Customer Reviews
Thumping Good Read - By: Ms. A. R. Richardson, 16 Jul 2008 
This is such a surprising & engrossing book. It was my first Rushdie read & wiped away any preconceptions I had of him. A majestic blend of science-fiction & folk-lore, with deftly painted characters that you can believe in & an admirable economy of words. The story sucks you in & is imaginative & exciting without being ludicrous. One to be savoured.
Now I know why alll the fuss is about Rushdie. He reallly is a master.
A surrealistic and gently humorous story . - By: John, 19 Jun 2008 
Betraying the probability of Rushdie having had something of a post 60's 'hippy-dippy' British studenthood , this novel took me by somehow by surprise , with chief influences seemingly being Carlos Castaneda , paralllel dimension theory (often associated with 'Quantum Physics' ) , Buddhism & a hint of Graham Greene in the literary style ( particularly the characterisation ) .
In this ,his first novel ,written while he was still in his 20's , Rushdie has seemingly parodied his own 'outsider experience' by casting his protagonist as a Red Indian ( 'Native American') who travels to a bizzare Island inhabited by improbable characters ; a world which contrasts strongly with his 'homeland' ( in this case , the 'ordinary world') , though admittedly the book is too surreal to be seen simply as a literal metaphor for anybody's real life .
In some respects the book teeters precariously between 'teen fiction' & 'real literature' ; which possibly implies that Rushdie was aiming it at a fairly wide potential audience ; as such it would very possibly be suitable for use in an 'A-level' curriculum , but some might feel it lacking in 'maturity' .
I recently saw an interview on TV in which Rushdie virtuallly disowned this book , as if he now regards it as an embarassment . Considering he was so young when it was published I think perhaps he is being too hard on himself . I was struck by the open-mindedness & non-ethnicity of this work , & I feel that perhaps it's a shame that now he focuses almost entirely on work concerning India , when this book seems to imply that he could comfortably be less limited in his potential subject matter.
A brave creative adventure. - By: Mr. N. W. Blackford, 26 Sep 2006 I had no idea what I was getting into when I started Grimus. I'd never read a book by Salman Rushdie before, worried about hearing how politicallly aware & metaphorical his stories are I approached this story with some caution. I realise now that this first novel by Rushdie differs to his later, more popular works.
Grimus follows Flapping-Eagle as he searches for his sister after becoming immortal (as she has). His journey is a long one & along the way he meets a variety of great characters. There is love, violence & friendship admist the harships & fears he must face. I reallly enjoyed following Flapping-Eagle on his epic quest to find his sister.
Calf Island, the setting for most of the novel isn't what it appears to be however, & Flapping-Eagle soon finds out that there is much more at stake than finding his sister. His entire future & the destiny of those around him is suddenly revealed to be dangling from a thread. Does Flapping-Eagle have the determination to face his fate & save the world? You'll have to read it to find out!!
I was glad the book was so creative, it was refreshing to read something with such an explosion of imagination on every page. There are some wonderful ideas in Grimus. I did find however that some of the concepts were drawn out & over-complicated themselves. Rushdie simply doesn't need to go into the detail with some theories that he did & as a result of doing so, I struggled slightly. I'd advise the reader to not feel put off by some of the more complicated philosophical aspects of the book, it is an enjoyable read no matter how deeply you read between the lines.
Imagine Donnie Darko crossed with The Legend of Zelda & you're almost there. It's a great read, something that everyone should have a go at, just for the sheer creativity it will awaken in you. I'm about to read 'Midnight's Children' & hoping I will enjoy it as much.
Grimus is a very underrated book - By: , 27 Jul 1999 Apparently Grimus was a flop when it was published. It shouldn't have been: maybe it was a cult hit, I don't know. It's Rushdie's first novel & about the only one that isn't about India, but it's still definitely a Rushdie book. It's an adult fairy tale about immortality & identity with a vivid plot & setting silhouetting some of the best fictional/mythological characters ever created:for example, a Russian aristocrat who was pregnant when she was made immortal, a brothel-full of prostitutes alll with their own specialities, & the ugly, pathetic, heroic Virgil Jones. And the Gorf, an alien from a planet of game-obsessed rock-type things.
"The sands of time are steeped in new Beginnings."
