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Very obviously an early work, but I'm not convinced it's as bad as people think. At the very least, if it doesn't come together as a cohesive whole (it's probably inherently to broad in scope to do that) it is far from unpleasant to read. Psychedelic and a bit up itself, sure, but not ponderous and self indulgent.

Rushdie critique's his own work in this book. Read carefully the debate between Gribbs, Elfrida, and Irna about whether stories should be well tied together or not. It seems to be the issue that Rushdie struggles with in his first novel. There are moments of mystery, but the drive to tie all the ends together makes it a bit too neat in the end.

Rushdie is brilliant, but this is a well-polished turd.
There are other books to read.

Turns out that crap Rushdie is still quite good.

Premier roman de Salman Rushdie, Aigle Errant personnage principal du roman, boit un élixir d'immortalité et passe sept cents ans à parcourir le monde. Mais ce don commence à devenir un fardeau il se lasse de l'existence, il apprend qu'il y a un homme sur une île qui possède l'antidote.
Arrivé sur cette île il sent comme un effet mystérieux et corrosif l'effet "Grimus".
J'ai bien aimé cette aventure dans un monde déjanté avec des personnages hauts en couleurs.
A découvrir.
Extrait :
_ Un gnome qui marmonnait sans arrêt :
《 Remarquable, tout à fait remarquable 》 se tenait au pied du lit. Un gnome extrêmement soigné, qui sautillait dans tous les sens d'un air de vive impatience et d'insatiable curiosité. Il portait une cravate et chemise de soie immaculées, une veste d'intérieur sur un pantalon de velours à grosses côtes terriblement désuet mais fleurant bon la propreté, et des pantoufles en tapisserie. Ses yeux violets étincelèrent quand il s'aperçut qu' Aigle Errant était réveillé.

Well, we've all gotta start somewhere, I suppose. The potential is clear enough but frankly this is just not a great book. I'm glad I read it but I doubt I'll ever feel the need to read it again.

This is Rushdie in the rough. You can see the seeds of his unique style, which will come out in its full glory in his later book. Grismus writing is still a little awkward, the fairy-tale aspect a little more trippy than in his later books. Rushdie wrote this book as an entry to a science-fiction competition, and it feels like the fantasy element is a little forced. Later he will learn how to strum this confidently, but in Grimus... left me nauseous at times. Love Rushdie, but this is not his best.

In this story, a boy called Flapping Eagle becomes immortal in order to find his sister, and finds himself on a magical island inhabited by immortals drawn from the rest of the world to live among their own kind. A strange creature called Grimus has some sort of power over the people on the island, and some of those people have been nursing growing hatred for Grimus by the time Flapping Eagle arrives. They maneuver him into taking on Grimus for them, to destroy his power.
The story is dreamlike, vague and confusing, with some trippy imagery and a magical setting that makes it harder to follow the story sometimes. So, while this is a fun book, it takes a bit of concentration, more than it initially seemed to require anyway.

too weird, absolutely no frame of reference.

I really enjoyed the way Rushdie combined the mythologies of so many cultures into this book. Reminded me a lot of Twin Peaks. I appreciate the way Rushdie plays with language, spells words incorrectly and makes up stuff just for fun. Definitely a unique reading experience.

"Sex! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems..." Salman Rushdie, as Homer Simpson, probably

Perhaps I am a simpleton, or maybe a prude. Perhaps I was foolish reading Grimus as my first Rushdie book. Either way, this book had way too much poorly written sex (including incest and rape) for me to appreciate it on a deeper level.

"Remember Salman, if your book isn't working, you're either putting to much sex in it, or not enough" Salman Rushdie's editor, as Chief Wiggim, probably