Stephen's Reviews > Song of Kali

Thus begins Dan Simmons’ visceral, violent travelogue through the dark, murderous underbelly of Calcutta. This was an excellent read, but you should know going in that this is NOT a warm, fuzzy, feel better about humanity story. In fact, you might want to have your favorite blankie or stuffed animal or a bottle of Scotch and some happy pills with you before you begin reading this to help hold back the glooms.

Here’s the basic set up.

PLOT SUMMARY

M. Das, one of India’s greatest poets, mysteriously disappeared many years ago and was believed dead. Recently, however, new material purporting to be Das’ work has begun circulating in Calcutta. Robert Luczak, writer, columnist and our main character, is sent with his family to Calcutta by Harper’s Magazine to find and interview Das, verify the new work is authentic and bring back a copy for publication in the United States.

Luczak’s search for M. Das leads him to an ancient, brutal cult of Kali worshippers who practice a whole host of depravities including human sacrifice of children. As Bobby delves deeper and deeper into the history and customs of the cult, he discovers a bizarre connection between the cult and the re-emergence of Das whose new verse is a celebration of the goddess of death.

From there…you’re on your own.

That’s the plot in a nutshell, but it doesn’t convey the feel of the novel and the dark, deeply disturbing atmosphere that Simmons manufactures with his sense-laden depictions of Calcutta.

**Quick Aside: For the record, I’m not endorsing Simmons extremely negative portrayal of Calcutta (I’ve never been there) and my praise is for the effectiveness of Simmons' writing while ignoring any judgments on the accuracy thereof.

From the moment Bobby arrives in India with his wife and baby girl, he is swallowed up into a grim netherworld of festering violence, callousness and a palpable sense of evil. Simmons prose makes you perceive Calcutta as a living presence. The stifling, sticky heat, the claustrophobic “pressing in” of the crowds and the filth and squalor of the living conditions. All of this comes right off the page and Simmons imbues it all with an overarching sense of tangible, directed malevolence.

Can you tell that I think Simmons is a pretty special writer.

As very good as this was, it is important to note that this was Dan Simmons first published work. Thus, fans of Simmons should know going in that Song of Kali does not reach the level of quality and polish of his later works, most notably the Hyperion Cantos. However, since only a handful of speculative fiction works have EVER reached the level of the Hyperion Cantos, I don’t think this is much of a criticism. This an accomplished tale a real horror and at just over 300 pages, is considerably shorter than his later works which generally approach the size of doorstops.

I'm very glad to have finally scratched this off my “to read” list. But be warned, despite being a fast and relatively easy read, it has the potential to leave a chilling impression on you lasting far beyond the final page. It certainly had that effect on me.

4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Winner: World Fantasy Award for Best Novel
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel