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Loading... Luka and the Fire of Lifeby Salman Rushdie
The follow-up to Haroun and the Sea of Stories, written for Rushdie’s own younger son, requires Rashid Khalifa’s younger son to undertake his own quest into the Magic World for the Fire of Life, which is all that will save Rashid’s life. Great adventure ensues.  EverettWiggins | Apr 9, 2013 |  I won a copy of this book off of the First Reads program. It mixes the typical fairy tale quest elements with video game elements, such as levels and save points. It was an interesting combination, and I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing done before. It's also quite punny. It's full of dozens of jokes and the book is lighthearted despite the serious nature of the quest. Overall, the book was cute and lighthearted. I think that it would really appeal to a pre-teen interested in video games, though they'll need a dictionary for a few of the words. (  ) Melanti | Mar 30, 2013 | Salman Rushdie has a reputation for prose that tends to be dense to the point of un-readability. I believe this view has developed solely from The Satanic Verses, which is, admittedly, a difficult read. But lately, Rushdie has published a number of books that are not only eminently readable, but interesting and thoroughly entertaining. His 2010 novel, Luka and the Fire of Life proves this point. Luka’s father, Rashid, has an unparalleled talent for telling stories. He has created whole worlds full of interesting characters, places, and ideas, which become real for Luca, when he actually travels to “The World of Magic.” One day, Rashid falls into a deep sleep, which puzzles the doctors. Luka, concerned for his father, takes an errant step, and slips into the world his father created. The wraith, Nobodaddy, slowly absorbs Rashid’s life forces, and, should he absorb all of them, he will die. Luka decides if his father dies, his stories, and the world he created, will die with him. The young boy embarks on a classic hero’s journey to steal the fire of life, restore his father to health, and save the World of Magic. Rushdie has bathed this novel in the art of storytelling. In fact, the entire story is about stories and the lessons they teach us. Luka also fits nicely into Joseph Campbell’s keys to his theory of myth. Luka reluctantly answers the call to adventure, he has helpers and supernatural assistance, he must cross the threshold of The River of Time, he must complete the last leg of his journey alone, and he returns to his home. But will he make it in time to save his father? Another interesting and fun aspect of this work includes the numerous embedded cultural references that seem way out of time and place in the World of Magic. For example, while looking at “The River of Time,” Luka sees, “Running along the bank was a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and looking worriedly at a clock. Appearing and disappearing at various points on both banks was a dark blue British police telephone booth, out of which a perplexed-looking man holding a screw driver would periodically emerge. A group of dwarf bandits could be seen disappearing into a hole in the sky. ‘Time travelers,’ said, Nobodaddy in a voice of gentle disgust. ‘They’re everywhere these days’” (60-61). Alice in Wonderland, Doctor Who, and Monty Python all in one breath. This story can be shared by the whole family. In fact, this novel is about storytelling, and the importance of myth and imagination. Rushdie does it with style, grace, and a prose so spectacular, he never ceases to amaze me. I have read eight of his eleven novels, and I have the other three which I am eagerly waiting to devour. If you have never read Rushdie, Luka and the Fire of Life is a grand place to start. 5 stars. --Jim, 1/5/13 (  ) rmckeown | Jan 27, 2013 | Luka is a twelve year old boy who loves playing video games. He is worried about his left-handedness in an essentially familiar right-handed world and secretly envies his older brother Haroun, whose adventures have turned into family legend. Stop here. Because now you need to shift yourself from the land of ordinary and adjust in a minutely imagined landscape of the extraordinary packed with riddling demons and benevolent wonderland styled creatures. Welcome to the sequel of Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Read the complete review at http://www.thebookoutline.com/2013/01/book-review-luka-and-fire-of-life.html (  ) theBookOutline | Jan 27, 2013 | This is a deliciously written book with a story you can sink into and drift along on. It is rich with mythological figures and tales, as well as many original characters directly from the author's imagination. Luka and the Fire of Life is whimsical and dreamy, even recalling Alice in Wonderland at certain points. I loved it when a little "white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and looking worriedly at a clock" popped up on the bank of the River of Time, for instance. There are lots of issues broached that have a universal appeal as well, the main issue being the nature of time. In this book time is represented as a river flowing away from the mists of the past and toward the mists of the future. Luka wrestles with the idea of predestination: does the future already exist so that the course of the river follows a predetermined path? Or can our actions shape, even change, the river's flow? Luka is also told that "...if you want to travel up the River, Memory is the fuel you need." This is a very important concept to plant in the mind of a young reader to help him or her realize that memories are much more than the static remains of the past. Rather, they are the seeds of the future and memories are absolutely vital if a person is to grow and reap knowledge from prior experiences. Towards the end of Luka's journey he begins to reflect on something his father had said that before sounded like nonsense: time is not a constant marching forward, one precise second after another. Rather, it speeds up and slows down depending on what you are doing, and it does not mean the same thing to everybody as each person experiences life differently. There are several other issues presented to the reader for consideration, including whether tyranny is excusable or not if created and maintained in the name of respect, if exemption from consequences when following orders is acceptable or not, and how justifiable the sacrifice of innocents is, even if perceived as benefiting the greater good. I love how thought-provoking this novel is, particularly for young readers, and that the author brings issues to the forefront that are not usually discussed in Young Adult literature. I also appreciate that he does not neatly resolve each issue, allowing the reader to come to his or her own conclusions. The only problem a reader may run into is the fact that the story does move a little slowly. It is definitely a book you need to fully immerse yourself in and forget about the page numbers. Simply read it to enjoy the experience and the journey. Ah yes, one more thing I'd like to share: my favorite passage... "Man is the Storytelling Animal, and...in Stories are his identity, his meaning, and his lifeblood. Do rats tell tales? Do porpoises have narrative purposes? Do elephants ele-phantasize? You know as well as I do that they do not. Man alone burns with books." ( ) bibliophyte | Jan 17, 2012 |
 To save the day, Luka must enter the World of Magic and bring back the Fire of Life. But, Rushdie seems to be wondering, how caught up can a kid get in Promethean questing when his sense of adventure is increasingly guided by virtual derring-do?
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