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Song of Kali
Calcutta: a monstrous city of immense slums, disease and misery, is clasped in the foetid embrace of an ancient cult. At its decaying core is the Goddess Kali: the dark mother of pain, four-armed and eternal, her song the sound of death and destruction. Robert Luczak has been hired by Harper's to find a noted Indian poet who has reappeared, under strange circumstances, years after he was thought dead. But nothing is simple in Calcutta and Lucsak's routine assignment turns into a nightmare when he learns that the poet is rumoured to have been brought back to life in a bloody and grisly ceremony of human sacrifice.
311 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Dan Simmons
312 books12.6k followersDan Simmons is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works that span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes within a single novel. Simmons's genre-intermingling Song of Kali (1985) won the World Fantasy Award. He also writes mysteries and thrillers, some of which feature the continuing character Joe Kurtz.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,219 reviews
April 7, 2011
Does for India what Heart Of Darkness did for Africa; uses it as a setting for a tale of unease and terror that could have been set anywhere, really, except that using a third-world setting plays to the western gallery's delicate sensibilities.
This is a superbly structured and masterfully woven horror novel; it's also a fucking travesty of the real nature of Kali and her various manifestations. He's taken a unique female power-divinity, something with no parallel in any other living religion, and reduced her to a 'bitch goddess' of evil.
And I wish that westerners would do a little homework. Nobody spells their name Jayaprakesh. Jayaprakash, sure. Jaiprakash, even. Not Jayaprakesh. Thanks very much kindly. For all the play Simmons makes of Indians mangling English he certainly doesn't hesitate to mangle Indian names.
Oh, it also grated on me that all the chapters have an epigram taken from an Indian writer except the one chapter that lets in a note of hope and therefore has to return to the light of western civilization with a quote from W.B. Yeats.
Despite all that, a 3-star rating; it really is a very good horror novel. But it does convince me more than ever that writers tread on uncertain ground when they venture outside their own cultural contexts.
This is a superbly structured and masterfully woven horror novel; it's also a fucking travesty of the real nature of Kali and her various manifestations. He's taken a unique female power-divinity, something with no parallel in any other living religion, and reduced her to a 'bitch goddess' of evil.
And I wish that westerners would do a little homework. Nobody spells their name Jayaprakesh. Jayaprakash, sure. Jaiprakash, even. Not Jayaprakesh. Thanks very much kindly. For all the play Simmons makes of Indians mangling English he certainly doesn't hesitate to mangle Indian names.
Oh, it also grated on me that all the chapters have an epigram taken from an Indian writer except the one chapter that lets in a note of hope and therefore has to return to the light of western civilization with a quote from W.B. Yeats.
Despite all that, a 3-star rating; it really is a very good horror novel. But it does convince me more than ever that writers tread on uncertain ground when they venture outside their own cultural contexts.
October 9, 2021
A chilling and heart rending tale set in 1970s Calcutta. Simmons takes you to the dark underbelly of Calcutta, and then below that! A writer and his family go to Calcutta to collect a manuscript of a poet presumed dead over six years ago. This book brings horror to the slums of Calcutta in a pretty ingenious, and very dark way! 8 out of 12.
August 30, 2011
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
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
August 22, 2011
* A 300-page diatribe against Calcutta, which city evidently offended Simmons at some point.
* His hero, Bobby Luczak, is a coward who behaves stupidly and illogically; he's an effete literary type who one would think would treat his mathematician wife with some respect, but who repeatedly hides things from her and deserts her without reason. He claims to have a terrible temper, yet he's impotent in a crisis.
* He has a child, a 7-month-old daughter, whose very existence serves only one unpleasant purpose. His wife's only purpose seems to be to show how stupid he is by contrast.
* One character, the college kid who gets the plot rolling, tells Bobby a story about the worshippers of the evil goddess Kali. The story starts on Page 62 and ends on Page 111. Bobby doesn't applaud at the end of it, despite the fact that it's a bravura performance, complete with backstory, chapters, and narrative arc. Perhaps he withholds his approbation because he knows the story could have been drastically shortened, and even demonstrates this when he later condenses the boy's 3-hour monologue to 10 minutes in relating it to his wife.
* Very little actually happens in this story, though it is filled from end to end with repeated descriptions of the rampant squalor of Calcutta. Bobby decides this is because the people are evil. Makes it easier, I suppose, for him to feel nothing for them. He dreams of it disappearing in nuclear fire. For him, it's a pleasant dream.
* Simmons seems less interested here in plot than Lovecraftian dread. Lovecraft, however, didn't write 300-page novels. I think there's a reason for that.
* His hero, Bobby Luczak, is a coward who behaves stupidly and illogically; he's an effete literary type who one would think would treat his mathematician wife with some respect, but who repeatedly hides things from her and deserts her without reason. He claims to have a terrible temper, yet he's impotent in a crisis.
* He has a child, a 7-month-old daughter, whose very existence serves only one unpleasant purpose. His wife's only purpose seems to be to show how stupid he is by contrast.
* One character, the college kid who gets the plot rolling, tells Bobby a story about the worshippers of the evil goddess Kali. The story starts on Page 62 and ends on Page 111. Bobby doesn't applaud at the end of it, despite the fact that it's a bravura performance, complete with backstory, chapters, and narrative arc. Perhaps he withholds his approbation because he knows the story could have been drastically shortened, and even demonstrates this when he later condenses the boy's 3-hour monologue to 10 minutes in relating it to his wife.
* Very little actually happens in this story, though it is filled from end to end with repeated descriptions of the rampant squalor of Calcutta. Bobby decides this is because the people are evil. Makes it easier, I suppose, for him to feel nothing for them. He dreams of it disappearing in nuclear fire. For him, it's a pleasant dream.
* Simmons seems less interested here in plot than Lovecraftian dread. Lovecraft, however, didn't write 300-page novels. I think there's a reason for that.
January 16, 2015
Excellent. Dan Simmons is fast on his way to becoming one of my favorite authors.
I felt horrified during a lot of the book, and saddened during a lot of it, but I like the way that it isn't totally and completely engulfed in despair. (Though pretty depressing enough.) I like the way that the protagonist decides to "fight back".
It's not "scary" as in "boo" but it is horrific in it's stark depiction of the horror lurking in the human soul.
The reason why I rated this so highly, is that it worked very well as a horror thriller for me.
I think there was enough foreshadowing to give one an idea that something bad was going to happen, but you kept hoping that what you think might happen, wouldn't happen--it develops into one of those thriller-type scenarios, where you keep thinking 'Oh, watch out! be careful, don't do that!'
..and yet, the author manages to be subtle enough for it not to be 'pat'.
It also managed to grip this cynical reader deeply enough to feel both horrified and sad.
That, for me is crucial, I guess - immersion, and this novel definitely did that for me, heck, I was gripping the edge of my seat all the way through.
I also liked that the end was sort of sad and senseless; - just like real life sometimes is.
I'll take away one star because of Simmon's rather unbalanced portrayal of Hindu culture, which is of course a rich and varied culture with many aspects to it, some of them wonderful and positive, as opposed to the negative aspects highlighted in this novel.
Though this specific view might have been quite representative of a Westerner's impression of Calcutta at that point in time, I do feel that Mr Simmons could have added a few of the more positive aspects of Hindu culture to balance out the negative aspects that are represented especially by for instance the Kali cults that feature in this narrative.
ETA- In retrospect, I do think that perhaps the whole point of the horrific aspects of the situation is that the protagonist originally romanticized his Westernized wife's Indian background, and was totally unprepared and unequipped for the realities of the situation he had to come to grips with in Calcutta. So, I suppose the whole point was for the protagonist to be naive and not to have a lot of street-smarts, so that at times, you actually felt like shaking him.
He, like many Westerners, seems to have been expecting India to be all incense and smiling children with beautiful dark eyes and beautiful saris and delicious (though extremely hot!) food; without knowing about the darker aspects of that alluring land. (I admit that I had not known about some of them either! I've been to Bombay, but my visit there wouldn't have prepared me for anything like some of the things that the protagonist had encountered in this book.)
Please note: Some of the comments below in the comments thread, may contain spoilers.
I felt horrified during a lot of the book, and saddened during a lot of it, but I like the way that it isn't totally and completely engulfed in despair. (Though pretty depressing enough.) I like the way that the protagonist decides to "fight back".
