I swear, I constantly find myself getting into all kinds of nightmares by adding horror books into my to-be-read (TBR) pile.

It seems like I, a bitch, will never learn, seriously. But to be fair, a truly good book is just that - a good book.

Even if it manages to completely fuck my mind up and cause me to question the shadows that lurk in the corners and what might potentially be living inside them.

The allure of these horror books is both captivating and terrifying. I can't seem to resist adding them to my TBR, despite knowing the potential consequences.

Each time I pick up one of these books, I'm drawn into a world of darkness and mystery, where every shadow holds a possible threat.

It's a strange and twisted addiction, but one that I can't seem to break. And yet, I continue to add more horror books to my TBR, eager to explore the depths of my own fears.

Maybe one day, I'll finally learn my lesson and stop subjecting myself to these nightmares. But for now, I'll just have to keep reading and see where it takes me.

I have a deep affection for Dan Simmons. However, when I first read "Song of Kali", I wasn't overly enthusiastic about it. The sole reason I made the effort to reread it was that Audible had it available for just a few dollars during their Black Friday sale. I'm truly glad that I gave it another chance. I'm uncertain about what I overlooked the first time, but now I firmly believe that this book ranks among his finest works.

Thematically, it was quite intriguing to read this book immediately after "No Country For Old Men". Although "No Country" lacks supernatural elements, the two novels inhabit very similar thematic landscapes. Specifically, they both explore the question of how we cope with evil that is beyond comprehension. Both books arrive at a similar conclusion: survive it and do not yield. Yet, both also present a certain degree of dissatisfaction with that answer.

The book is extremely dark. In fact, I'm not sure if Simmons has ever written anything quite as disturbing as this since. But if you can tolerate the darkness, it is well worth your time.

This book stands out as it is more suspenseful and has a more captivating setting compared to most books that come to my memory.

Surprisingly, it's not overly scary, and it doesn't seem to strive to be so. However, it's strange that it's often marketed as a "horror" novel, and almost everything you read about it, including the back cover, tries to convince you of its "scariness."

From the very first page, Simmons masterfully builds up Calcutta as a city that elicits strong emotions. Specifically, there's a deep sense of concern for the main character and his family who are on a supposedly brief business trip there. The suspense steadily grows from that point. The characters arrive in Calcutta, and you're eagerly anticipating events that will fulfill the promise of this suspenseful beginning.

And indeed, things do occur, and the book truly delivers. The author keeps his promise, and it all works out extremely well. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to developing Calcutta as a place "that shouldn't exist," as the main character puts it. The success of this book essentially hinges on whether this aspect lives up to its potential. Simmons seems to be aware of this, as he decides to fully invest in building up Calcutta from the very start.

The payoff is quite... striking, and I don't think it could have been any other way.

There's so much more to love about this book. For example, the characters are exceptionally well-developed, and the book is concise and efficient. It's just over three hundred pages long, yet each chapter and page is fascinating, and you never lose interest. It's remarkable that the book isn't always "exciting." You might find that it's a slow burn, but it's a slow, "suspenseful" burn that keeps you hooked and unable to put it down.

I wasn't entirely certain what to anticipate when I picked up this book solely based on the fact that it belongs to the fantasy masterworks series. What I received was an instantly captivating and thrilling mystery thriller set in Calcutta, India.

Initially, I was rather shocked by the opening paragraph which declared that Calcutta deserved to be wiped off the face of the earth. I wondered if this might offend those who are familiar with the place. However, it ultimately becomes evident that these are the feelings (as the book is in the first person perspective) of the protagonist, and they are quite understandable when one witnesses what he endured there.

This is a dark book on multiple levels. From the raw and unflinching depictions of the ordinary life in this large, impoverished, and overpopulated city (set in the '70s) to the wanton and nihilistic philosophy and actions of the dark and secretive cult that worships the goddess Kali. This story is extremely tragic, so don't expect to finish it with a cheerful disposition.

For me, it just missed being a masterpiece for reasons that I can't quite articulate. Perhaps it was simply a little too bleak, even for my taste. Nevertheless, it is a great book.

~

After re-reading this approximately seven years later, I still believe this is a great story, although I have become aware that the author took some liberties with the subject matter and had inadequately researched Indian culture and the Hindu religion. I won't make excuses for that, although I think nowadays we expect authors to be more thorough. But the story is well told and affected me both times I've read it; which is pretty much all I ask from a book.

4/5. "Song of Kali" is a well-written and highly unsettling horror novel. However, its portrayal of Indian culture is questionable, as is its length.

