Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly well written and engrossing racist garbage
Review: The writing is tight and the plot is compelling, but I wondered throughout why Simmons seemed so obsessed with the idea of Calcutta's intrinsic evil.
Yes, Calcutta is named for the goddess Kali. Yes, followers of that particular goddess have done some pretty nasty things. But, you could learn all that from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which is much gorier and at least has a satisfying ending, but is even more plagued by racist sensationalism.
I read above that Simmons spent only a few days in Calcutta before writing this book. I wonder what happened to him there?
Anyway, if you want something to do for a few hours and don't mind a little xenophobia, then this is the book for you. Otherwise don't bother. Stephen King (who Simmons' narrator describes as "trashy") writes a much better horror story, Lovecraft does the scary ancient cult thing a lot more effectively, and I have no idea why this novel was even considered for the World Fantasy Award, let alone why it won?!
That said, I couldn't put it down, but I was so disappointed by the ending (or rather lack thereof) that I sat down and wrote this.
btw: The Tor trade paperback reprint edition I read had numerous editorial snafus, which drives me crazy.
Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to Calcutta
Review: Plot Summary: Bobby Luczac and his wife and baby are off to Calcutta to find a poet who is apparently creating new material despite being dead for over 8 years. How can M. Das be writing new poems, how is he still alive, where is he to be found? These are the questions Bobby is to answer as well as collect a new manuscript for his stateside periodical. Despite warnings from colleagues, the whole family flies to India, birthplace of his wife. Nothing good happens for Mr. and Mrs. Luczac from this point on.
Opinion: I'm kind of in between on this book. At points I am amazed and disgusted by the imagery and the squalor of Calcutta. At other points I find myself just skimming to get on with the story. Simmons does a good job overall painting the city as this almost black hole of misfortune, horror, and evil. Much of it based on cult worshiping of the goddess Kali. I was impressed at how far he took the things that could and did happen in this book. Far past where a weaker author would have maybe spared us a little. Then things got a little out of character after the climax of the book. There is hope after all we are led to believe. The characters were all decently written including the city which is the main character of this horror story. I can't say how well this portrays Calcutta because I don't know anyone who has been there, but it was very vivid for me from the book that I wouldn't want to.
Recommendation: I would recommend this to Simmons fans because he is a good writer and the story is pretty good. I would not suggest this as your first Simmons book though as I think his Hyperion and Ilium stories are much better. I rate it 3.5 out of 5 overall.
Rating:
Summary: Almost overcomes its abrupt ending; really 3.5 stars
Review: This is one of those books that holds you for the whole book, but somehow never quite pays off.
Bobby Luczak, an American poet, his Indian-born wife Amrita, and their daughter Victoria, embark on a trip to the city of Calcutta. Luczak has been contacted about doing a magazine article on the new work of a famous Indian poet, who has been missing for eight years. What the family instead finds is a hidden cult that worships evil, and personal tragedy.
Simmons knows how to build a sinister mood. From the early warnings of Luczak's friend Abe about going, to Luczak's first person observations of the city, Calcutta is a haunting, frightening, disturbing place. Indeed, it is probably the best developed "character" of the novel, a place reminiscent of something out of "Blade Runner," with its omnipresent shadows, grinding poverty, and general inhumanity swirling in a morass of evil.
Further, Simmons keeps the reader intrigued throughout, as Luczak encounters tightlipped professors and suspicious assistants, discovers a horrible secret about the poet, Das, and finally reads the horrifying epic poem,the titular "Song of Kali", that Das has uncharacteristically created after his 8-year absence. Luczak's battle for survival, his panic, and his frenzy to escape with his family from Calcutta clung to me, compelling me to turn the page even when it was really time I should go to bed. Simmons creates a generally unhealthy atmosphere throughout the book, and his simple, yet detailed prose paints a grotesque picture.
The problem with this book is its ending. While too much detail would spoil it, suffice it to say, I kept looking at the top of the page thinking "He needs to give us the payoff here, not too many pages left." Unfortunately, the payoff isn't there. While Simmons makes his point about human nature, there are a few too many loose-threads. While it's not unheard of (indeed, it's really a cliche) to leave a certain ambiguity in novels of this type, Simmons leaves too much ambiguity. Characters' motivations and actions are hinted at, but never confirmed. Ultimately, upon reaching the last page, my only reaction was "That's it?" This rather hurt the book overall.
Nonetheless, the majority of the book is still excellent, and ALMOST overcomes its abrupt ending. But the ending hurts, and marred my enjoyment of a book that I suspect would have otherwise played on my mind for some time to come.
Rating:
Summary: We all hear the song
Review: SONG OF KALI chronicles one family's hellish journey into darkest India. A major American publisher has received samples of a new work by India's greatest poet, M. Das. What makes this exceptional is that M. Das is believed to have died several years earlier. So poet and small press publisher Robert Luczak is sent on an all expense paid flight to Calcutta to investigate, and discover whether it is somehow true or an elaborate literary hoax. But Luczak will find this is anything but a free ride. His curiosity will cost him dearly in other, less material ways.
The back cover of the Tor reissue of this novel builds the story up a great deal, indeed perhaps beyond the ability of any author to deliver. Is it, in fact, the most chilling, shocking thing I've ever read? Did it strike me through with fear like nothing else has before? Well, no. However, it does contain some very chilling moments, a whole lot of solid suspense, and a final, major shock near its conclusion - all contained within quality writing. If it has any flaw, it's that it leaves a lot of questions never answered. More realistic, particularly since we are experiencing the story from one character's perspective, but it leaves one wanting, nonetheless.
But never mind. The journey is the thing, and it's still a powerful story worth reading. It is also interesting for its philosophical content. Just don't let the marketing hype raise your expectations to outrageous levels. One thing it doesn't lie about: you probably won't forget it.
Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: I had read a couple other books by Dan Simmons, which, while entertaining, were not what I would call great. This book, on the other hand... read it and see for yourself. Really, really, good read.
Rating:
Summary: There's the germ of a good novel in here...
Review: After havining seen the cover blurbs. I spent about two thirds of this book wondering what the hell I was missing. The overlong setup failed to get me invested in the main character, a self-involved poet, who comes across as rather petulant, dull and disengaged. We spend a short eternity with Luczack's literary mentor, a boring cliche of a cigar-chomping New Yorker with a heart of gold. Luczack's one saving grace is his capable, intellectually curious wife, whom he mostly talks down to and/or places in peril. (There's a ridiculous bit late in the book where he makes a big display of "I'm not leaving you again, kiddo", only to wander off again as soon as she falls asleep.) I would have been grateful for Luczack to get killed off early and the focus shifted to the wife. In addition, while the horrified-travelogue aspect of the book is effective, we never go any deeper than Luczack's ugly-American revulsion at a society he doesn't understand. Simmons seems content to paint most residents of Calcutta as potential gangsters or murderous fanatics, and leave it at that. The story only gets interesting (far too late in the book) when the Luczack character mercifully shuts up long enough to let some of the Indians tell their own stories. The storyline involving the Kali cult is genuinely, darkly fascinating and I wish Simmons had done more than scratch the surface of it. The emotional climax could have been wrenching if only I'd been invested in the main character, and unfortunately the novel peters out with him descending into a world of self-pity for several chapters. Some really interesting horror material here, sandwiched into an otherwise boring novel.
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