It's not "scary" as in "boo" but it is horrific in it's stark depiction of the horror lurking in the human soul.
The reason why I rated this so highly, is that it worked very well as a horror thriller for me.
I think there was enough foreshadowing to give one an idea that something bad was going to happen, but you kept hoping that what you think might happen, wouldn't happen--it develops into one of those thriller-type scenarios, where you keep thinking 'Oh, watch out! be careful, don't do that!'
..and yet, the author manages to be subtle enough for it not to be 'pat'.
It also managed to grip this cynical reader deeply enough to feel both horrified and sad.
That, for me is crucial, I guess - immersion, and this novel definitely did that for me, heck, I was gripping the edge of my seat all the way through.
I also liked that the end was sort of sad and senseless; - just like real life sometimes is.
I'll take away one star because of Simmon's rather unbalanced portrayal of Hindu culture, which is of course a rich and varied culture with many aspects to it, some of them wonderful and positive, as opposed to the negative aspects highlighted in this novel.
Though this specific view might have been quite representative of a Westerner's impression of Calcutta at that point in time, I do feel that Mr Simmons could have added a few of the more positive aspects of Hindu culture to balance out the negative aspects that are represented especially by for instance the Kali cults that feature in this narrative.
ETA- In retrospect, I do think that perhaps the whole point of the horrific aspects of the situation is that the protagonist originally romanticized his Westernized wife's Indian background, and was totally unprepared and unequipped for the realities of the situation he had to come to grips with in Calcutta. So, I suppose the whole point was for the protagonist to be naive and not to have a lot of street-smarts, so that at times, you actually felt like shaking him.
He, like many Westerners, seems to have been expecting India to be all incense and smiling children with beautiful dark eyes and beautiful saris and delicious (though extremely hot!) food; without knowing about the darker aspects of that alluring land. (I admit that I had not known about some of them either! I've been to Bombay, but my visit there wouldn't have prepared me for anything like some of the things that the protagonist had encountered in this book.)
Please note: Some of the comments below in the comments thread, may contain spoilers.
October 22, 2022
" I think that there are black holes in reality. Black holes in the human spirit. And actual places where, because of density or misery or sheer human perversity, the fabric of things comes apart and that black core in us swallows all the rest."
4.5⭐'s
Initial Thoughts
After finishing a read-through of all of Robert McCammon's work I was at a loose end for something to do. I know, why not start a read-through of one of my other favourite authors...Mr Dan Simmons. After reading Summer of Night, The Terror and Hyperion I was a massive fan of this guy. To tell you the truth Hyperion on its own would have made me a die hard supporter. Without doubt one of the best books I've ever read. If you can handle hard sci-fi then definitely give it a go. And even if you can't give it a go. But back to the script with his debut novel ...Song of Kali.
It just so happens that, with this being the month of October, I was after a spooky read and this one definitely fits the bill. Despite winning 1985's World Fantasy Award for best novel it is well regarded as a grisly horror tale. Just what Doctor Shipman ordered.
We're, my expectations high going in? After bloody winning such a prestigious award with your debut book? Just who do you think you are Mr Simmons, that's outrageous. The answer was yes!
The Story
We begin following the protagonist, Robert Luczak's, journey to Calcutta in India to obtain a manuscript and get to the bottom of a mystery concerning Bengali Poet M. Das. Rumoured to be dead for just over a decade, he has recently resurfaced with a new body of work. And the magazine that Luczak works for is just dying to get the inside scoop. What could possibly go wrong?
From the moment Luczak sets foot in Calcutta something is just not quite right.
Everyone he encounters behaves strangely, and the closer he gets to the truth the darker and stranger things become. The fact that he decided to bring his wife and six month-old child in tow certainly doesn't help matters. Dark forces appear to be at play and Robert and his family are set for a hellish time in the days to come as events begin to spiral out of control.
The Writing
I knew from my previous encounters with Simmons that the guy can flat out write. He has a smooth but highly literate style that evokes the imagination. Don't believe me then check out Hyperion. But it was impressive to see his level of control at this early stage in his career as he effectively managed the prose and narrative to build the suspense and tension that is contained within these pages. I guess there's a good reason it won that World Fantasy Award!
A big positive in Song of Kali is the atmosphere and mounting sense of dread. Its intelligently done and there's some genuinely shocking scenes that had me feeling like the walls were closing in around me.
There's minimal supernatural elements in this one and Simmons had me questioning reality. Either way, the horror in this one is real and I soon felt like I was in the middle of a nightmare. Regardless of whether it was fantastical in its nature or the result of trauma and hardcore drugs, there was a number of pages I had to read twice they were so intense.
But any review of this book would be incomplete without a mention of how the author paints the landscape of 1970's Calcutta, which is a character in itself. Simmons spent a few days there to research the place and it shows in his vivid descriptions. He's certainly not there to portray a beautiful picture of India, this is a horror novel after all, and I was fully immersed in the evil underbelly of this important city. Its bleak and nasty and fits the tone of the story perfectly. I'm pretty sure he hasn't endeared himself to the Indian tourist board.
The Characters
The character development in Song of Kali is good without taking centre stage. Each one is very realistic, with the help of effective dialogue, with a good bit of depth. This definitely helped to add a sense of realism to the narrative that was essential to what Simmons was trying to achieve.
Robert Luckas was certainly interesting choice for chief protagonist as he is far from perfect. Rash, naive and at times pretty arrogant, events are often clouded and misinterpreted as we get everything from his point of view. Certainly an unreliable narrator if ever there was, he very often makes things worse by not getting a grip. But having a main character I didn't necessarily agree with or like was a fascinating experience, especially when the nasty stuff started.
My favourite character in this one was Luckas' guide Krishna who was an intriguing character. Ruff around the edges and mysterious, it was a real clash of cultures between these two and I was certainly invested in finding out his true intentions.
"'Are we all illusions? Brief shadows thrown on a white wall for the shallow amusement of bored gods? Is this all?"
Final Thoughts
Song of Kali took me by surprise. And it shouldn't as I know how talented an author Dan Simmons is. This is old school horror written by an author with real literary talent. What a debut!
I can't go without talking about the ending. Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil things, other than saying it left me in a state of complete shock. Compelling in it's bleakness. Be prepared that's all I'll say.
I'd go so far as to say this is the most frightening book I've read from Simmons. Terrific horror and a must read for any fan of the genre. A perfect gateway into his work. I was even tempted to give this one five stars. But then I remembered The Terror and Hyperion, which are better by some way. But that's how this guy sets the bar. Still 4.5 stars rounded up to five is not to be sniffed at and technically I did give it five. So sue me!
And thanks for reading...cheers!
"A man cannot fully live unless he has died at least once. "
March 30, 2022
A wonderfully visceral horror tale set against the thronging, miasmic streets of Calcutta. There's a Cthulu-like feel to the story, which Simmons expertly reframes here within Hindu belief and myth, but also hints at an inherent primal darkness at the heart of every human soul with only a thin veneer of civilization to constrain it. Resisting the urge to reveal too much in the denouement, Simmons leaves readers with lots of open ends and few answers. But like pornography, with horror it can be a lot more scintillating (or more appropriately terrifying in this case) to conceal rather than reveal, leaving many of the good bits to the imagination :)
"I think that there are black holes in reality. Black holes in the human spirit. And actual places where, because of density or misery or sheer human perversity, the fabric of things just comes apart and that black core in us swallows all the rest."
"I think that there are black holes in reality. Black holes in the human spirit. And actual places where, because of density or misery or sheer human perversity, the fabric of things just comes apart and that black core in us swallows all the rest."
June 5, 2012
Song of Kali isn't one of Dan Simmons' best works, but it is a fine example of what makes him one of my favourite writers: his range.
Simmons loves history, mythology, authors, writing and reading, and his loves have led him to create one of the most varied bodies of work amongst active writers (although it appears he will soon be challenged for the crown by China Mieville). He's written about John Keats in space, Ernest Hemingway in the Gulf, the Greek Gods, Franklin's lost Arctic expedition, retold Dickens' unfinished novel, and in Song of Kali he tackles the bloody Hindu goddess of eternal energy, Kali, in a nasty, modern day Calcutta.
It's an urban-fantasy horror novel with some genuinely freaky moments, made all the more freaky by their macabre banality. To become a member of the Kali cult, for instance, one need only bring a corpse to the first meeting. It's irrelevant how you get your corpse. You can kill it, dig it up, steal it, whatever works for you, but it makes for a frightening sequence, fraught with "what ifs?" and "holy shits!". And all of this is offered as a reflection of what humanity truly is, even when most of humanity is gleefully hiding its ugly nature behind a saccharine humanism.
