Travel to India

Sorcerer's Apprentice

Format: Paperback
Author: Tahir Shah
ReleaseDate: 08 May, 2002
Publisher: Arcade Publishing
Rating:

Surreal indeed!
What I mean by that is that, while the details of his day-to-day experiences may be exaggerated and padded to make the book work with a coherent theme, the facts about the country remain true. Tahir Shah is an Englishman of Afghani/Scottish descent who writes what may be a new form: The eccentric maybe true, maybe not true, but true on a metaleval travel book. I genuinely enjoyed this second book of his that I have read. In it, an 11-year-boy meets the guardian of his ancestor's tomb, learns a bit of magic, grows up, travels to India to tour and meet the guardian again, hoping to learn more slight of hand illusion magic. From there he is referred to his teacher's teacher, who is definitely the archytypical teacher as sadist. As Mr. Tahir learns the craft, we learn a great deal about India, about the travelling magicians, godmen, sadhus, charletans, etc. I found the book engaging from beginning to end and highly recommend it.

Now that's not magic
Well, I cracked a smile once or twice, but funny this is not. The jacket blurb describes Tahir Shah as an "uproariously funny writer". The dialogue is weak, the clumsy attempts at wit are forced and toe-curling, and Shah comes across as a tetchy,irritable and intolerant foreigner. The book tries to pass itself off as a travelogue but the hokey, conveniently slapstick encounters appear contrived. There is a suspicious lack of photographs of any of the main characters or more sensational events in the book and I ended up believing very little of the narrative. Which is a shame, because buried very deep under the poor writing (see how many verbs Shah can use to avoid the perfectly adequate "said")is an interesting look at the resourcefulness of India's poor. A decent rainy day read but a missed opportunity by the writer.

Entertaining, fascinating, and occasionally magical (a trick?)
Note that the book is non-fiction. This book has one of the finest first chapters I've ever read: one day a man from India shows up at an English boy's house to protect him. The rest of the book is how the author (who was that boy) many years later decides to go to India to learn how to be a magician like the man who came to him. At times the author seems to purposely act too credulous and think odd thoughts, to the point where you feel he's being that way in order to make for a more mystical read. He's also a bit disingenuous, in that the book implies he gives up a staid life for adventure; judging from his other books, he has never been too bored or boring. It's nonetheless a fun read, as he goes through many peculiar experiences and learns all sorts of strange knowledge about magical tricks and India itself. A surprising and wonderful (though sometimes slow) book.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these India travel books.

	Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru
	In Search of King Solomon's Mines
	The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca
	House of the Tiger King