Afrah Jamal

Received an ARC from the lovely Boyce last year, couldn't review it then, by the time I did, Daily Times (my paper) had decided YA wasn't suitable for it OP-ED Pages. This Blog is only for my published work but I promised the author a review, so here it is. Apologies for the delay S.M. P.S: I am looking forward to Illusion. Reviewed by: Afrah Jamal ‘ Heritage ’ which was to mark the grand finale of the Grimoire trilogy is now the third installment in a series of four. The YA fantasy still hurtles towards the end but the adventure is far from over. And former rookie Kara Magari is busy trying to balance two thankless jobs as the wise Vagabond, and her true nature revealed at the end of ‘ Treason ’. Change is in the air for both realms and newcomers vie for Ourea - the fictional land envisaged by S.M. Boyce and brought to life in ‘ Lichgates’ - Book I . Book III that was supposed to wind up our heroines arc, marks the continuation of the same journey that began when Kar...

Published in Daily Times (Pakistan) / 24 June 2014 Published under the title: Domestic Bliss, Displacement & Desi Wives Thank you Indireads & Rizwan Tufail for the review copy Happily ever after’s have not lost their appeal. But Shewta Kumar takes fairy-tale endings, with the land far away as a launch pad, and enlists a newly-wed Mythili busy trading in her journalistic credentials for ‘desperate’ housewife’ as a starter. This is Shweta’s third novel and her first e-book / novella. She is an Indian writer / travel columnist who has worked as a CNN-IBN correspondent, and authored two bestsellers - ‘Between the Headlines: The Travails of a TV Reporter’ & ’Coming up on the Show: The Travails of a News Trainee’. Here she sets out to sketch Mythili’s new life among fellow expats using Manila as a backdrop where time weighs heavily and the walls start closing in. Having left her crime reporting days as ‘chief-ferreting-out-information-officer’ behind, the characters t...

Author: Omar Shahid Hamid Reviewed by: Afrah Jamal Thanks to Liberty Books for the review copy & Jamaluddin for the launch invite. Published in Daily Times / Sunday 26 Jan 2013 “ When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes back” The plaque reads Deputy Director Counter Intelligence Terrorism - Police Intelligence Bureau (IB), Senior Superintendent (SSP) CT & Anti Extremism cell (CID) (2011). The resume is equally moving. It belongs to a man who has been in the cross hairs of extremists, banned outfits of different denominations and local mafia men who may or may not have political backing. Since he knows where the ‘boris’ are buried, the impact of Omar Shahid Hamid’s revelations will be explosive. But cops don’t read so as a rule so he thinks he’ll be ok. Though ‘The Prisoner’ resides unobtrusively in the fiction section, its outlines are expertly crafted from those off camera moments and unacknowledged victories. A kidnapped American journalist comes into p...

BOOK REVIEW: The Redeemers Published by Daily Times (Pakistan) / 15 Sep 2013 Author: Suresh Taneja Reviewed by: Afrah Jamal Thank you Suresh T. for the review copy ‘The Redeemers’ can easily be in the fantasy / fiction aisle because of its ludicrous premise. It begins with India at the top of the superpower pyramid for starters’ and its citizens seen breezing through U.S. immigration sans visa. It then goes on to cast four conscientious youngsters responsible for its remarkable transition as narrators who step in to the ring and relive the heady years leading up to the year 2030. The glittering future demands an enormous suspension of disbelief, present day India however with all the spectacular excesses will make the South Asian community feel right at home. Suresh Taneja’s blue print for a new domestic world order can ostensibly be mapped on both sides of the border and not just because of unavoidable similarities in terrain. The author is a Chartered Accountant with...

First Published in Daily Times (Pakistan) / 07 July 2013 under the title ' Walk Like an Egyptian...god ' Author : Rick Riordan Reviewed by : Afrah Jamal When ancients get their marching orders, it comes with an unexpected makeover. When Rick Riordan dabbles in mythology, it comes with some expected upgrades. The Heroes of Olympus , spin off to Percy Jackson and the Olympians series awakened both Roman and Greek gods for a few rounds of ‘mortal’ combat. Things happened. During the brief intermission, he rolled out a fresh set of gods, tracked down more heroes and stumbled upon a shiny new quest. The Kane Chronicles is bound for the land of Pharaohs with a brother, sister duo in tow who are descendent from an ancient line and have an Egyptologist for a father. One “lives out of a suitcase” and the other is “British.” And then they discover their true lineage and hearing voices in their collective heads becomes part of the Kane package. Eastern mythology crackles with the...

