undecided about how I feel about this book. perfectly ambivalent. ( )

Dark, disturbing and at places found racist ( )

La diosa Kali aparece representada con cuatro brazos, es eterna, y su canto produce el sonido de la muerte.
En la sofocante y caótica ciudad de Calcuta, un occidental, el periodista Robert Luczak, pretende entrevistar a M. Das, un poeta al que nadie ha visto desde hace diez años pero del que se asegura que continúa vivo. En Calcuta, sin embargo, nada resulta sencillo y lo que empezó como un trabajo rutinario se convierte en una pesadilla en la que Luczak sólo escucha mentiras y choca contra el muro de la indiferencia oficial cuando acude a las autoridades en busca de ayuda.
El periodista se siente subyugado por la extraña y fantástica historia de un hombre que dice ser uno de los adeptos al culto de Kali, una secta secreta al margen de la ley.
El hombre asegura que el culto existe todavía y que el fallecido Das ha vuelto a la vida mediante una espeluznante y sangrienta ceremonia en la que han ofrecido un sacrificio humano a la diosa.
Luczak y su familia se ven atrapados por los designios de fuerzas antiguas e inexorables, inmersos en un torbellino de violencia que está a punto de acabar no sólo con ellos, sino con el mundo entero, en una apocalíptica orgía de muerte.

Meh.....this wasn't bad....just not good either. Its extremely slow going, the first 3/4 of the book is basically learning how stupid Bobby, the main male protagonist, is and how truly deplorable Calcutta can be.

When things do start to happen, they aren't what you expect. Its pretty vague....you never truly know if much of what happens is caused by supernatural or spiritual forces or just shitty humanity. There is a disturbing and entirely unexpected ending to their infant daughters kidnapping that some may find triggering.

Honestly, I'm just a bit surprised how this turned out. I really like Simmons other work .....Carrion Comfort is one of my all time fave books. I realize this was his first published novel, but, imo, it left much to be desired. ( )

An American and his India-England wife fly to Calcutta with their baby to interview an Indian poet seemingly brought back from the dead. The husband (Bobby, Robert) gets drawn into the web of a gang who worships Kali, goddess and consort of Shiva. To their sorrow, they will lose more than they can afford in this city of 15million (that was in the 70s).
I'm stuck on books that take place in India, and this one did not disappoint, though it's written by a white guy. Summon is a master at the art of thrillers, and I read this, his first book, at one go. ( )