturing further. You have been warned!

WOW! For all those who have watched the mind-blasting, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Yes, that is a word!) last episode of Season 4, you have to agree with me on this. It has been one of the best episodes, for me at least. It has brought an end to the ''will they or won't they'' sexual tension between Det. Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion). They finally do get together. The writers has apparently been planning for it since the very moment the words "I Love You" were out of Castle's mouth on the finale of Season 3.

Throughout the season it was inching towards this very moment. And it was lovely. Fine, I will not get all gooey over this. Here is a video for you:

          

''Casbeck'' anyone? Actually ''Caskett'' sounds better!

Ok, fine. Enough about Season 4. This is supposed to be about Season 5 and what is upcoming. So here it is:

Obviously the first thing that everybody will be wondering about is what will be the scene like when they wake up in the morning? Finally the feelings are out in the open after 4 long seasons, we are going to wonder what is the reaction like for both of them after their night of passion!
Also Castle has wanted this for quite some time. He has openly proclaimed his love for Beckett, but she hasn't reciprocated, per say. She has still to say those 'Three little magic words''. Will it happen on the Season premiere?

There is the fact that these two still have to come to terms with their relationship. Castle is going to be Castle and Beckett herself. How will they survive the new level that they have reached in their personal lives? Just having one passionate night doesn't guarantee a happy ending down the road.

Also how can we forget the very tantalizing, mouth-watering cliffhanger? Beckett's killer is on the loose and very determined to ''put her to ground''. Maybe she doesn't finally care about her mother's killer, but the shooter still has a lot of unfinished business with her. Also she is unaware of this fact! She is under the false impression that now that she has stopped pursuing them, they will let her and her new lover be. This will get interesting very fast.

With the major plot points stowed away, lets get to the little things..

Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan have a falling out towards the end over the handling of Beckett's case. The writers had said they wanted to concentrate a little on the other lead characters besides Castle and Beckett, so they involved this plot point. Esposito and Ryan have never had any kind of argument before this. This is totally new.
Also relating to this is the resignation of Beckett and suspension of Esposito by Gates. She is going to be one roadblock that will be faced in the new season.

One may have forgotten that Sophia Turner, one of Castle's earlier muses, mentioned that his dad was working for the CIA. This is one thing that hopefully, will be in one of the episodes next season. It is very interesting and a lot can be explored in that direction. Surprisingly this is the first time a mention has been made about him. The writer's have quite brilliantly kept it a secret for all the seasons. This plotline will surely get some screentime.

Here is a video about the conversation on Castle's dad:

          


Okay I expected this to be short article. I was SO wrong. Anyways hopefully you enjoyed it as much I enjoyed writing it and didn't get thoroughly bored.


Contributed by Hersh

Game of Thrones

It is back, with an almighty bang!!

Game of Thrones emplys a standard formula, offering audiences complex characters in tangled situations. Bared breasts (as they quite often are) or hacked  limbs (also not uncommon), seem more ofa gritty depiction of a harsh world than unwarranted pandering to our lower appetites.

                                         

Trailer 1

The attention to detail and high quality of both cast and script rival even that of the universally acclaimed Lord of the Rings. It is impossible not to applaud the painstaking detail with which the producers have realized and worked on the key scenes.

                                           

Trailer 2 (Clash of Kings)

For people who watched season 1, the long wait is over. For people who haven't watched it yet, hop onto the bandwagon, soon...


Also if you want to check out the Book Review 'A Song of Fire and Ice' on which this TV Show is based. Visit here.

Catcher in the Rye - Book Review

"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean, except me. And i'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's what I do all day. I'd rather be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy. but that's the only thing I'd really like to be."


The Catcher in the Rye is a novel written by J.D Salinger in 1951. The books deals about the problems faced by a 17 year old boy, his expulsion from school, and themes like alienation, depression, teenage angst and rebellion. The book is highly popular amongst adolescent readers as they can relate with the protagonist in some way or the other. It is a highly controversial book, being released originally only for adults, as it promotes use of profanity, smoking, drinking as well as blasphemy.

The protagonist Holden Caulfield is a teenager who is expelled from school due to poor performance. Having gotten annoyed of his friends and roommate in school and not wanting to go home in New York before vacations start, he plans to spend time somehow in the city itself.

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it. you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though."

Alienated, aimless and depressed he longs to connect with some person. Not finding many people to turn up to he ends being more depressed, smokes and drinks a lot and tries to seek some company even in a prostitute, just wanting to talk to her.

"Grand. there's a word I really hate. It's a phony. I could puke every time I hear it."

He walks around the streets of New York, depressed and lonely, wanting to talk to his kid sister Phoebe or his dead younger brother Allie. He roams around with a callous attitude and put on maturity and judges everyone he sees. He hates the artificial (phony) nature of people around him and excessively abuses them in his mind but also immediately feels sorry or pity for some characteristic of theirs.

Overall the picture depicted of him by the author is this sad and lonely teenager who sometimes thinks he is above the world and starts digressing about the people he knew and at other times feels extremely bad about himself and drinks and smokes excessively.

