Though its crazy-quotient is up there, it gets boring after the first two books. Douglas Adam’s unorthodox storyline is to be appreciated and that the author has chosen to take the Inter-galaxy Highway less taken is definitely the USP. But hey….. I gave up after the second book because I had not the patience to remain in the crazy crazy Universe of his.

Though its crazy-quotient is up there, it gets boring after the first two books. Douglas Adam’s unorthodox storyline is to be appreciated and that the author has chosen to take the Inter-galaxy Highway less taken is definitely the USP. But hey….. I gave up after the second book because I had not the patience to remain in the crazy crazy Universe of his.

The story begins with a mafia-style scene. A guy visits his beloved’s grave on a rainy day. While he stands there feeling her absence, there is a short flashback that would have made a great movie scene.

The plot : A Small-pox sample stored in a Russian Research Laboratory is smuggled out of the country by a terrorist with a literature-filled rap sheet. He enters (... where else…) the US with the intention of a bio-war. His partner in crime – NASA, NSA and some big guns identified by endless 3-lettered or 4-lettered acronyms. How the Vijaykanth/Arjun-of-the-US – Jon Smith, a secret agent working for a secret agency reporting directly to the President, finds this missing bio-weapon and prevents a global crisis is depicted in the 396 pages.

To hell with the helio-centric theory. It’s time people realized the (micro)gravity of the Washington-NY-Centric theory. Be it King Kong or a meteor, they all want to visit New York and DC. This story is no different, only … the passenger’s name this time around is : Variola Major.

This story revolves around the power-centers of DC.

Despite being a run-of-the-mill conspiracy theory (geez! Conspiracy theories are now so cliche!), this book does kept me riveted till the end. The storytelling was easy on the ears. The web of secrecy has been well thought of. Characters come in to do their jobs and promptly die soon after (a soap-opera script-writer’s dream come true). Now thatz what I call a DO-AND-DIE attitude :).
What I liked most about this book was the subtely of narration at a lot of places.

That the stereotypical romance for the hero has been saved for another day is a reason to smile. There are just references to his relationships in the past.

The effects of micro-gravity on the virus seems to be well-researched. Nice info.

No long flashbacks, even in the most compelling situations. Just references to the previous book ‘The Hades Factor’ here and there. Looks like the intelligence team was the same for both Hades Project and Cassandra Compact. So, you wont miss much if you haven’t read The Hades Factor.

Once the mystery is solved, they bring out the name of the evil project – Cassandra Compact. Again, there is no unnecessary raving about this project once introduced to

the reader. It is implicitly conveyed that the reader should put 2 and 2 together.

All in all, it is a thumbs-up from me. Definite movie material. I’d love to see how they make this into a flick.

Completely avoidable!

Lacklustre in narration, it is boring from Page 1. Bits and pieces of information that was useful. Nothing more !

Having read ‘Five Point Someone’, I expected this to be a good read. The first few pages begin with an ‘Alaipayuthey/Saathiya’ style screenplay that seems to have become Chetan’s signature tune.

The Call center dudes and dudettes, the lifeline of the novel, arrive with a truckload (well….. I am exaggerating here !) of call-center jargon. The story is narrated through a character called Shyam, one similar to Hari in 5.some1. I have a sneaky feeling that CB is exactly this kinda guy !

The part where these folks get a call from God could have used a little more build-up. This part should have formed the crux of the book, but is sadly reduced to nothing more than a few pages.

It is almost the book-verion of K.Balachander’s Vaname Ellai , albeit sans the depth. I felt that the characterization could have been more intense than it was.

CB has thrown in all the ingredients like sex, romance, casting-couch et al…. all to make a Masala mix that leave a sour taste in the mouth!! Could have been a much better novel had he not introduced the frequent flash-backs of his dates with Priyanka that Shyam has.
1. The way he checks the reservation chart to see if there any F18-27 in the compartent. I have done this a zillion times :P without any luck !

Likes

2. The potrayal of Bakshi’s character. Believe me…. this man will definitely remind you of your (ex)Boss…. and like CB says, the Ultimate Indian Male Fantasy is to get even with your boss.

3. Debunking the Yankee superiority complex.

Dislikes

1. Everyone seems to relish using the F word and the likes.

2. Ending – a double whammy, I felt it was a very weak ending, pretty cinematic too!

3. The way the characters get even with Bakshi – Plain stupid and stereotyped.

4. Ridiculing all Americans as dumbos – Might not augur well !

A simple short-story written well enough to keep you nostalgic till the last moment.

As mentioned by a leading daily, it feels like the paper-version of ‘Dil Chahtha Hai’. The plot revolves around 3 IIT-Delhi under-achiever dudes who break every law in the book to succeed in IIT.

The language is very readable and you are spared that walk to get your dictionary out of the attic. Chetan Bhagath seems to promise a lot more. Hope he gets better by the book.

Personally, I could relate to a lot of incidents in the story though it appeared cinematic in patches.

A few things I loved about this book
1. The Neha character provided the much-needed variety in a plot involving 3 guys who turn IIT into ‘Masti Ka Paatshala’

2. Vodka on the Insti roof. We have had fun times like this too ;(

3. Title – The title was a smart one. The change from “five point something” to “five point someone” was very creative and apt.

4. Real life characters – atleast they were potrayed so !!

Certainly worth a read !

I just could not relate to any character in this novel. I managed to pull myself through the first 150 pages though :(

Umberto’s writing style seems different, but not captivating enough. I will be trying out ‘Focault’s Pendulum’ nevertheless.

First book on Physics ever since I finished college. A good book to get your gears working again :)

The book is well written and easy on the beginners (to Physics).

Particularly enjoyed the part about the Negative time Axis. Also got to know about ‘The Chandrashekar Limit’

I hit on this novel aftter seeing many a friend going ga-ga over it. I was slightly disappointed at the end. It was a good book, but thatz it. It definitely is understandable that it created waves when it was published (before 30+ years), but if it were to be published today, it would not receive such accolades.

Snail-paced non-thriller !
The book is painfully slow and the suspense factor is a farce ! The plot flatters to deceive.

Nothing exciting about this book at all.

Only notable aspect is the hero is not the run-of-the-mill perfect-10 guy.