Rating: 
Summary: THE SECOND BIGGEST LET - DOWN OF THE CENTURY
Review: If Y2K was the biggest let down of the century, then reading this book was the second biggest. I read it for my Islamic Studies final, hoping to find out what all the fuss was about and have something to over - zealously hate. But, alas, it was nothing! As a Muslim I found it about as offending as most people find mass produced crosses, buddha using as a marketting device, or the selling of patriotism.
As a book, I can easily say I HAVE READ BETTER! There definetly some beautiful parts and ideas, such as the girl and the butterflies (although eating them was kind of creepy and cryptic). However, for every astounding part I found myself skipping line after line after line hoping to find a page worth reading. There is ALOT of un-needed filler in this book! With that said, comes the let - down, the supposed "blashphemous contents."
Oh how to express my disappointment (I wanted to hate Rushdie so much, and have something that is completely against Islam to reject, but alas it was not meant to be). FIrst off EVERYONE must remember that Rushdie takes some serious jabs at whacked out Khomieni himself in the form of the Imam exiled in Europe and his struggle against the EMPRESS - THE SHAH AND HIS WIFE. That is most likely the main reason it spawned the bounty on Rushdie's HIGHLY OVER - RATED head. As far as the Satanic Verses go, they were spoken but inspired by the devil and immediately revoked, so there's nothing to get angry about there. Because after all it did happen, and just like in the story they were not divinely inspired and stricken from the record for the very fact that they were Shaitan's wass - wass (Satan's tempting whispers). Now the part about the prostitutes, that whole idea was taken from the point of view of the whore - mongering, drunken, gambling, excessive idolators of the city, the exact people that despised Muhammad (pbuh) and everything they stood for. What do you expect his enemies to do? And the other most important thing is to remember to ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS seperate the character of Mahound from the glorious prophet Muhammad (pbuh). One is a made up character about as real as Marvin the Martian and the other was a real, living, breathing, glorious prophet (pbuh). So if you wanna read it, read it. But don't expect a denouncment of Islam (be prepared for a post - modernist statement in it's place), and don't expect anything all that interesting and earth - shattering as far as writing goes. If you wanna read something realllly good pick up THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, HAMLET, OEDIPUS REX, or THE INFERNO.
Rating: 
Summary: understanding . . .
Review: Now we all know something about this book. Upon publication Rushdie was condemned to die by certain secularist fundementalists, those domineering moral voices who would loudly proclaim what is and isn't right for other people to hear. Now this sort of rhetoric has taken on numerous forms throughout the ages, from the pre-historic days when man was first learning to communicate and some opposition movement undertook its quest to form a new sort of leadership, through the crusades and the counter-crusades and every other political action that has disguised itself as biblical righteousness. But the book, this book, this throughly imaginative novel that is more of a modern-day re-envisioning of the 1001 Nights taking place in the lives of two entirely modern men, is something all stripes of narrow-minded fanatics, from the furtherest caves of the right-wing to the hazy-clouded smog of the far left, should pay close attention to if they wish to understand a little more about themselves.It becomes obvious why the fatwah was assigned, the harsh satiric voice of Rushdie going so far as to boldly thinnly veil who it is he's targetting. Certain scenes can even be called prophetic, at least where the author is concerned, as the statements of characters and the actions of their rivals mirror the absurd reality that unexpectedly came into fruition. Also there are bold questions asked about the reality of biblical narrative--and not just of the Koran. There is a point when it is stated outright that from generation to generation whichever ruling political party it is that runs a portion of the world (and here things are intentionally non-specific, thus including all of us) that gospels will be manipulated and changed to benefit the strength of the party and to control the populations with a fear of disbelief. Now this has been manifest in innumerable forms throughout the ages, from witch burnings to holocosts to the outright outlawing of a certain style of faith. I have no doubt that Rushdie knew what he was in for with the publication of this book. One must admire such an artist who puts the story first, even before his own personal well-being. As far as the story goes--and what a story it is!--it is a magical and fascinating journey through the Arabian Nights and the possibilities of the real world of the Koran and into the jarring and utterly corrupted worlds of Western civilization. I can think of very few books I would rate higher for sheer enjoyment, for the grandiose fun of the adventures that has at the same time provoked so much deep and troubling thought. An absolutely wonderful book, thankfully destined to last because some prickly lunatics decided the time was ripe for a nationalistic book burning. But all of this aside, and it is now impossible not to encounter this book without some sort of suspense as to what, exactly, sent the zealots over the top, The Satanic Verses has value for its own merits. All the rest is merely public relations . . .