There's much of violence and its cost running throughout Simmons' work (another reason I love him), but it appears in myriad forms. And always from a different genre direction. Historical fiction, urban fantasy, hard sci-fi, horror, historical horror, whodunnit, poetry, mythos, and whatever else works.
Simmons is an author among authors, and if you have never read him this is a good place to start. Song of Kali may not dazzle, but it will pique your interest and get you ready for his more daunting books (of which there are many).
p.s. I don't care if you think I am crazy (or what he thinks, for that matter). I love him. So there. ;)
Simmons loves history, mythology, authors, writing and reading, and his loves have led him to create one of the most varied bodies of work amongst active writers (although it appears he will soon be challenged for the crown by China Mieville). He's written about John Keats in space, Ernest Hemingway in the Gulf, the Greek Gods, Franklin's lost Arctic expedition, retold Dickens' unfinished novel, and in Song of Kali he tackles the bloody Hindu goddess of eternal energy, Kali, in a nasty, modern day Calcutta.
It's an urban-fantasy horror novel with some genuinely freaky moments, made all the more freaky by their macabre banality. To become a member of the Kali cult, for instance, one need only bring a corpse to the first meeting. It's irrelevant how you get your corpse. You can kill it, dig it up, steal it, whatever works for you, but it makes for a frightening sequence, fraught with "what ifs?" and "holy shits!". And all of this is offered as a reflection of what humanity truly is, even when most of humanity is gleefully hiding its ugly nature behind a saccharine humanism.
There's much of violence and its cost running throughout Simmons' work (another reason I love him), but it appears in myriad forms. And always from a different genre direction. Historical fiction, urban fantasy, hard sci-fi, horror, historical horror, whodunnit, poetry, mythos, and whatever else works.
Simmons is an author among authors, and if you have never read him this is a good place to start. Song of Kali may not dazzle, but it will pique your interest and get you ready for his more daunting books (of which there are many).
p.s. I don't care if you think I am crazy (or what he thinks, for that matter). I love him. So there. ;)
November 9, 2008
What an exceptional book within the horror genre - a true masterpiece and extremely hard to put down.
The problem with reviewing it is that it is hard to comment without 'spoiling'. To appreciate it you have to cast your mind back to the period when, and the places where, it was formed in the mind of Dan Simmons as a young American liberal and literary intellectual - in the India and the US of the late 1970s and the early 1980s, just as the former looked like an intractable social problem of never-ending poverty and consequent cruelty and the latter was still in or emerging (just) from a recession similar to the one that we are now entering.
The book could not be written now. The South Asia of that period of hopelessness has been replaced by a vibrant, expansive India (though let us see what the recession brings) and the despair has shifted to a declining West. The book is filled with a vision of the teeming filthy hordes of Calcutta that would be regarded as insulting, almost racist today. In that sense, this book is oddly much closer to the imperial adventure tales of the thuggees of the Raj than it is to our 'modern' world only 25 years on.
There is also an undercurrent of despair at the Holocaust and nuclear destruction that somehow has also become attenuated - Rwanda and Srebenica have not normalised the horrors of the 1940s but, as the survivors of older horrors die of natural causes, modern small genocides seem more managable to liberals - if only the UN could get its act together. Such massacres are no longer placed in that category of all-encompassing global existential evil that excites hopelessness - like Calcutta does to Simmons' narrator.
Similarly, the war on terror is scary but the opponents are gangsters not the corporatised mass murdering bureaucrats of competing ideologies. Gangsters, despite Simmons' hero's experience, are very bad but not capable (or are they?) of destroying the world. Maybe that is the one doubt that nags at us tweenty five or so years on - that maybe gangsters, terrorists and insurgents can bring the Kali Yuga to pass.
And this is the point of the book - it is not pure psychological horror nor is it the horror of monsters and demons but it is something different again, a novel of cultural horror of its own time and place with elements of both. I do not recall the phrase Kali Yuga being used but that is what it is about - a deeply conservative sense that the Age of Kali was upon us.
And it is beautifully and clearly written with scarcely a wasted word - indeed, my heart sank in the first few pages because I thought I might be lumbered with that great American literary vice, the egoistic first person story that slows down the story with precise and self-indulgent description of place and sentiment. I was very wrong. The prose is, well, perfect.
Simmons takes the standard literary model and subverts it into a narrative that works precisely because we can see a highly cultured but often weak and often dim 'one-of-us' be out-manouevred and out-classed by a cunning underclass of consummate brutality. It is a novel about crime and criminality as much as it a novel of horror - and the horror is visceral because it is real, the filth, the mortuary, the decay of the human body, the disease, the fear of the dark, of monsters ... and the last chapters will shred you if you know anything of love. There is even a skilled irony as the 'hero' notes the difference between his position and would happen in a movie about his position.
This is a masterpiece that might be read as a companion piece to Ligotti - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24... - and King's The Stand - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14... . It does offer some small hope in a way that Ligotti does not (I cannot say more without spoiling the tale) and it is much better than The Stand (written around the same period as Simmons' book), if only because it is more 'real', but all three are explorations of the dark side of the condition of humanity from a uniquely American perspective.
The sense of decay and of impending evil that was felt by some in the age of Jimmy Carter may be coming around again but these books may also be read to show that such fears are both reasonable but also exaggerated and that, unless one's philosophical back is broken like Ligotti's, the dark may, again, be replaced by the light. Perhaps we are not, in fact in the Kali Yuga but only in a simulacrum of it that will pass in its due time.
The problem with reviewing it is that it is hard to comment without 'spoiling'. To appreciate it you have to cast your mind back to the period when, and the places where, it was formed in the mind of Dan Simmons as a young American liberal and literary intellectual - in the India and the US of the late 1970s and the early 1980s, just as the former looked like an intractable social problem of never-ending poverty and consequent cruelty and the latter was still in or emerging (just) from a recession similar to the one that we are now entering.
The book could not be written now. The South Asia of that period of hopelessness has been replaced by a vibrant, expansive India (though let us see what the recession brings) and the despair has shifted to a declining West. The book is filled with a vision of the teeming filthy hordes of Calcutta that would be regarded as insulting, almost racist today. In that sense, this book is oddly much closer to the imperial adventure tales of the thuggees of the Raj than it is to our 'modern' world only 25 years on.
There is also an undercurrent of despair at the Holocaust and nuclear destruction that somehow has also become attenuated - Rwanda and Srebenica have not normalised the horrors of the 1940s but, as the survivors of older horrors die of natural causes, modern small genocides seem more managable to liberals - if only the UN could get its act together. Such massacres are no longer placed in that category of all-encompassing global existential evil that excites hopelessness - like Calcutta does to Simmons' narrator.
Similarly, the war on terror is scary but the opponents are gangsters not the corporatised mass murdering bureaucrats of competing ideologies. Gangsters, despite Simmons' hero's experience, are very bad but not capable (or are they?) of destroying the world. Maybe that is the one doubt that nags at us tweenty five or so years on - that maybe gangsters, terrorists and insurgents can bring the Kali Yuga to pass.
And this is the point of the book - it is not pure psychological horror nor is it the horror of monsters and demons but it is something different again, a novel of cultural horror of its own time and place with elements of both. I do not recall the phrase Kali Yuga being used but that is what it is about - a deeply conservative sense that the Age of Kali was upon us.
And it is beautifully and clearly written with scarcely a wasted word - indeed, my heart sank in the first few pages because I thought I might be lumbered with that great American literary vice, the egoistic first person story that slows down the story with precise and self-indulgent description of place and sentiment. I was very wrong. The prose is, well, perfect.
Simmons takes the standard literary model and subverts it into a narrative that works precisely because we can see a highly cultured but often weak and often dim 'one-of-us' be out-manouevred and out-classed by a cunning underclass of consummate brutality. It is a novel about crime and criminality as much as it a novel of horror - and the horror is visceral because it is real, the filth, the mortuary, the decay of the human body, the disease, the fear of the dark, of monsters ... and the last chapters will shred you if you know anything of love. There is even a skilled irony as the 'hero' notes the difference between his position and would happen in a movie about his position.