Let's start with the good. Dan Simmons is an excellent writer. Even without considering character and plot, on a purely technical level, he excels. Every paragraph is filled with vivid imagery and a moody atmosphere. Each line poses a question that receives a detailed and direct visual response in your mind. "Song of Kali" features many creepy and unsettling scenes, which are only possible due to Simmons' competence. Fortunately, he is also skilled at plot and characterization.

The characters in "Song of Kali" never seemed out of place to me. There were no instances of overtly bad dialogue or contradictions between motivation and action. The characters were seamless. The same goes for the plot, at least until the end. The standout character here is actually Calcutta, where the novel takes place. I've never been to Calcutta, but what Simmons writes as Calcutta feels organic and alive. You can sense the city's moods and see how it reacts to certain events. This is partly due to the first-person narration, which I liked but is related to an aspect that I'm not sure about.

The novel follows Robert Luczak, an American poet, who travels to Calcutta in search of a famous Indian poet and his recent works. Robert is the narrator, and the events are presented through his perception. He is slightly racist, as he clearly views his own culture as superior. He is mean to the people and rude in his descriptions of them. He sarcastically and dryly comments on every negative thing he sees, and likely exaggerates it. I think this aspect is okay because it is somewhat tied into Bobby's arc, and it shows that he is a very flawed person with hypocritical sensibilities.

In the middle of the story, there is a lengthy debate on Indian culture and how its brutal aspects emerged. I thought this discussion was mostly fair, with the caste system rightfully being criticized, but everything else either being shared with every nation or being a symptom of late industrialization and wealth-building. However, outside of this, I think it goes too far. Calcutta is portrayed as a city where every single person is morally bankrupt. Only two people are okay, and the rest are completely self-absorbed, aggressive, and morbidly obsessed.

I don't think I can simply dismiss this as fantasy nonsense because of the parts I mentioned above and the painstaking research Simmons clearly did for this book. This is supposed to depict a Calcutta that is as close to reality as possible within a cosmic horror/fantasy novel. I'm not comfortable calling this racist, but nor am I willing to completely excuse it. It does tie in with the plot, but I think those plot elements were written in response to this scathing portrayal. I'm not usually one to draw attention to this kind of thing, and it says something that I can't just ignore it.

On a more minor note, the plot does run a bit long. The last hour of reading felt a bit aimless and meandering. Meaningful resolutions to character arcs occur here, and those were nice, which is why this isn't a terrible problem for me. The rest of the ending material wasn't bad, per se, but it could have been cleaned up and told in a more streamlined way.

One of the coolest aspects of this novel is that it leaves some of its mysteries unanswered. I won't mention which ones, but this is brought up in the book, how Bobby doesn't know why certain things happened. I think this is excellent. Bobby gets caught up in a game of deceit and power with cosmic stakes, and he's nothing more than a piece on a board. Pieces don't understand the full game. This novel makes you feel manipulated and like you're caught up in something you could never have understood.

If you read this and were put off by my critique of India's portrayal but thought everything else sounded interesting, read "Song of Kali." You won't be disappointed. If you understood my criticism but still think it might be worth reading, I'd say still give it a try. It's a great book even with that stuff in it. Otherwise, give "Song of Kali" a pass. It's not the best book of this kind, and apparently not even Simmons' best.

Unless you possess the remarkable ability to entirely detach yourself from every form of emotion while reading, it is advisable not to pick up this book. Seriously. This caution holds particular significance if you are a parent. The content within this book is so brutally merciless that it has the potential to deeply impact your emotional state. It delves into themes and stories that are not for the faint of heart. One might find themselves being drawn into a world of raw and unfiltered emotions that could leave them feeling shaken and vulnerable. So, think twice before deciding to embark on this literary journey.

One of the books that had the greatest impact on me in my youth, I believe my fifth novel would not be what it is if it weren't for this one.

I read it when my face was full of pimples and now that I comb gray hair and go on the Internet releasing pastures for my discatalogued fetishes because I have reread it, even though I almost never reread... And I think it has aged badly; or perhaps I have, because the ending seemed to me poorly resolved and the thrilling moments of the knot have become a bit stale or surpassed, I don't know. Anyway, the fact is that it is a book that I believe lays the foundations of dirty horror and that teaches you to land in the hardest environments. But what I like most about it is that it is an overwhelming demonstration of why, to document a scenario, the worst thing you can do is ask Google and the best thing you can do is travel.

Dark story. Disgusting story. Painfully depressing story. A story of the collision of two cultures and overwhelming foreignness.

"Song of Kali" is a story of the collision of two worlds - the West and the East, worlds so different, so foreign, so drastically contrasted that their collision can only lead to a great tragedy. And it is precisely to such a tragedy that Simmons' novel leads.