Rating:
Summary: A Glowing 5-Star Read
Review: The Satanic Verses is surely not a good book choice for casual beach reading. It is a somewhat difficult read because Salman Rushdie is playing with his characters, his story and our minds simultaneously. However, through it all the tale is so cleverly and urgently laid out that our sense of off-balance is just part of the fun. The opening is one of the most unique in literature - our two main characters falling out of the sky after their plane has been blown up by terrorists. Rushdie's imagination is completely off-the-wall and yet reaches heights and depths, geographies and dreamscapes, which only the most erudite, tortured and playful of minds could heave created. It was hard to ever know what was coming next in this story, and sometimes harder to know what had just happened to us previously, but the powerful narrative grabs for our guts and plays on our heartstrings as it sweeps us from mid-air, to London, to Bombay, and Mount Everest, from sleezy show-biz meetingrooms to the town tree in an obscure Middle Eastern village. Rushdie's virtuoso use of language constantly thrills us and chills us; here is an author who is just as much at home dishing out the argot of the London slums as with the pilgrims on their way to Mecca. I for one am constantly wishing while reading Rushdie, that I had his words, terms and expressions on the tip of my tongue, to express the simple and the sublime the way he does, but as with anything in this life which SOUNDS easy, this is indeed a master at work here, gifting us with a lexicon of rare and unique beauty. We leave The Satanic Verses having glimpsed the complexities and subtleties between religious belief and atheism, good and evil, and each person's ability to soar to angelic heights, or crash to hellish depths, and we are really asking more questions than we've had answered. Gets my highest recommendation!
Rating:
Summary: Great, but not so great!
Review: This is my first book by Salman Rushdie. And, before I say anything about the book, I must say that Salman is an extremely gifted writer. He has this unparalleled ability to paint pictures ranging from surreal to undeniable, joyful to gruesome, tragic to comic - all using his words. I've never seen (read) somebody depict complex situations so effortlessly yet so beautifully. Hats off to him! BTW, he is an audacious and fearless writer too. I'm sure he was aware of the kind of politico-religious frenzy this book would cause and the consequences he would have to endure. I wouldn't call him stupid though. He's a seasoned writer. He's no jerk with low serotonin levels, who would choose to do something suicidal without any real reason behind it. I think, India is proud to have a writer like Salman. Now about the book... I began reading this book with much excitement (and expectations). But, it failed to satisfy me on both the metrics. The story is amusing at times but it is also confounding and makes you lose interest. You end up asking yourself multiple times, "What is the author trying to say?" or "Why did this character do what he or she just did?". The story sometimes (aptly?) gets as psychic as the characters therein. It freaks you out. Then, suddenly, you see a passage that makes you think that it is nothing but the truth of life. You feel enlightened. That keeps you going... only to be disappointed, awed, disappointed, awed ... later. The bottom line is that this is a book, a serious reader shouldn't skip. On the other hand, this isn't a book you'll think of as your prized possession. You won't find yourself picking up this book from your rack later, smiling, while you turn pages. One positive aspect of reading this book is that you get to know a lot about Islam. The stories pertaining to Islam were really interesting. Those kept me going. If I ever read this book again, it'll be because of those stories about Islam and its origin.... Last but not the least - read this book with an open mind. It is a literary work, certainly not for the dogmatic and orthodox theists. It's a celebration of the grandeur of humanity and the infinite reach and power of its creative thinking. We sin. We do good deeds. But, who decides what is good and what is bad? Us, who else?
Rating: 
Summary: funny, entertaining, and thought provoking
Review: I read this when it first came out and re-read recently . It'a a funny, entertainig and ultimately thought provoking book.
The only drawback is that there is no glossary for those not familiar with hindi or urdu.
As a person of Indian origin, bought up in London, I find it hard to believe that this book would offend, as many as it allegedlly has. If people are upset by it then perhaps it's time for them to take a good look inside themselves and deal with the insecurities that they feel about their beliefs. and not prevent the rest of us from enjoying it.
Rating:
Summary: The Ayatollah Doesn't Want You to Read This Book...
Review: But it isn't a bad read. Just a bit tedious. It makes you wonder why people got their panties in a knot about it.
Rating: 
Summary: Freedom is.................
