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Domechild Shiv Ramdas 9780143332985 Books

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Domechild Shiv Ramdas 9780143332985 Books

The mysteriously intriguing opening of Domechild leads into a powerful exposition of the kind of society towards which we of the 21st century seem to be heading. I don't think I will ever view Facebook quite the same way again.

The book didn't quite sustain its early promise of humour; although it was exciting, and kept one turning the pages, it didn't really stay funny after the opening chapters, not to me, anyway. I had expected it to be a riot of laughter all the way through, based on what someone else had said, but, I hasten to add, this was not a promise held out either by the author or the publisher.

For me, Domechild's real strength lay in its portrayal of a dystopia projected upon features of our world as it now is; like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four, it offers a chilling glimpse into one possible future, and does this entertainingly.

I did have some reservations about the ending. The book seemed to me just to stop, without adequately resolving itself; whether this was done with the view to a sequel or not, it is a grave fault in a novel. All the same, well worth reading and I'll certainly look for more from this author.


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Domechild Shiv Ramdas 9780143332985 Books Reviews

Review of Domechild by Shiv Ramdas

When I started reading Domechild, I think I was expecting a strict, hard-science-fiction, sterile, mechanized dystopia. What I got instead was an intensely layered tale of human beings in a unique future setting. How far into the future, and how long have the people been there? I’m not telling! But the answer is fascinating.

This is not a story about one place, or even a specific future. It is a story about people and how their needs and fear and ambitions effect each other and the world. It is a book with many layers, from fearful encounters to witty turns of humor, to explorations of what it means to have power or create community.

One thing I liked was the fact that most of the characters are not described in fanatical detail, allowing me to pull them up in my mind as I chose. I appreciate a book where the reader is given some credit for having brains and imagination.
I am not going to rehash the plot here as I don’t believe in writing spoiler reviews, but since this book is so character driven, I will comment on the main character, Albert.

Even after reading the entire book, Albert is something of a mystery to me – but I think that is because he is a mystery to himself. He starts of as a classic trapped-by-circumstances-and-society protagonist, but what makes him different is he does not overnight wakeup and discover he’s a secret hero with a profound destiny. He stumbles and struggles and stammers his way through astounding situations. At times I got frustrated with him because he would ask a question then interrupt through the answers – then I realized that of course that’s what he would do – he never learned how to hold real conversations in the Dome. (I mean really – what would any of us do upon discovering that everything we thought we knew about the world was wrong?) But his actions show a depth beyond his hesitations, fear and confusion. I think his strengths and foibles will be more deeply explored in book two. (When do we get book two, Shiv???)

The other characters – especially Theo and Marcus and SUE are completely intriguing. I am anxiously awaiting the second book so I can find out what they are all about and, in some cases, what they are really up to!

I greatly enjoyed Domechild and am looking forward to the sequel.

Recommended!
Why do we read? For many reasons and they all tend to be valid. One of those reasons is to find remarkable characters and that is what this novel delivers. Every character in this novel is distinct, has a unique history and speaks with authority. Albert, our main character, is a breath of fresh air with his intelligence and honesty about all the world shattering situations he finds himself in. Theo, a rambunctious child, is someone you can’t help to fall in love with. June is a woman hiding behind a self-made fortress while Colby and his soldiers are good men simply because they’re good men with no reason being required for it. The book is full of so many rich, realized characters.

I think one of the reasons for this is that Ramdas is totally confident in the world he’s created and operating in. Good, strong world building goes hand in hand with crafting strong characters I think. Without a true understanding of the world the story is taking place in, the job of creating strong, resonant characters seems increasingly difficult. So what in the story makes me believe our author is so confident in his world? He doesn’t throw it all at us at once. A lazy, less skilled writer throws everything and the kitchen sink at you when it comes to world building in the first couple of chapters. This is especially true in the world of speculative fiction, but Ramdas doesn’t take that route.

He doesn’t take that route, instead opting for the path of the more seasoned writer. He treats the relationship between the world building and the reader like a friendship. Think about it. You don’t meet someone and tell them your deepest, darkest personal secrets. And think about how uncomfortable you felt when someone you just met does that. That’s what overloading the reader with too much information at the beginning of the story feels like. Ramdas doesn’t follow that path. He opens up the relationship with surface details; casual talk to keep the metaphor going. As the story progresses it moves from casual conversation into deeper territory. Then finally once the friendship is solidly built the dark secrets and buried truths come flying out. By that time you’re so invested into the friendship that the details fill like things that satisfy that relationship instead of making your squirm. That is how good world building works.

So what’s this world like? It gives me touches of The Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, Total Recall and even The Book of Eli in some places. This world isn’t pleasant and isn’t happy though there are sparks of hope and some genuinely funny moments throughout the story. It serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when the rampant pace of technology and the need to be constantly plugged aren’t appropriately checked. We get to see what happens when our social media obsessions and lack of real human contact are pushed to the brink. And while this novel has plenty of dystopian elements, there are certainly plenty of critiques about the dangers of a utopian society too. I think the overall message of this novel is that extremes on either end are dangerous.

Now I can’t end this without saying a good word about the ending. I was so invested into the characters and by the time we got to the end I felt like I did at the end of the first Lord of the Rings movie. Aragorn and company could not abandon their friends to death and pain. These characters make a similar decision and it is a completely satisfying one. I closed my up with a smile as I finished it because it felt like time well spent with people who had become friends. What more can you want from a book?

More reviews like this can be found on my blog at https//rrapmagazine.wordpress.com/
The mysteriously intriguing opening of Domechild leads into a powerful exposition of the kind of society towards which we of the 21st century seem to be heading. I don't think I will ever view Facebook quite the same way again.

The book didn't quite sustain its early promise of humour; although it was exciting, and kept one turning the pages, it didn't really stay funny after the opening chapters, not to me, anyway. I had expected it to be a riot of laughter all the way through, based on what someone else had said, but, I hasten to add, this was not a promise held out either by the author or the publisher.

For me, Domechild's real strength lay in its portrayal of a dystopia projected upon features of our world as it now is; like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four, it offers a chilling glimpse into one possible future, and does this entertainingly.

I did have some reservations about the ending. The book seemed to me just to stop, without adequately resolving itself; whether this was done with the view to a sequel or not, it is a grave fault in a novel. All the same, well worth reading and I'll certainly look for more from this author.