Connecting Dreams with Reality

Recently I have read Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, which got me thinking about how the imagination of human minds can change reality. Kafka on the Shore explores the story of a 15 year old boy who decides to run away from home. A story about a young person trying to create themselves a new identity enables Haruki Murakami to use dreams and philosophical ideas to develop a very interesting story.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, is another book which connects dreams with reality. Alice is like any young girl who has a wild imagination, the mind can wander. I remember when I was young; I often daydreamed and escaped into my own Wonderland. I will not go into what my wonderland was like, it was a little weird, but what is normal anyway? In Alice's dream world she drink a potion which makes her smaller and eats cake to make herself smaller. I interpret this to relate to growing up, as an adult everything looks smaller until you explore the big outside world. The randomness of Alice's world may relate to how people will get confused if they are not accustomed to new things.

The human imagination is a powerful tool. Humans have invented planes, toasters, TV and many great inventions. Ideas and dreams manipulate our mental space but can also manipulate our physical space. Another example of how one idea can change the world is more related to arts and culture. The Lord of The Rings is considered one of the best geek franchises ever and the reason it exists is due to one Oxford University Professor; who wrote the Hobbit on the back of papers he was marking. The Lord of the Rings was the sequel and it helped set the standard for future fantasy books.

Ideas are inspired by observing the world around us and giving our observations time to mull over in our minds. My dreams are often half related to past memories. Moreover, must human creations are created using ideas created by our ancestors. Most electrical goods could not exist without Testla's scientific work around Alternating Current. History fascinates me because the events of the past are still impacting heavily on the events in the present. Early Science Fiction writers like H.G Wells and Jules Verne imagined human travelling in space and by 1969 we had sent man to the moon. Dreams become reality, but only if they are pursued. I am no expert in interpreting dreams, but one cannot deny the impact they have on the modern world.

Orcs Trilogy by Stan Nicholls - Book Review

Orcs is a fantasy series about a band of orcs. The war band called the Wolverines, led by Stryke, complete a mission to steal an object for Queen Jennesta. However, the object is stolen and Stryke decides to lead his war band in pursuit. Once they obtain the object they realise that it is a magical artifact that they call a star. Stryke decides to pursue the rest to find out the truth about his race and essentially deserts Queen Jennesta.

This book is simply a fantasy novel with lots of battles. The events of this novel take place at the same time as a religious war between humans. The Mannis believe in many gods and can be described as pagan, whereas the Unis are monotheistic and consider the elder races as an evil to be vanquished.

I like the fact that the orcs get a starring role in this series and that they are described as a race that is forced to kill others on the command of a Sorceress Queen. The dialogue between the orcs is funny and the Queen Jennesta takes pleasure in ripping out heart to absorb magic. This book is aimed at a mature audience. All in all a decent book.

On the other hand I did feel at time that the battles added little to the story and that the plot pacing was not perfect. The last few chapters were amazing with plenty of plot reveals and sword and sorcery. Read this book if you are a fan of gritty fantasy without a long complex plot.

Rating 6,9/10