Review: Freedom is to do what you would like without hurting the others'. You can loadly sing, but to affect our sense of hearing with your odious voice is not allowed; This is the secular low....I feel really sorry to find this item in a precious place like amazon; It should be, like my version which I feel sorry to buy and spend time to read, in the [garbage]. Thinkers, writters, novelists,...etcs keep in their mind the feelings of the others and how their words can affect them. If anybody write an article or novel describing the queen of UK implicitly with obscene words and use sexual expression (in symbolic manner), what do you expect from the British!!!!!!!!!. I give example with a queen, what about if we say the same thing about a prophet or a person with greet influence of the mankind. In NY, recently a TV channel showed M. Gandy in Cartoon film as a stupid man whoes main point is to satisfy his whims. Indians got angry once showed one of their leaders and symbols devalued like that..... Next day, the TV channel opologized publically for the indians.
If Rushdie has insulted prophet Jesus (PBUH) or prophet Mossa(PBUH) in the same uncivilized way, muslems throughout the globe will react with his malign work with the same way. People who are encouraging evil are part of this evil. Mulsems respect everybody and expect the same from the others.
Rating:
Summary: More Hype Than Substance
Review: Salman Rushdie's novel mingles Indian politics, themes and culture with with a critique of sorts of the Quran and its prophet Muhammad. Though it seems on its surface like an interesting literary cocktail, I honestly doubt that the Satanic Verses would have earned such fame if not for the good services of Khomeini and his angry fatwa. As they say, the best PR can't be bought with money. That's one of the reasons I give so much more respect and love to the Rushdie's orinigal inspiration for the novel, the Russian masterpiece The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (whom I dearly encourage you all to read).
Bulgakov was suppressed in his time. So unlike Rushdie's, his posthumous fame has been of pure merit.
But back to the work itself. In all honesty, I'm a bit puzzled as to what make of it. I mean, it's not that bad, but it's not great either. Like just when you thought that the story has mounted on a certain thread, and at last will make some sense, the author quickly discards it and moves on. Perhaps It could have worked with more flair on the part of the author, But the way Rushdie handles it, it looks lazy and confused. Consider for instance a scene where one of the protagonists awakes in a Dr. Morro-like hospital. He takes the courage to escape, and then...nothing. A literary cul de sac. The hospital serves absolutely no purpose in the plot. It's just there. Or another subplot with the Devil itself. No not the one with the horns and stuff, that's the narrator (a concept that Rushdie puts to no good use). I'm talking about Khomeini. And just when you tought that the barmy sage will play some very intriguing role, perhaps as a hilarious parody of religious bigotry, the chapter is over and so is Khomeini. Sigh.
Another one of Rushdie's annoying habits is to torpedo the text with some gratuitous vulgarity, as if to remind us that we ought not to take him too seriously, or care at all. Maybe it has to be appreciated in the context of some high-minded critical theory, but for me it just spoiled the fun. Final verdict: half-baked.
Rating:
Summary: Surreal
Review: This is one of the best novels I've ever written. The way Rushdie blends in philosophical, emotional, and religious ideas is astounding. and on top of all that the story was good too. If anyone is interested in a novel that deals with the same themes of descending into madness read Paul Omeziri's Descent into Illusions by PublishAmerica. A shamefully little known book, but one of the best novels I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: A poor literary product, and really just not worth the fuss
Review: Rushdie's Midnight's Children was a stunner, but this book, peopled with repulsive characters and a lack of beautiful writing, is just not worth reading. I doubt if it would have received many accolades or even publicity if Khomeini hadn't put a price on his head. Khomeini's death sentence violated Islamic law, by the way, and the world conference of Islamic states condemned it. The death sentence was even violative of the medieval rules of Islamic law, and was actually madman Khomeini's fanatical way of burning bridges with the West. So it wasn't the rage of "Islam," but the rage of Khomeini who forced this poor writer into hiding. As for the Muslims urging banning of the book, well I think they shouldn't have bothered. It's deliberately insulting in a myriad of small ways that wouldn't be apparent to non-Muslims; Rushdie takes Islamic tradition and flips it onto its head so that the stories of Islamic tradition urging generosity, chastity, modesty, etc. suddenly stand for (in Rushdie's book)the most venal, lascivious, disgusting aspects of humanity. But offensive as it is to Muslims, it's just a book, and a poor literary product at that. I wouldn't have struggled through its cynicsm, bitterness, bad writing, repulsive characters, and apathetic storyline if the book weren't so notorious.
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