The author brings out his character as a teenager filled with angst and rebellion who is driven crazy by girls. Also his brotherly character is shown wherein he is protective younger sibling and (somewhat) respectful of his elder brother D.B.

He says the following lines when he finds "Fuck You" signs in his sister's school and gets annoyed considering the possibility that she'll find out its meaning and start using it one day. He tries to rub the ones he could see.

"When you're not looking, somebody will sneak up and write "Fuck You" right under your nose."


"If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuck You" signs in the world, Its impossible."

The book is simply and frankly written and every person can relate to the protagonist in some or the other way, having experienced it before in some way. It will prove to be a very interesting read straight out of a 17 year old guy's mind.

The Cover of the Book with J.D Salinger on the right.

Contributed by Kshitij Jayakrishnan.

A Boyle-ing sensation

There are early bloomers, and late bloomers. And there's Susan Boyle. When she first walked onstage in Britain's got talent, not many would have thought highly of her. But never judge a book by it's cover. What took place moments later has become a worldwide rage, both in the media as well as on the internet. Before coming on the show, Susan made her earnings by singing at the local church choir and at pubs around her small village. The rise to fame has been sudden and steep. “How famous do you want to become?” they asked her. She replied with an earnest “Ellen Paige”. The crowd breaks into raucous laughter. This ordinary, jobless woman from Scotland thinks she can be an Ellen Paige? Hah. And as I said earlier, moments later, everyone in the crowd could not utter another word for minutes. Attached is a video of her audition. Watch it, and if you already have (a big chance of that), watch it again. If this isn't worth another watch, very few things are. :) A shining example of resilience, and modesty, I look up to Susan as an idol, someone whose humane attributes are capable of rescuing a world from pride and
despair.

 

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is an American science fiction film released in March 2012. It is based on the novel of the same name, written by Suzanne Collins. The movie is directed by Gary Ross and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Donald Sutherland. After it's release "The Hunger Games" set the box office record for the third best opening weekend box office sales of any movie in North America. A sequel based on the second novel in the trilogy, "Catching Fire" is scheduled to be released in November, 2013.

"The Hunger Games", based on the first book in Suzanne Collins "Hunger Games" trilogy is one of those few movies which stays faithful to the story line of the book. Director Gary Ross sticks to the most important points of Collin's books but at the same time sidesteps some of the most barbaric aspects of the story thus giving it a PG -13 rating. I am sure anyone who has read and enjoyed the book will definitely like the movie.

Set  in a voyeuristic and morally depraved future, "The Hunger Games" conveys both the misery of the oppressed, represented by the malnourished and poorly clothed citizens of Panem's 12 suffering districts and the rotten values of their decadent oppressors who reside in the gaudy Capitol. The story revolves around an annual lottery in which a group of children (aged 12 to 18) are chosen and made to slaughter each other like gladiators till only one survives. And the whole of Panem is made to watch the bloodshed on national television.

The star of this movie is undoubtedly Jennifer Lawrence, who plays the role of Katniss Everdeen, the main protagonist of the story. Whether she's playing the role of the skillful hunter gathering food for her family or the reluctant participant in the debauched games, she owns this movie. Lawrence is an acting dynamo and through her we can see right into Katniss' mind. Making a successful "Hunger Games" movie required casting the best possible performer as Katniss and with Jennifer Lawrence director Gary Ross hit the bull's eye.

All in all, with an IMDB rating of 7.6 "The Hunger Games" is a good movie and definitely worth a watch.

Avengers (The Movie)

Avengers is an upcoming and much awaited, 2012 American Superhero film releasing on 27th April in India and 4th May Worldwide. It was written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast which includes Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and last but not the least Samuel L Jackson.

I personally have been waiting to see the movie for 4 years now, ever since Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury turned up at the end of Iron Man in 2008 and uttered those words that made fan-boys around the world wet their pants: "I'm here to talk about the Avengers initiative". And after seeing the trailers and the general hype that has been created by this movie, I am certain that this movie will exceed all my expectations!

After the individually successful Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk and Thor movies comes 'Avengers', a movie that unites all these superheroes into one action packed, witty and fun Comic Book Movie. The movie has already premiered on April 11th and the ratings were off the charts. The reviews that poured in were fantastic and resulted in a 9.5 rating on IMDb. 

The movie stars Robert Downey Jr (of Iron Man fame), Chris Evans (Catain America), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (the Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury), Tom Hiddlestone (Loki) and a new movie debut Cobie Smulders (as Maria Hill, a S.H.I.E.L.D agent). 

Trailer of Avengers (Promo)

Apart from the usual theme of Good triumphs over Evil (in the end), the thing that everyone will look out for will be the tension in the Avengers team. All of these characters are larger than life. They have insatiable egos and the big guns aren't used to working with other people and don't even like playing by the rules. Stark, Thor and Banner all work on "the other side of the fence" so to speak. Then there's the Widow, Hawkeye and Captain America who are all trained to follow orders and play within the command structure. They are all thrown together in this wonderful fashion. It will be magnificient to see the conflict that arises between the team members.

The most recent trailer of Avengers

This movie has been on the top of my "Movies to Watch" list and ill probably be going on the very first day. It is going to be 'Marvel'ous!!