It irritates all the reader's senses - we smell the stench of the streets, the urine of cows, the ubiquitous garbage... There is a scene in which the protagonist submerges himself in this filth and realizes that his own skin shrinks and recoils in disgust. And we also shrink when reading. We also feel that suffocating, hanging, clinging moisture. We experience the mismatch that the protagonist experiences. It is precisely in this mismatch, in this foreignness, in this sensory aggression that I perceive the danger of "Song of Kali". There is something hypnotic in this novel, something that does not allow it to be put down, but also something repulsive that makes one shudder and turn away. And at the same time, something very depressing, even truly painful, especially when the action reaches its climax. No one advertises such an India in brochures. No one dreams of such an India. This is a nightmare born in the mind of the writer, a perfect metaphor for the cultural impact, a horror for which it is worth losing more than one night's sleep.

I devoured "Song of Kali" with enthusiasm and although I know that it will not appeal to everyone, for me it is Simmons' best horror offering. Without a doubt.

Song Of Kali is only the second book that I've read of Dan Simmons's novels. The first one was the truly superb Drood. Song of Kali was Dan Simmons' first novel and it won the World Fantasy award. It is a very good read and the length for this particular novel is just about right. It presents a dark and depressing story, filled with some genuine creepy moments. If you are contemplating reading it, I would definitely recommend it.

I will say this, Dan Simmons is a superb writer. His Drood, in particular, is a masterful novel with excellent prose. His writing style is engaging and captivating, drawing the reader into the story and making them reluctant to put the book down. I have thoroughly enjoyed both of the books that I have read so far and I will most certainly be reading more of his books in the future.

I am excited to explore more of his works and see what other wonderful stories he has to offer. I believe that Dan Simmons is a talented author who has a lot to offer to the world of literature. His novels are not only entertaining but also thought-provoking, making the reader reflect on various aspects of life and human nature.

I truly believe that there are black holes. Black holes in the human spirit. And there are real places where, due to density, or poverty, or sheer human perversity, the fabric of things tears apart and that black core within us swallows the rest.

What a disappointment! It became very boring and tiresome for me. Simmons overused padding and stretched out insubstantial story themes to increase the page count. The book has its good moments, but these are nothing compared to the bad ones. It's a reading that I will easily forget.

This book failed to engage me on a deeper level. The excessive filler made it a slog to get through. While there were some闪光点 here and there, they were far outweighed by the dull and drawn-out sections. I would not recommend this book to others looking for an exciting and thought-provoking read.

Video rez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdLy...

Robert Luczak embarks on a journey to Kolkata with his wife and their young daughter Victoria. The purpose of this trip is to retrieve a manuscript of an author who was believed to have died eight years ago. However, this endeavor proves to be far more complicated than he initially thought.

In a poverty-stricken country, there are misunderstandings and confusions. People who should actually be well-disposed towards Luczak end up putting obstacles in his way, and this is just the beginning. When Robert Luczak then has to deal with an underground cult dedicated to the death goddess Kali, he suddenly faces the question of whether he and his family can leave India alive.

This book is the first work of Dan Simmons (1986), and it is quite evident. It cannot be compared to works like "Terror" or "The Mountain". Unfortunately, the story lacks a certain degree of expressiveness. Either Simmons should have made it into a short story or added a few more pages, because the story clearly had potential.

There is some true horror in here...

I believe this is the third book by Dan Simmons that I have read. My favorite among them is The Terror. I was simply enamored with how vivid that one was, with the cracking ice and all the details. This book, too, was vivid, but in a vastly different way. It's set in Calcutta, specifically in the awful slums. There are huge piles of refuse everywhere, and people are defecating in the street. It's a very urban setting, and thus a different type of danger lurks within.

To be honest, I had no idea what this book was actually about. I do know who Kali is, and I knew the story took place in India. However, I found this to be a strange mix of Frankenstein and the ever-popular Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom. There are some truly dark and twisted things in here. I guess it's because Kali is a very dark goddess, or perhaps a demon. But there are events that seem to distort reality. And part of you wonders if it was real or just some clever parlor trick (of the most awful and bloody nature, of course).

There were events in here that I had never anticipated. Twists came out of nowhere, and then the aftermath was truly dreadful. True horror indeed...

The book suggests that Kali is real and that this is the Age of Kali, with all the horrible things happening in the world.

Now, here is the plot: Mr. Luczak, his wife Amrita, and their baby Victoria go to Calcutta. Luczak is an author, and he has heard that the famous M Das has written another epic poem, but M Das is supposed to be dead! And that's the beginning of a complicated mystery, filled with much tension, trouble, and freaky stuff. It seems that once you enter that huge city, it's very difficult to leave.

Some of the stuff in here was extremely disturbing and shocking. I read this in a day, so it's one of his shorter books.