This is a masterpiece that might be read as a companion piece to Ligotti - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24... - and King's The Stand - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14... . It does offer some small hope in a way that Ligotti does not (I cannot say more without spoiling the tale) and it is much better than The Stand (written around the same period as Simmons' book), if only because it is more 'real', but all three are explorations of the dark side of the condition of humanity from a uniquely American perspective.
The sense of decay and of impending evil that was felt by some in the age of Jimmy Carter may be coming around again but these books may also be read to show that such fears are both reasonable but also exaggerated and that, unless one's philosophical back is broken like Ligotti's, the dark may, again, be replaced by the light. Perhaps we are not, in fact in the Kali Yuga but only in a simulacrum of it that will pass in its due time.
August 17, 2022
A horrifying and bleak journey into the heart of darkness in Calcutta, India. I can see why this book is a little controversial but I don’t think it’s as offensive as people say it is. Sure he portrays Calcutta like a bad city, but he’s fairly respectful towards the rest of the country and Indian people and culture. I don’t think he meant any harm while writing this novel and you can tell he’s fascinated by Indian culture.
With that being said, this book is an awesome horror novel. It’s terrifying! It contains one of my favorite sections in a horror novel involving two college students and their initiation into a cult. I would’ve definitely given this 5 stars, but that ending will crush you like a cockroach. It’s so brutal and cruel. Overall an impressive debut that’s not long and delivers the scares and suspense plentiful! Love this book. Strongest 4 star rating.
With that being said, this book is an awesome horror novel. It’s terrifying! It contains one of my favorite sections in a horror novel involving two college students and their initiation into a cult. I would’ve definitely given this 5 stars, but that ending will crush you like a cockroach. It’s so brutal and cruel. Overall an impressive debut that’s not long and delivers the scares and suspense plentiful! Love this book. Strongest 4 star rating.
April 29, 2022
Rated S for people with Strong stomachs.
You have been warned.
An American and Indian couple fly to Calcutta India to contact a poet, who disappeared years ago.
“In India,” I said. “How does it feel to be back?”
She patted the baby’s ruff of hair and handed her to me. I settled Victoria in the hollow of my shoulder and watched as Amrita walked to the edge of the pool and smoothed down her tan skirt. The light from the pool illuminated her sharp cheekbones from below. My wife is beautiful, I thought for the thousandth time since our wedding.
“It feels a bit like déjà vu,” she said very softly. “No, that’s not quite the right word. It’s actually more like reentering a recurring dream. The heat, the noise, the languages, the smell—everything is familiar and alien at the same time.”
One view-point of India from a local author
"I am used to Americans and their reaction to our city. They will react in either one of two ways: they will find Calcutta ‘exotic’ and concentrate only on their tourist pleasures; or they will be immediately horrified, recoil, and seek to forget what they have seen and not understood. Yes, yes, the American psyche is as predictable as the sterile and vulnerable American digestive system when it encounters India.”
And the American author's view
“You may well be right,” I said. “Although I wouldn’t presume to say that I understood the ‘American psyche’ or the ‘Indian psyche’—if there are such things. First impressions are necessarily shallow. I appreciate that. I’ve admired Indian culture for a long time, even before I met Amrita, and she’s certainly shared some of the beauty of it with me. But I admit that Calcutta is a bit intimidating. There seems to be something unique… unique and disturbing about Calcutta’s urban problems. Perhaps its only the scale. Friends have told me that Mexico City, for all of its beauty, shares the same problems.”
The latter half of the story is a mix of horrible, putrid violence.
This is NOT a cheerful story
Try to Enjoy!
You have been warned.
An American and Indian couple fly to Calcutta India to contact a poet, who disappeared years ago.
“In India,” I said. “How does it feel to be back?”
She patted the baby’s ruff of hair and handed her to me. I settled Victoria in the hollow of my shoulder and watched as Amrita walked to the edge of the pool and smoothed down her tan skirt. The light from the pool illuminated her sharp cheekbones from below. My wife is beautiful, I thought for the thousandth time since our wedding.
“It feels a bit like déjà vu,” she said very softly. “No, that’s not quite the right word. It’s actually more like reentering a recurring dream. The heat, the noise, the languages, the smell—everything is familiar and alien at the same time.”
One view-point of India from a local author
"I am used to Americans and their reaction to our city. They will react in either one of two ways: they will find Calcutta ‘exotic’ and concentrate only on their tourist pleasures; or they will be immediately horrified, recoil, and seek to forget what they have seen and not understood. Yes, yes, the American psyche is as predictable as the sterile and vulnerable American digestive system when it encounters India.”
And the American author's view
“You may well be right,” I said. “Although I wouldn’t presume to say that I understood the ‘American psyche’ or the ‘Indian psyche’—if there are such things. First impressions are necessarily shallow. I appreciate that. I’ve admired Indian culture for a long time, even before I met Amrita, and she’s certainly shared some of the beauty of it with me. But I admit that Calcutta is a bit intimidating. There seems to be something unique… unique and disturbing about Calcutta’s urban problems. Perhaps its only the scale. Friends have told me that Mexico City, for all of its beauty, shares the same problems.”
The latter half of the story is a mix of horrible, putrid violence.
This is NOT a cheerful story
Try to Enjoy!
December 28, 2015
Sometimes there is only pain. And acquiescence to pain. And, perhaps, defiance at the world which demands such pain."
― Dan Simmons, Song of Kali
Horror is not my normal territory. It isn't my alternate either. As far as genre fiction goes I probably reach for a horror novel as often as I reach for a fantasy novel. But this is Dan Simmons we are talking about. After reading Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, I was intrigued. How poetic could Simmons make horror? How literate?
I liked the 'Song of Kali'. It was a good story. I'm just not sure I'd count it as great horror. It wasn't that scary. It was definitely more psychological and mental than most. It seemed like a strange mixture of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King, all with a big glob of Calcutta madness and poetic mysticism.
Anyway, I liked it. I'll keep reading Simmons when I want a vacation from the classics or an escape into literary genre fiction, but I don't think I will need to steel my nerves with any tonics or leave the lights on to go to sleep after I close the book at night. I might, however, rethink vacation plans to Kolkata and West Bengal. Screw THAT!
― Dan Simmons, Song of Kali
Horror is not my normal territory. It isn't my alternate either. As far as genre fiction goes I probably reach for a horror novel as often as I reach for a fantasy novel. But this is Dan Simmons we are talking about. After reading Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, I was intrigued. How poetic could Simmons make horror? How literate?
I liked the 'Song of Kali'. It was a good story. I'm just not sure I'd count it as great horror. It wasn't that scary. It was definitely more psychological and mental than most. It seemed like a strange mixture of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King, all with a big glob of Calcutta madness and poetic mysticism.
Anyway, I liked it. I'll keep reading Simmons when I want a vacation from the classics or an escape into literary genre fiction, but I don't think I will need to steel my nerves with any tonics or leave the lights on to go to sleep after I close the book at night. I might, however, rethink vacation plans to Kolkata and West Bengal. Screw THAT!
November 27, 2009
Dan Simmons is one of the most skilled writers of science fiction currently putting pen to page (or however that metaphor would work in a post-paper age). His Hyperion series is a well-regarded classic that takes Chaucer's Canterbury Tales into the space-faring age and his Ilium and Olympos still stands as the most interesting rendition of a post-singular society-slash-retelling of Homer's epic-slash-paen to Shakespeare that I've ever read.
It was with great excitement that I picked up Simmons' 1985 foray into horror, Song of Kali. I mention the year it was published because it's worth noting that this book is ultimately a product of the age in which it was written, but more on that later. On face this book has everything possible that could make my heart go pitter-pat: a reliable author who had never let me down, the story is set in India, features a resurrected poet (mmmm... zombie poetry), a good dose of gothic dread, a secret death cult, and (have I mentioned?) it's set in India. Surefire draw, right there.
So why didn't I like this book more? It had everything I like in a good read, but just didn't work for me. Primarily, I think it was a problem with the narrator. He's supposed to be a renowned critic of Indian poetry, with an Indian wife and in-laws, yet he is a) completely ignorant of the customs, culture, language, and history of the country which he is supposed to be enthralled with, b) when actually in said country he is simply mortified at how alien and inscrutable the actions of its inhabitants are, and (most damningly for me) c) he seems to have no liking (or even respect) for his wife, Amrita. A woman who did not want to come to Calcutta with him but who he begged to tag along and, once landed, then spends the next 250ish pages trying to force to leave Calcutta. She's supposed to be his interpreter, yet is constantly left behind at the hotel. She gets one decent scene where she gets to reflect upon her status as an alien in both the US and in her ancestral homeland, caught between worlds, as such, but that's it. By the time I finished the book I just kept hoping that she would leave the creep.