Sherlock Holmes

Well it's the end of another long year at IIT Bombay and with a very long (and probably un eventful) three month summer vacation coming up, many of you reading enthusiasts may be wondering, "Which book should I lay my hands on this summer to the pass the time?" The answer, my dear readers, is elementary. (As the saying goes by the master himself).

You sit down with a copy of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous book "A  Study in Scarlet." And when you have finished it, you pick up “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” and then “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes” and many more such exciting books until you are saturated with stories about the impeccable logic and amazing deduction powers of this brilliant Scottish “consulting detective”. 

Sherlock Holmes is one of the greatest fictional characters of all time. Created by Arthur Conan Doyle this brilliant consulting detective operates out of London, "that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers o the Empire are irresistibly drained." He is noted for his brilliant deduction abilities and his his cold impeccable logic, both of which are essential in solving the strangest of cases that baffle the unimaginative Scotland Yard officers. 

As you read these stories you will be taken on a roller-coaster ride through the streets of London where you will see the master detective adopt various fantastic disguises and use amazing skills of observation and deduction to track down dangerous criminals and ensure justice is served. Accompanying Holmes on these trips is his only friend and the chronicler of these stories, Dr.Watson. You will also meet a myriad of other interesting characters including dim-witted Scotland Yard detectives, sinister criminals like Professor Moriarty and the dangerously alluring Irene Adler.

Believe me, when you have read one Sherlock Holmes book you will be addicted. But Holmes always says, "It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence." So i suggest you read the  books and see the master detective at work yourself.

PS: There are also a couple of Sherlock Holmes movies and a TV Show which are really good. 

You may want to go over to our TV Show section and read all about it. 

Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree are a rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. They are know to combine elements of rock, ambient, psychedelic rock, krautrock, trance and in their recent albums - heavy metal. Many people hailed them as the modern day Pink Floyd. Although their popularity was at its peak and somehow limited to the nineties, a lot of people cherish their music till date.

Porcupine Tree's members are (from left to right)

• Richard Barbieri (keyboard since 1993)
• Steven Wilson (guitars, vocals, keyboard and various other instruments)
• Gavin Harrison (drums since 2002)
• Colin Edwin (bass guitar since 1993)

A compilation of some of their best songs

What's weird with them ?

Porcupine Tree have always had Uniting Albums - Most of their albums have uniting themes. 'In Absentia' loosely tells the story of a serial killer while 'Signify' is about the ways that people try to feel that their lives matter. Steven Wilson usually goes to the stage barefooted and most of his fans are proud of this. The band especially Steven does not like new technology. They do not like the concept of MP3 Players and feel that this brings down the love people have for true music. Its usual to find Steven commenting on this in his songs or live performances.

        

At the end, I leave you with this. This is Porcupine Tree @ Mood Indigo, IIT Bombay. I personally missed this, but all IITians who were there will surely remember the OAT going wild with Lazarus.

Age of Empires-II

Ever wanted to build an empire? Ever wanted to be the Emperor of the land of Men? How would you start? What would you do? Take the path to everlasting glory- Age of Empires 2. Set in the middle ages, AOE-II allows you to choose between thirteen different civilizations to start your world dominance with. The gameplay is fairly involved, but once you know how to go about things, you're set to have the most amazing gaming time. Ever. Creating the most glorious race of men of all times sounds like epic wars, massive conquests and infinite exploring. However, no civilization starts with war, everything starts with the nurturing of the Life of Man.

AOE-II guides you from farming to producing villagers to creating militia, among many others. Besides the diversity of characters, you get to design your town, which will most likely be the heart of your to-be fabulous kingdom. You build mills for food, quarries for mining and barracks for producing soldiers. You amass wealth from gold mining, and use it to not only produce a large army but also to build a self-sustaining hub for all your heroic endeavours.

So, cutting a long story short, get addicted this summer. Play the multiplayer mode, and beat your friends to the summit of the Earth. B)

Sherlock (TV Series)

The new British TV Series 'Sherlock' will have Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spinning in his grave.. With delight! Its a modern, contemporary take on his Sherlock Holmes detective stories. It was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the role of Holmes to the letter, doing the job of potraying the famous sleuth beautifully. Unlike the novels where Watson is just a sidekick, his character here stands out and is an excellent foil for Holmes. One totally unexpected surprise element is Rupert Graves as Lestrade. Lestrade is not shown as the annoying Detective Inspector who gets in Holmes' way but rather one who knows that he is needed and isn't afraid to admit it. His dialogues are short and witty. In all his character is quite likeable.

Trailer for Sherlock - Season 1

Its a brilliantly written and a very well acted program. It is always a little difficult to modernize a 19th century series or film and that too of such an iconic character like Holmes. But Moffat does it magnificently with the merging of old reasoning and new technology. I feel that the setting of the show in the modern day was truly inspirational and has given it the edge it required to become such a rage.

Any person who is an admirer of Sherlock Holmes, whether it be through the novels, the recent movies, the old TV Series or just simply has heard of his numerous Tales, this British TV Show is a must! 

PS : Download the Subtitles, they are totally required. :P

A scene from the Show - Sherlock just being himself