A logical third installment after the aeneid and the inferno

An imaginative fantasy, adventure, magical realism novel that follows the journey of Flapping Eagle to find Grimus on Calf Island. Flapping Eagle is an outcast Indian weary of the immortality bestowed on him 700 years ago by an elixir. He learns that he can become mortal again by going to Calf Island and confronting Grimus. Grimus is Calf Island’s maker.

This book is the author’s first novel. Readers new to Salman Rushdie should begin with ‘Shame’ or ‘Midnight’s Children’.

This book was first published in 1975.

This is a horrible book. But I finished it out of respect for the author then discovered that not even Rushdie rates it! It is interesting only because Rushdie plays around with the magical realism that will play a major part in his writing and touches on themes he will later explore in much greater depth.

I don't recommend anyone who is thinking of reading Rushdie to think that as this is one of his shorter ones it would be a good one to start with, it really isn't a good read. Rather go for Shame with the wonderfully drawn character of the Virgin Ironpants (Benazir Bhutto). Now that book would make anyone want to explore more Rushdie.

Recommended to writers: knowing that Rushdie won the Booker of Bookers for his magnificent book Midnight's Children should give you hope that even if your first book flops (because it is crap) there is still hope, you can still aim for the top and know that it's possible to reach there.

Read back '96ish, Why does this awful book stick in my head?

sorry but this book is terrible. i guess comforting to know that it was rushdie's first novel- you can see brief glimpses of how his imagination (which he has clearly never been short of) comes together in the brilliant magical realism that mercifully follows later in his career. i ended up giving up on this book just 30 pages shy of the end but i really couldn't stand it any longer.. nearly 300 pages in and i still have zero connections to any of the characters or any idea what is going on and who's who, really....

Rushdie's books can be like those Magic Eye pictures. Confusing at first, but if you give your mind a little time to adjust to his world, everything becomes gloriously clear. The trippy sci-fi/fantasy elements feel very late 60s/early 70s, and its not his best work, but Rushdie's 2nd best is still vastly superior to most authors' finest moments.

Who'da thunk that Salman Rushdie got his start writing something like a knockoff Samuel R. Delany or Roger Zelazny novel.

keine Ahnung was passiert ist, aber das Ende war kinda fun?

The most striking part of this story was that it presents a world in which people are aware that the world they inhabit is only one of a series of alternative worlds. The burden of immortality , with which the protagonist grapples throughout the novel, sheds light on the absurdity of our daily neccessary denial of our own mortality. This is shown through the idea of "dimension fever".The residents of Calf island are required to occupy themselves with a singular idea in an effort to preserve their precarious existances.Obsession or single mindedness is the only thing that can keep dimension fever at bay. The characters' petty squabbles, alliances , and feuds are all played out in an effort to avoid facing the very conditions of their existence. There are so many themes at play in this allegorical tale that I cant even wrap my mind around quite yet. I know this is a book I will continue thinking about for the next several weeks.

Skøn, skøn, skøn bog. Jeg kan slet ikke forstå, at forfatteren nærmest selv har fortrudt den (efter sigende). Den er fantastisk på så mange planer og udfordrer forestillingsevnen, mens det hele stadig er relevant og meningsgivende, selvom det umiddelbart forekommer absurd. Der er mening med alt, og alt, hvad man undrer sig over undervejs, ender man med at få svar på. Jeg vil gerne læse den igen en anden gang.

Min eneste kritik går til det danske forlag (Gyldendal), som på bogens bagside har afsløret, hvad der sker på 30.-sidste side. Det er ikke i orden!

This is Rushdie's first book, and it's a fine debut, although at times I found it a bit confusing. It's a short but dense novel, so don't rush through it. It tells the story of Flapping Eagle, who at over 700 years of age, received the gift of immortality from his sister, who promptly disappears. Flapping Eagle goes on a quest to find her, discovering that she may have fled to Calf Island, a mystical place guarded by the mysterious Grimus.

I won't give away anymore, but the text is dense and a tad overly complex for its own good. It's an enjoyable journey about a hero's quest, but it's overly complex, incorporating many cultures' myths and legends. Keep your eyes open and your wits sharp so you don't miss too much. Just sayin'.

One of Rushdie's more difficult works, it proposes a number of questions - what is time? What is the nature of happiness? - without ever providing satisfactory answers.

A fantasy about a class of people who have attained immortality. A tad hard to read.