I should have loved this book, but I didn't. I didn't quite hate it, but it's not likely to be one that stays with me for long after finishing. It just seems like a trite rehash of things that have come before. When Robert, the American critic, stumbles upon a secret cult of Kali it smacks of the ridiculous scene from Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom where the guy's beating heart is ripped from his chest. It's just all so xenophobic that it grates on my nerves. I've still got a lot of respect for Simmons and what he has done with his sci-fi writings, but think I'm going to avoid his older works for a time.
It was with great excitement that I picked up Simmons' 1985 foray into horror, Song of Kali. I mention the year it was published because it's worth noting that this book is ultimately a product of the age in which it was written, but more on that later. On face this book has everything possible that could make my heart go pitter-pat: a reliable author who had never let me down, the story is set in India, features a resurrected poet (mmmm... zombie poetry), a good dose of gothic dread, a secret death cult, and (have I mentioned?) it's set in India. Surefire draw, right there.
So why didn't I like this book more? It had everything I like in a good read, but just didn't work for me. Primarily, I think it was a problem with the narrator. He's supposed to be a renowned critic of Indian poetry, with an Indian wife and in-laws, yet he is a) completely ignorant of the customs, culture, language, and history of the country which he is supposed to be enthralled with, b) when actually in said country he is simply mortified at how alien and inscrutable the actions of its inhabitants are, and (most damningly for me) c) he seems to have no liking (or even respect) for his wife, Amrita. A woman who did not want to come to Calcutta with him but who he begged to tag along and, once landed, then spends the next 250ish pages trying to force to leave Calcutta. She's supposed to be his interpreter, yet is constantly left behind at the hotel. She gets one decent scene where she gets to reflect upon her status as an alien in both the US and in her ancestral homeland, caught between worlds, as such, but that's it. By the time I finished the book I just kept hoping that she would leave the creep.
I should have loved this book, but I didn't. I didn't quite hate it, but it's not likely to be one that stays with me for long after finishing. It just seems like a trite rehash of things that have come before. When Robert, the American critic, stumbles upon a secret cult of Kali it smacks of the ridiculous scene from Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom where the guy's beating heart is ripped from his chest. It's just all so xenophobic that it grates on my nerves. I've still got a lot of respect for Simmons and what he has done with his sci-fi writings, but think I'm going to avoid his older works for a time.
April 1, 2021
The Age of Kali has begun.
First I just have to say that that was a brutal reading experience.
Song of Kali is about a New Englander who runs a paper about poetry, and travels to Calcutta (Kolkata) India to search for a famous, supposedly deceased, poet who has apparently turned up alive. We’re talking about one of the greatest poets of all time here, with 500 pages of fresh verse! So he jumps on a plain with his wife and young infant daughter to find this man. And hey, it’s going to be a good story to print as well, right? Well, things don’t go as planned. He gets pulled into the dark underbelly of the city. He gets involved with a cult that worships the goddess Kali, and things get weird. After all, there’s nothing quite like that old time religion!
This is a hard book to rate, it really is. I found it interesting, entertaining, thought provoking, and very, very dark. I believe it to be very much a horror book as well. I’ve also seen this book called xenophobic, even racist. While the book does paint a harsh picture of India that absolutely could be offensive, I don’t think it was necessarily meant in the way some interpret it. The Song of Kali can be heard anywhere, pockets of horror exist all over the planet, and this is a point that is often made in the book. This is just one form of it. Some also say this book is hopeless; I wouldn’t agree with that, though it definitely comes close at times.
Somewhere along the line, the book takes a turn. It quickly becomes something else after a dark and heartbreaking turn of events. It’s all done really well, too, and that is a big credit to Simmons writing ability. Given that this is his first novel, it shows his skill as a writer was in tact very early on. I wouldn’t consider it a masterpiece, but Simmons would go on to write a few books that are worthy of that word.
If you’re a horror fan, this should be on your list. Simmons crams a whole lot into those 300 pages; characters that feel real, some genuinely creepy sequences and a lot of emotion. 4/5
First I just have to say that that was a brutal reading experience.
Song of Kali is about a New Englander who runs a paper about poetry, and travels to Calcutta (Kolkata) India to search for a famous, supposedly deceased, poet who has apparently turned up alive. We’re talking about one of the greatest poets of all time here, with 500 pages of fresh verse! So he jumps on a plain with his wife and young infant daughter to find this man. And hey, it’s going to be a good story to print as well, right? Well, things don’t go as planned. He gets pulled into the dark underbelly of the city. He gets involved with a cult that worships the goddess Kali, and things get weird. After all, there’s nothing quite like that old time religion!
This is a hard book to rate, it really is. I found it interesting, entertaining, thought provoking, and very, very dark. I believe it to be very much a horror book as well. I’ve also seen this book called xenophobic, even racist. While the book does paint a harsh picture of India that absolutely could be offensive, I don’t think it was necessarily meant in the way some interpret it. The Song of Kali can be heard anywhere, pockets of horror exist all over the planet, and this is a point that is often made in the book. This is just one form of it. Some also say this book is hopeless; I wouldn’t agree with that, though it definitely comes close at times.
Somewhere along the line, the book takes a turn. It quickly becomes something else after a dark and heartbreaking turn of events. It’s all done really well, too, and that is a big credit to Simmons writing ability. Given that this is his first novel, it shows his skill as a writer was in tact very early on. I wouldn’t consider it a masterpiece, but Simmons would go on to write a few books that are worthy of that word.
If you’re a horror fan, this should be on your list. Simmons crams a whole lot into those 300 pages; characters that feel real, some genuinely creepy sequences and a lot of emotion. 4/5
August 7, 2021
"Song of Kali" was a very interesting book. Set in the late 1970s Calcutta, it is a horror story centered around the Hindu goddess Kali.
Robert Luczack works for Harpers and is sent to India to locate the works of a poet long thought dead. Luckack and his Indian-born wife travel to Calcutta and get far more than they bargained for. The poet, Das, had been thought dead for over 8 years in a mysterious accident. Luczak finds that the papers are newer works by a dead poet. This mystery leads him into the darkest parts of Calcutta as he crosses paths with a dark cult that worships Kali.
What makes this an interesting story is that, even after reading it, I am not sure if the events were supernatural or a culmination of events that made it seem so. The rather nebulous ending didn't really do it for me.
By no means is this a bad story. It's quite a good horror story. It is up to the reader to determine whether this is psychological horror or supernatural horror. I liked this book, but not as much as some of his other books. Not a bad read with Halloween in mind.
Robert Luczack works for Harpers and is sent to India to locate the works of a poet long thought dead. Luckack and his Indian-born wife travel to Calcutta and get far more than they bargained for. The poet, Das, had been thought dead for over 8 years in a mysterious accident. Luczak finds that the papers are newer works by a dead poet. This mystery leads him into the darkest parts of Calcutta as he crosses paths with a dark cult that worships Kali.
What makes this an interesting story is that, even after reading it, I am not sure if the events were supernatural or a culmination of events that made it seem so. The rather nebulous ending didn't really do it for me.
By no means is this a bad story. It's quite a good horror story. It is up to the reader to determine whether this is psychological horror or supernatural horror. I liked this book, but not as much as some of his other books. Not a bad read with Halloween in mind.
October 24, 2024
„Песента на Кали“ е доста мрачен и страховит роман! Дан Симънс пресъздава мистичната индийска атмосфера и специфичният тамошен начин на живот на фона на интересна хорър история.
Главният герой Робърт Лучак е изпратен в Калкута да събере информация за тайнствен индийски поет, който се смята за загинал от няколко години. Въпреки предупрежденията на свой приятел да не отива там, той тръгва за Индия, дори взима със себе си съпругата си, която да му помага в превода, както и тяхната дъщеря. В Калкута става свидетел на бедността и мръсотията на града, но също така попада на зловещ култ към богинята Кали, което поставя него и семейството му в голяма опасност...