First Published in Daily Times / (Pakistan) / 1 June 2013 Reproduced in The Kashmir Moniter Fans who have kept up with Robert Langdon, our favorite symbologist/iconologist on quests that take him to the Vatican, Paris or Washington, will willingly join the professor jogging through the picturesque streets of Florence. Even when he claims to have a sad case of amnesia, no way of telling the time (his signature time piece lost), and a wily assassin on his tail, he is a force of nature. It is a part he was born to play. And in Dan Brown’s murky universe, it is one he reprises at the first sign of an anagram. The author uses the sorry state of mankind as a launch pad to project his ominous design, decrypt a Renaissance painting and set a controversial debate in motion. His novel provides delicious historical context as it plumbs the depths of Dante’s tortured soul and his savage interpretation of hell, helpfully illustrated by Botticelli ( and available for viewing on iPad’s Da...

Published in Daily Times (Pakistan) / 27 April 2013 Author : Shaukat Qadir Reviewed by : Afrah Jamal Book Cover Courtesy: Link The insider account by a former SEAL later used to prop up the raid sequence of ‘Zero Dark Thirty fills in the dramatic details but a change in vantage point zooms in on the Pakistani equation. In less than a 100 pages, the author proceeds to tie up loose ends leftover from the reams of official spin surrounding the events of May 1 2011. He is a retired infantry Brigadier from Pakistan Army who uses his unprecedented access to the corridors of military power to launch an independent inquiry into the incident. His research takes in isolated facts, hidden motives and shadowy agendas to create an alternate timeline of events. They correspond with the main outlines of the sanctioned version but differ in the approach. The resultant document builds an appealing profile that demands a second look at the so called ‘mansion’ in Abbottabad and the dead man w...

Published in Daily Times / 23 March 2013 under the Title, Food for Thought Every year an international gourmet festival is held at a local military college that features, among other things, the best of Pakistani cuisine including traditional fare from all four provinces. The event provides a platform where regional delicacies are promoted and diversity can be celebrated. The participants dress the part and proudly proclaim their heritage; the gourmands happily savor an assortment of flavors under one banner. Having a shared heritage can pose a challenge for anyone trying to determine the origins of a Pakistani feast. Shanaz Ramzi came up with an illustrated guidebook that traces the culinary history of food found on the streets of Karachi and the ancient Silk & Spice route, all the way to the mountains of Kashmir giving Pakistani cuisine some much needed context. She is a journalist / critic / GM Publications and PR at HUM Network Ltd. and Editor of Masala TV Food ...

Thanks to S.M. Boyce for the ARC (Advanced Review Copy) First Published in Daily Times / Saturday, November 17, 2012 Published under the Title: Isens and Muses & Vagabonds O' My Reviewed by: Afrah Jamal As Ourea looms into view, young Kara Magari, the only human in this fantasy realm is no longer a rookie, Braeden Drakonin is still a reluctant Heir, the trenches remain occupied and cases of intrigue have been dusted off for a re-match. Treason is the highly anticipated sequel to Lichgates , a YA (Young Adult) novel penned by S.M. Boyce that returns to the magical land of Ourea, home to warring factions, savage critters and disappointed fathers . Kara, who takes a wrong turn and turns up in Ourea, is revealed as the first Vagabond in a thousand years with the ability to control the Grimoire, a book of revelations. The Yakona race, divided into six Kingdoms, finds her irresistible for their cause. Her newfound powers come with a steep learning curve and a roster...

