Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Back in the days when Salman Rushdie was a literary fugitive, he fulfilled a long standing vow to his son. Zafar, then about nine years old, had begged his father to write a children's story. Rushdie had put this off until the hubub over his fourth novel exploded. Then, throughout the Muslim world, soot from charred copies of "The Satanic Verses" wafted skyward and the faithful wailed for the infidel author's demise. In response... Read Full Review

This may be the most delightfully whimsical yet brilliant little book I've ever read. A joy at every level - story, characters, themes, language - it literally made me smile every time I read it. A testament to the value of concision and expertly-crafted simplicity, after reading The Satanic Verses, Fury, and The Ground Beneath Her Feet, this proved to me that Rushdie's seeming mastry of language and storytelling was far from... Read Full Review

The book was written when Rushdie had been hiding from Khomeini's fatwa. As perhaps may be guessed, the book is an allegory on censorship (hence Haroun's -- the boy protagonist of the book -- journey to remove the plug that clogs the flow in the sea of stories). Less known is the fact that Rushdie wrote the book in order to explain such situation to his young son Zafar: [Z]embla, Zenda, Xanadu: [A]ll our dream-worlds may... Read Full Review

Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a wonderful fairytale, an adventure with depth. If I had been old enough to have children of my own, or had younger brothers and sisters, I would've read it to them. At the same time I have recommended the book to my English teacher to let people of my own age (18) read it as a part of their English studies, and to my English-studying grandmother. As a child can see it as a cool adventure,... Read Full Review

An instant classic. This is a story that is meant to be read over and over, out loud, silently, in public, or in the comfort of one's own bed. The words flow and flow, lyrical and rhythmic, while spinning this beautiful fantasy. After reading the book, I find myself talking like the characters, chuckling to myself on the subway suddenly reminded of something in the book.In fact, when I was reading this book on the way... Read Full Review