Alif the Unseen

I'm a big fan of Ms. Marvel and wanted to give the book a shot. The book is a cyberpunk fantasy adventure novel with encryption and hacking themes in an Islamic/Hinduism context. Typically, most cyberpunk novels are written by men in a western context, making it hard to relate. This book speaks to my Indian background and gives me a charged reading experience full of gusto and feel. I quite like the interdisciplinary linkages to languages, scripts, and artificial intelligence.

A very fast paced book. The plot feels a bit on rails, and the computer stuff was a little... hand-wavy... but the juxtaposition of Alif's modernity with Dina's traditionalism, and the interplay between the old and new in the modern Gulf "City" was really refreshing. There is a nuanced cultural commentary in here, and I wish I had a better understanding of Islamic culture because I felt that some of Alif's character arc was over my head. I would totally read an annotated version of this.