Главният герой Робърт Лучак е изпратен в Калкута да събере информация за тайнствен индийски поет, който се смята за загинал от няколко години. Въпреки предупрежденията на свой приятел да не отива там, той тръгва за Индия, дори взима със себе си съпругата си, която да му помага в превода, както и тяхната дъщеря. В Калкута става свидетел на бедността и мръсотията на града, но също така попада на зловещ култ към богинята Кали, което поставя него и семейството му в голяма опасност...
October 9, 2017
This is a more literate genre novel than most. The story was gripping and propulsive even when I had a hard time suspending disbelief. But the images of Calcutta seemed somewhat stylized--Dickensian squalor without the redeeming Dickensian prose--and the characters didn't exactly wow me with their depth. Then again, this is a genre novel, so maybe my expectations were a little off? Maybe. Still, in the end I liked it well enough.
June 4, 2023
Wow. Just save me a sit on the next plane to Kolkata, 'cos I need to see that hell with my own eyes.
August 23, 2023
Claustrophobic and horrific!
Story 4.5/5
Narration 5/5
Song of Kali by Dan Simmons is an unique tragic horror book. I liked it!
The story is well written, and made me traveled through it pages. I never went to India, and I knew nothing significant about the goddess Kali. So I don’t know if what has been said about Calcutta and the goddess is accurate. But what Dan Simmons described seems realistic. In my opinion, all the characters are well developed.
I found the claustrophobic, filthy and sinister atmosphere of Calcutta, well described. I could almost smell the city while reading. I felt the city’s humidity and the frenzy of all the unfortunate and fortunate people living there.
Song of Kali is a different kind of horror story. There are a lot of mysteries. I didn’t understand everything, about the ending, but I liked it nonetheless. The audiobook is very good and added to the mystery. I highly recommend it, if you want to travel without leaving your home, and if you want to get spooked.
Story 4.5/5
Narration 5/5
Song of Kali by Dan Simmons is an unique tragic horror book. I liked it!
The story is well written, and made me traveled through it pages. I never went to India, and I knew nothing significant about the goddess Kali. So I don’t know if what has been said about Calcutta and the goddess is accurate. But what Dan Simmons described seems realistic. In my opinion, all the characters are well developed.
I found the claustrophobic, filthy and sinister atmosphere of Calcutta, well described. I could almost smell the city while reading. I felt the city’s humidity and the frenzy of all the unfortunate and fortunate people living there.
Song of Kali is a different kind of horror story. There are a lot of mysteries. I didn’t understand everything, about the ending, but I liked it nonetheless. The audiobook is very good and added to the mystery. I highly recommend it, if you want to travel without leaving your home, and if you want to get spooked.
December 21, 2011
I am a huge Dan Simmons fan and the Hyperion series is probably my all time favorite series. This is Dan's first novel and while much different than his science fiction is still awesome. But OMG is it dark and disturbing and filled with descriptions of squalor and violence and some very unpleasant people. This one will stay will you after you are done reading it.
April 10, 2023
Przeczytałam ją w dwa dni. Wspaniały horror, przejmujący, zatrważający, przerażający. Niesamowicie klimatyczny - Simmons w oszczędnych słowach opisuje Kalkutę w sposób ściskający gardło z niepokoju, Kalkutę lepką, gorącą i duszną, przesiąkniętą odorem gnijących ciał i śmieci. Fascynująca, genialna książka.
November 8, 2011
Kolkata is a city of contradictions. One side of the road would show magnificent high rises while the other has shanties and hastily put together human habitations. You travel through roads where garbage is piled high and refuse floats through large bodies of water. Turn a bend in the road and you see a tree lined pavement, well cared for houses and apartments and the road will lead you to some of the swankiest shopping malls in town. There is a mix of the old and the new, the beautiful and the repulsive & the eye catching and the forgettable. Kolkata in short thus is a replica of any other large city in the world. Dan Simmons though paints a grim portrait of this town and calls it in so many words a nest of many evils.
Kali is in Hindu Mythology a manifestation of uncontrolled feminine power. She is rage,lust,power,battle fury, primeval intellect, bestial instincts,benediction, omnipotence and a lot many other traits rolled into one. The cults that follow her are said to be violent in nature to appease this dark side of the divine female. Simmons capitalizes on this and takes imagination to a higher level when he calls Kali an undoubtedly evil entity with a ruthless cult behind her. Song of Kali is one of the best horror novels I have come across with the focus kept solely on one of India's dark myths. Contrary to my usual taste, there is quite a scattering of the visceral throughout the events which serves mostly to heighten the ambiance.
I agree with many of the reviewers here, the characters and the story makes us feel that Kolkata is solely and completely evil. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. Also, the moment the characters walk back into America all sense of horror dissipates like those bogey men before a shaft of strong light. But I must say that even after close to 35 years of the novel's setting, there still are places that retain the same shades in this enigmatic city.
This book goes to my favorites list for the simple fact that after a long while, I was completely drawn into the ambiance of a tales setting.
Couple of funny things though :
1. According to the Indian dialect you do not call a person Jayaprakesh. You call him Jayaprakash or Jayaprakas but not Jayaprakesh !
2. A hymn with 108 stanzas is not called a mantri for this word is not the plural form of mantra . Which means it is still called Gayatri Mantra and not Gayatri Mantri .
Kali is in Hindu Mythology a manifestation of uncontrolled feminine power. She is rage,lust,power,battle fury, primeval intellect, bestial instincts,benediction, omnipotence and a lot many other traits rolled into one. The cults that follow her are said to be violent in nature to appease this dark side of the divine female. Simmons capitalizes on this and takes imagination to a higher level when he calls Kali an undoubtedly evil entity with a ruthless cult behind her. Song of Kali is one of the best horror novels I have come across with the focus kept solely on one of India's dark myths. Contrary to my usual taste, there is quite a scattering of the visceral throughout the events which serves mostly to heighten the ambiance.
I agree with many of the reviewers here, the characters and the story makes us feel that Kolkata is solely and completely evil. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. Also, the moment the characters walk back into America all sense of horror dissipates like those bogey men before a shaft of strong light. But I must say that even after close to 35 years of the novel's setting, there still are places that retain the same shades in this enigmatic city.
This book goes to my favorites list for the simple fact that after a long while, I was completely drawn into the ambiance of a tales setting.
Couple of funny things though :
1. According to the Indian dialect you do not call a person Jayaprakesh. You call him Jayaprakash or Jayaprakas but not Jayaprakesh !
2. A hymn with 108 stanzas is not called a mantri for this word is not the plural form of mantra . Which means it is still called Gayatri Mantra and not Gayatri Mantri .
April 10, 2022
Novela de terror y drama... o drama y terror. No sabría definir qué género termina teniendo mayor peso.
Para iniciar he de decir que me encanta el estilo de Simmons, amé Hyperion, sin embargo, la trama de ésta novela deja mucho que desear.
La novela narra la historia de Robert qué es contratado para ir a la ciudad de Calcuta en busca de un famoso poeta indio, viaje que realiza junto a su esposa y recién nacida hija, y en el que también descubrirá una serie de macabros sucesos en torno al culto a la diosa kali que cambiarán su vida y la de su familia para siempre.
La pluma de Simmons aquí, al igual que en la mayoría de sus novelas, es magnífica, haciendo soberbias descripciones de la ciudad de Calcuta al punto que te sientes capaz de oler, sentir, ver y escuchar lo mismo que el protagonista. Sin mencionar que también hay partes de la primera mitad que te mantienen bastante enganchado y te invitan a descubrir que se oculta tras el misterioso culto a Kali y el turbio destino del poeta.
No obstante, en el tercer acto todo decae. A través de la lectura el autor parecía llevarnos hacia un desenlace de tintes sobrenaturales (lovecraftianos) a lo grande, para finalmente entregarnos algo totalmente opuesto a ello, algo que no resultaría tan malo si es que el libro hubiera terminado en ese punto, nonobstante, Simmons se alarga, entregandonos un montón de capítulos reflexivos y autocompasivos del protagonista culpandose por lo sucedido.
Ya para el final la novela pareciera que volverá a remontar con una oscura búsqueda de venganza que podría aclarar las dudas y cabos sueltos que hasta ese punto nos han hecho seguir leyendo... pero no, el autor decide finalmente que su protagonista regrese a casa dejándonos con toda la interrogante de qué era lo que se ocultaba tras todo el asunto en torno a Kali.
Realmente una lástima, una novela que tenía todos los elementos para ser una obra de primer nivel, pero que se ve arruinada por su flojo e innecesario tercer acto.