Published in Daily Times / 20 Oct 2012 Author: J.K Rowling Reviewed by: Afrah Jamal Published under the Title : What Happens in Pagford Thanks to Liberty Books for the review copy Someone drops dead in a golf club. A malicious rumour mill kicks into action. A silent war brews somewhere in the Council. And because this is not a whodunit doling out cocktails of conspiracy at the door, there will be no big reveal at the end. J.K. Rowling’s latest book — ‘The Casual Vacancy’, uses the demise of one Barry Fairbrother to pry into the soul of a quaint looking town called Pagford. The battling citizens loom in view, caught in a stormy sea of addiction, abject poverty, class divide, domestic abuse, molestation, moral deviance, apathy and social injustice. Fans still under the spell woven by heroic wizards and witches might be ill prepared for the culture shock that awaits them beyond the gates. The reigning queen of fantasy returns to the world of fiction tilling an arid field f...

First Published by Daily Times / Oct 06, 2012 Authors: Mark Owen & Kevin Maurer Reviewed by: Afrah Jamal Published under the Title: Signed, SEAL(ed) and Delivered The men who paid Pakistan a hurried visit in the dead of the night typically do not leave calling cards. Or talk shop with strangers. And they are expected to shun the limelight. One broke the commandment recently. As a member of the SEAL Team 6 — Naval Special Warfare Development Group or DEVGRU, Mark Owen (not his real name) had been in the downed ‘helo’ (helicopter) — the one Pakistanis discovered lying in their backyard. His book provides a valuable timeline of events leading up to ‘Operation Neptune Spear’ in Abbottabad (or ‘Abababa’ as they insist on calling it), cutting through the official haze. With 13 consecutive combat deployments to his credit, the author paints a group portrait of America’s finest that had been handpicked for the job in an attempt to overturn the media-created hype. He calmly re...

Thanks to Liberty Books for the review copy Oct 2012: Thanks Imran Ahmad for the kind email & Mr. Asif Noorani for recommending this book. First Published in Daily Times / Saturday 1 Sep 2012 under the title: The Ballad of East & West A local singer who regularly goes on foreign tours admitted that after the Abbottabad raid, acknowledging his Pakistani origins can be a conversation ender, with the ‘gora’ (white) inevitably taking ten steps back. A local businessman confessed that certain foreign embassies now deem all Pakistani nationals as terrorists till proved otherwise. Imran Ahmad, who recently concluded his 50-State speaking tour of the mainland United States, had occasional run-ins with the representatives of this fear-driven society that love to herd his entire ilk under a single scary looking banner. A Pakistani, growing up in London of the 1960s and 1970s, he must be familiar with the scrutiny that comes with being different. This first person narrative that...

Thanks to the lovely Nefer & Haya for the launch Invite Published in Daily Times / Jul 21, 2012 Under the title: So You Think You Can Escape? Reviewed by: Afrah Jamal 'In this game there are no second chances. You either win or you die.’ The man who penned these words 41 years ago was busy planning his escape from an Indian POW camp that was not really supposed to exist. Today, as a defence analyst who owns a successful business empire, he sits amiably on a stage flanked by officers from his old command, some well-known personalities from the media, and at least one fiery cricketer-turned-politician who aspires for the premiership. (See Pix Here ) The extraordinary tale of a Pakistani army captain adrift in enemy territory who went knocking at the US Consulate gate and the American Marine Sergeant on duty who saved the day (part of it anyway) appeared in print a few years ago. That, however, was not the end of the captain’s ordeal. What happened in the interval b...

Published in Daily Times / 7 July 2012 Under the Title; The Realm Next Door Reviewed by: Afrah Jamal Many thanks to S.M. Boyce for the review copy. S M Boyce’s debut novel calls upon captivating magical backdrops to reach for those glimmering shards of whimsy, lying forgotten in the dark recesses of imagination. Seven years in the making The Grimoire: Lichgates is a heady brew that cheerfully vaults into the fantasy genre. 20-year-old Kara Magari’s hike comes to a dramatic close when she stumbles upon Ourea, the realm next door where conniving rulers, diabolical shape-shifters, conflicted humanoids and mysterious muses lurk in the shadows, and dragon sightings do not trigger alarm bells. Boyce’s sweeping epic fantasy adventure is carried on the wings of its supernatural soul suffused with mystical sensibilities. The Grimoire — a book of wisdom at the centre of this transformative experience — dictates (to an extent), the destiny of the ‘ Chosen One ’, and offers useful in...