¡Solo para fans acerrimos de este autor!
Para iniciar he de decir que me encanta el estilo de Simmons, amé Hyperion, sin embargo, la trama de ésta novela deja mucho que desear.
La novela narra la historia de Robert qué es contratado para ir a la ciudad de Calcuta en busca de un famoso poeta indio, viaje que realiza junto a su esposa y recién nacida hija, y en el que también descubrirá una serie de macabros sucesos en torno al culto a la diosa kali que cambiarán su vida y la de su familia para siempre.
La pluma de Simmons aquí, al igual que en la mayoría de sus novelas, es magnífica, haciendo soberbias descripciones de la ciudad de Calcuta al punto que te sientes capaz de oler, sentir, ver y escuchar lo mismo que el protagonista. Sin mencionar que también hay partes de la primera mitad que te mantienen bastante enganchado y te invitan a descubrir que se oculta tras el misterioso culto a Kali y el turbio destino del poeta.
No obstante, en el tercer acto todo decae. A través de la lectura el autor parecía llevarnos hacia un desenlace de tintes sobrenaturales (lovecraftianos) a lo grande, para finalmente entregarnos algo totalmente opuesto a ello, algo que no resultaría tan malo si es que el libro hubiera terminado en ese punto, nonobstante, Simmons se alarga, entregandonos un montón de capítulos reflexivos y autocompasivos del protagonista culpandose por lo sucedido.
Ya para el final la novela pareciera que volverá a remontar con una oscura búsqueda de venganza que podría aclarar las dudas y cabos sueltos que hasta ese punto nos han hecho seguir leyendo... pero no, el autor decide finalmente que su protagonista regrese a casa dejándonos con toda la interrogante de qué era lo que se ocultaba tras todo el asunto en torno a Kali.
Realmente una lástima, una novela que tenía todos los elementos para ser una obra de primer nivel, pero que se ve arruinada por su flojo e innecesario tercer acto.
¡Solo para fans acerrimos de este autor!
October 20, 2010
This is one of the most auspicious debuts of any author. Simmons' style was pretty much developed from this first novel published in 1985. He continues to be the best horror writer alive when he wants to write horror. However the really horrific thing about Song of Kali is Simmons' devastating descriptions of Calcutta. Go into this novel with little or no information about it in order to get its best impact.
May 10, 2018
I had heard of Dan Simmons but this was my first foray into his actual work. I can't believe I hadn't read this already. Exotic locales - check. Creepy cults - check. Ritual sacrifice - check. Ancient supernatural entities - check. And that reveal in the airport at the end disturbed my imagination for days. It also made me want to watch Temple of Doom over and over again, which is definitely not a bad thing.
June 1, 2024
I got to 33% and I had to throw in the (moist) towel. The main character was an insufferable asshole and the repetitive description got on my nerves. This is my first by Simmons, however it won’t be my last as I’m pretty sure his later books (this was his first) will be better. I hope Drood won’t disappoint like this one has! 🤞🏻
October 1, 2016
I read this because my brother said he'd heard, from many people over time, that this was just about the scariest book ever written. I'm happy to say that the rumors of its scariness have been greatly exaggerated.
I think it's utter dreck, and probably dross as well. I have a hard time understanding why this won the World Fantasy Award (which I'm completely unfamiliar with, shame on me) when its competition that year included ANY other books, two of which I did read, and which I remember enjoying much more than this (The Vampire Lestat, The Damnation Game).
Almost from the get go I saw this book as White-Westerner goes to Brown-People Country and gets horrified by everything. And so it went for the ENTIRE length of the book. Everyone who was not white is unpleasant? Yup! (Unless they were the wife or the sexy vixen of a non-character who the White Westerner can ogle). Brown people compared to animals? Yup! Monkey, toad, rabbit... Terribly narrow rendering of an entire city, culture, and religion? Yup! Flip open to any page and you'll have an example. When pretty much every non-western character is dehumanized into repulsive or otherworldly caricatures, you'd have to be willfully naive to say "it's just a setting, it could be anywhere!"
While a couple of "scary" or "creepy" things happen in the book, none of it really ties together very well. While other readers mention the dread or conspiracy they felt permeated the book, all I saw was this bumbling main character acting like how the perfect dunder-headed horror victim should in order for the story to fulfill its purpose. Nothing really makes sense story-wise unless you see it as a narrative necessity in order for the book to be a horror book. The main character's turning point into madness is a wet dream he has about the goddess Kali. Thereafter he's sorta kinda in thrall to her but only to explain his being a jerk to his wife (nevermind that he's a jerk in general). I never got the sense that anything supernatural happened to him, only that he was disturbed so much by this different culture that it made him crazy (like another reviewer points out, similar to Heart of Darkness, which has it's own history of being a literary touchstone of racism and xenophobia).
This book, just, no! Whoever thinks they're getting a cultural lesson about India, please, stop. Whoever thinks this is a good horror book, either I'm not so easily scared or... I don't even know how to finish that sentence. If you're scared by third world countries, brown people, or clumsily vague supernatural conspiracy theories then this is your kind of horror.
I have to admit I was truly horrified by this book, but not in the way it intended.
I think it's utter dreck, and probably dross as well. I have a hard time understanding why this won the World Fantasy Award (which I'm completely unfamiliar with, shame on me) when its competition that year included ANY other books, two of which I did read, and which I remember enjoying much more than this (The Vampire Lestat, The Damnation Game).
Almost from the get go I saw this book as White-Westerner goes to Brown-People Country and gets horrified by everything. And so it went for the ENTIRE length of the book. Everyone who was not white is unpleasant? Yup! (Unless they were the wife or the sexy vixen of a non-character who the White Westerner can ogle). Brown people compared to animals? Yup! Monkey, toad, rabbit... Terribly narrow rendering of an entire city, culture, and religion? Yup! Flip open to any page and you'll have an example. When pretty much every non-western character is dehumanized into repulsive or otherworldly caricatures, you'd have to be willfully naive to say "it's just a setting, it could be anywhere!"
While a couple of "scary" or "creepy" things happen in the book, none of it really ties together very well. While other readers mention the dread or conspiracy they felt permeated the book, all I saw was this bumbling main character acting like how the perfect dunder-headed horror victim should in order for the story to fulfill its purpose. Nothing really makes sense story-wise unless you see it as a narrative necessity in order for the book to be a horror book. The main character's turning point into madness is a wet dream he has about the goddess Kali. Thereafter he's sorta kinda in thrall to her but only to explain his being a jerk to his wife (nevermind that he's a jerk in general). I never got the sense that anything supernatural happened to him, only that he was disturbed so much by this different culture that it made him crazy (like another reviewer points out, similar to Heart of Darkness, which has it's own history of being a literary touchstone of racism and xenophobia).
This book, just, no! Whoever thinks they're getting a cultural lesson about India, please, stop. Whoever thinks this is a good horror book, either I'm not so easily scared or... I don't even know how to finish that sentence. If you're scared by third world countries, brown people, or clumsily vague supernatural conspiracy theories then this is your kind of horror.
I have to admit I was truly horrified by this book, but not in the way it intended.
February 6, 2011
I feel slightly detached from this book and I'm guessing this is not the type of reaction which the author had hoped for. I am happy to have stepped into one of Simmons fantasy-horror novels since I have only read his Hyperion series, which I should probably read again as my memory on that series is at times fuzzy. I loved the first half of Song of Kali but once the story picked up, a little over half through, I felt less connected and consequently less interested. After wondering for the better part of a day why I felt like this, I decided that maybe there was not as much charatcer inner monlogue as I tend to prefer, that there was an overabundance of observation and relaying of the scene rather than a natural unfolding of events.
Not to say that this was a bad read. Simmons descriptions of Calcutta were believable and startling and all too easy to picture considering their nature. It's almost as though Simmons wrote about the city so well that the rest of the story paled in comparision. So maybe I am being unfair, judging one part of the book against the other and penalizing Simmons when not warranted.
The characters were unique. The setting was chilling and intimidating. There were many scenes which I am up for picking apart but will not do so in a review without spoilers so I'll save that for group discussion. But I will be looking into more of Simmons horror novels.
And as a warning, there were some deeply disturbing scenes, particularly towards the end. Just remember, this is a horror novel, with the horror of more than one incarnation or origin repesented.
Not to say that this was a bad read. Simmons descriptions of Calcutta were believable and startling and all too easy to picture considering their nature. It's almost as though Simmons wrote about the city so well that the rest of the story paled in comparision. So maybe I am being unfair, judging one part of the book against the other and penalizing Simmons when not warranted.
The characters were unique. The setting was chilling and intimidating. There were many scenes which I am up for picking apart but will not do so in a review without spoilers so I'll save that for group discussion. But I will be looking into more of Simmons horror novels.
And as a warning, there were some deeply disturbing scenes, particularly towards the end. Just remember, this is a horror novel, with the horror of more than one incarnation or origin repesented.
Read
September 7, 2015Thoroughly researched
I generally like Simmons but I went into this book with some trepidation due to the tepid response I read in the reviews. Overall I liked the book, but I brought an interest in India and the theological ideas that have emerged from there to the table.
I stopped occasionally and researched groups or concepts as I read and I found this interesting as well. The book has been called xenophobic. I agree and then again I disagree. It definitely has an anti-attitude towards this particular form of Kali worship, but considering the first person perspective from which the story is told and the horror the narrator is faced with I can only ask "what would one expect?".
I think the author raises some valid points and the tensions mounts nicely in the setting of Calcutta where all of this does indeed seem possible, or maybe even likely.
I generally like Simmons but I went into this book with some trepidation due to the tepid response I read in the reviews. Overall I liked the book, but I brought an interest in India and the theological ideas that have emerged from there to the table.
I stopped occasionally and researched groups or concepts as I read and I found this interesting as well. The book has been called xenophobic. I agree and then again I disagree. It definitely has an anti-attitude towards this particular form of Kali worship, but considering the first person perspective from which the story is told and the horror the narrator is faced with I can only ask "what would one expect?".
I think the author raises some valid points and the tensions mounts nicely in the setting of Calcutta where all of this does indeed seem possible, or maybe even likely.
June 7, 2012
A strange thing happened while I was reading this book.
All through the first half or thereabouts, I gritted my teeth and cursed. I didn't think I would enjoy the rest of the journey. Had I given up partway through, I would have come to goodreads years later (I read this book in 2007 or so) and probably given it two stars.
Then, something happened. I realised, or at least I think I did, what Simmons was trying to do, and I understood that the reason I was having a hard time with this book was that I had a developing, intense dislike for the narrator/protagonist, Robert Luczak. I have been examining other reviews on this site, and it doesn't seem that anyone else had this issue, but from almost the first page, I simply felt a lot of scorn for this man, so clearly far out of his depth, yet so obviously full of a self-satisfied complacency and full-bellied relief that he was living in a nice, safe country where he could raise a stable, middle-class family and strive toward being some kind of intellectual paragon whilst writing for his little magazines. He even took a step toward embracing liberal multiculturalism by marrying an Indian woman, though one born into privilege and far removed from the cesspits of Calcutta. "Well, good for you, Mister Luczak, you pretentious prick," I thought to myself, with my worst and most cynical sneer.
Then, Simmons, through the voice of Luczak, made some offhand, disparaging comment about science fiction, and science fiction writers, and I chuckled. I suddenly got it. Simmons, a science fiction writer, among other things, wasn't just trying to say something about India and its culture. This is as much a commentary about western foolhardiness and ineffectual dabbling as anything else. At one point Luczak sees a low-caste cleaning girl accidentally electrocuted while doing her job, and, while justifiably horrified, all he can do is complain to his hosts. There's this attitude, completely unconscious and unintended on Luczak's part, that despite the fact that he's apparently doing serious work and is intellectually capable of learning and growing, he can't help but be grumpy about a lot of dirt spoiling his holiday. While I wouldn't say Luczak distorts the truth enough to be considered an "unreliable narrator", he is part of a longstanding horror tradition: one who is too busy looking at the trees to see the forest around him.
Ultimately, I let the tension of my contempt go, because I realised that Luczak was not a stand-in for Simmons himself, but rather a well-intentioned but ignorant man who just gets himself deeper into the muck without even realising what's going on. In fact, the buildup to the book's harrowing climax is really quiet and subtle, so that one just sort of reads along and, like Luczak, doesn't quite realise how dire things have become until the very last moment. Then, there's no turning back. The ending...oh, the ending: an ascension of madness and the most nerve-wracking tension followed by one of the most downbeat and depressing conclusions I can remember reading. While Luczak is not exactly redeemed, I felt so sorry for wishing him ill by the last pages. The man goes through so much so suddenly, and deserves so little of it, even though he may be a blunderer. Initially I gave this book three stars, but as the final quarter or so has stuck with me for so long, and has left some kind of permanent scar on my mind, I found I had to increase the rating.
There's a good amount of ambiguity here, too. Did supernatural events take place? Luczak doesn't believe in such things, but his drug-addled brain is by the end ill-equipped to explain anything. We, the readers, can infer what we like. I like how the novel doesn't spoon-feed us; though Luczak in his nice high-rise tower loftiness would certainly have tried, the last pages show that this tower is truly shattered, even though Calcutta is far behind him, and he can't even make the effort anymore. This is powerful stuff, all the moreso because it is ultimately told in a voice that I found rather unsympathetic through large portions of the narrative.
All through the first half or thereabouts, I gritted my teeth and cursed. I didn't think I would enjoy the rest of the journey. Had I given up partway through, I would have come to goodreads years later (I read this book in 2007 or so) and probably given it two stars.
Then, something happened. I realised, or at least I think I did, what Simmons was trying to do, and I understood that the reason I was having a hard time with this book was that I had a developing, intense dislike for the narrator/protagonist, Robert Luczak. I have been examining other reviews on this site, and it doesn't seem that anyone else had this issue, but from almost the first page, I simply felt a lot of scorn for this man, so clearly far out of his depth, yet so obviously full of a self-satisfied complacency and full-bellied relief that he was living in a nice, safe country where he could raise a stable, middle-class family and strive toward being some kind of intellectual paragon whilst writing for his little magazines. He even took a step toward embracing liberal multiculturalism by marrying an Indian woman, though one born into privilege and far removed from the cesspits of Calcutta. "Well, good for you, Mister Luczak, you pretentious prick," I thought to myself, with my worst and most cynical sneer.
Then, Simmons, through the voice of Luczak, made some offhand, disparaging comment about science fiction, and science fiction writers, and I chuckled. I suddenly got it. Simmons, a science fiction writer, among other things, wasn't just trying to say something about India and its culture. This is as much a commentary about western foolhardiness and ineffectual dabbling as anything else. At one point Luczak sees a low-caste cleaning girl accidentally electrocuted while doing her job, and, while justifiably horrified, all he can do is complain to his hosts. There's this attitude, completely unconscious and unintended on Luczak's part, that despite the fact that he's apparently doing serious work and is intellectually capable of learning and growing, he can't help but be grumpy about a lot of dirt spoiling his holiday. While I wouldn't say Luczak distorts the truth enough to be considered an "unreliable narrator", he is part of a longstanding horror tradition: one who is too busy looking at the trees to see the forest around him.
Ultimately, I let the tension of my contempt go, because I realised that Luczak was not a stand-in for Simmons himself, but rather a well-intentioned but ignorant man who just gets himself deeper into the muck without even realising what's going on. In fact, the buildup to the book's harrowing climax is really quiet and subtle, so that one just sort of reads along and, like Luczak, doesn't quite realise how dire things have become until the very last moment. Then, there's no turning back. The ending...oh, the ending: an ascension of madness and the most nerve-wracking tension followed by one of the most downbeat and depressing conclusions I can remember reading. While Luczak is not exactly redeemed, I felt so sorry for wishing him ill by the last pages. The man goes through so much so suddenly, and deserves so little of it, even though he may be a blunderer. Initially I gave this book three stars, but as the final quarter or so has stuck with me for so long, and has left some kind of permanent scar on my mind, I found I had to increase the rating.
There's a good amount of ambiguity here, too. Did supernatural events take place? Luczak doesn't believe in such things, but his drug-addled brain is by the end ill-equipped to explain anything. We, the readers, can infer what we like. I like how the novel doesn't spoon-feed us; though Luczak in his nice high-rise tower loftiness would certainly have tried, the last pages show that this tower is truly shattered, even though Calcutta is far behind him, and he can't even make the effort anymore. This is powerful stuff, all the moreso because it is ultimately told in a voice that I found rather unsympathetic through large portions of the narrative.
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