Rating: 
Summary: The labour is long but light
Review: I found that Rushdie's SATANIC VERSES is less about good and evil than it is about post-colonialism. The main characters Gabreel Farishta and Chamcha seem to be involved in a struggle of cultural identity more than in a struggle with "the heart of darkness." Some elements of the idea that evil is the perversion of good do come into the story, but they seem to be very secondary and almost unintentional on Rushdie's part.
I also did not find the book to be as controversial as it is hyped to be. One would expect that a book that earns its author a death sentence would be overtly blasphemous, but I did not find it so at all. Rushdie does some untraditional things with the story of Mohamed, and I guess that is what some Muslims found blasphemous.
As for the novel itself, it is a fine example of the novelist's craft. Rushdie weaves four stories, the story of Farishta, the story of Chamcha, the story of a village and its prophetess, and the story of the Prophet into a coherent novel. He does so with energetic prose and a sense of the fantastic. Both his style and his fascination with the conflict of fantasy versus reality are reminiscent of Nabokov. (Of course, Nabokov is unquestionably superior to Rushdie.) All in all, the energetic pace of the prose and the magic with which it is endowed make reading Rushdie's 561-page novel a relatively light labour.
This novel only barely falls short of getting 4 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A challenge worth taking
Review: I doubt that I ever would have chosen this work outside of my college literature class, but I am much more enlightened for having read it. Salman Rushdie has weaved a novel that is a complicated web of good vs. evil, identity politics, and complex characters.
Not to scare off the borderline reader, but to read this book is a commitment. The use of hindi language and other alien references is a bit intimidating, but why read something if you aren't going to learn anything new? It is thought provoking at every turn and requires the reader to pay attention to the multiple plots and to keep the characters who share the same name differentiated. This book is an absolute must for anyone who is curious about Islam, Muslim life, even the effects of colonialism. Be aware, this isn't a work you can stick on the nightstand and forget about for weeks.
Even if the book isn't your cup of tea, you have to at least give credit to Rushdie for having the conviction to write such a tale. Kudos to him for taking his beliefs, doubts, and issues with a religion, a society, and cultivating them into a piece of art to be enjoyed for all time.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding piece of modern literature.
Review: This book is captivating, humorous and written with a colorful choice of words, deriving from a wide spectrum of walks of life. Salman Rushdie has painted a glamorous picture of events that are almost time independent, crossing boundaries of imagination, and shining light on various dimensions of diverse lives and views. It is not well suited for people who are challenged by independent thinking.
Rating:
Summary: Satanic Verses - Good and Evil - how are they different
Review: Salman Rushdie takes the reader of Satanic Verses on a roller coaster ride through Heaven and Hell. The way Rushdie bounces back and forth between the present and the past is sometimes confusing. Since I am not Muslim or Indian, I tended to get lost in the Indian names, and the many variations of names Rushdie uses for each person. At times, I found myself going back and re-reading sections to determine who a character was and their significance to the story. However, overall this is a very good book that gives a different perspective on good and evil. I found myself glued to this book, unable to put it down, until I found out what was going to happen next to the character being portrayed in that particular section. Rushdie's use of descriptive language enables the reader to see in their mind what the characters look like. He is especially vivid in describing the physical appearance of the devil.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful novel, yet not for the weak
Review: I like books that are easy to read and that draw me into their little world. However, the problem with the "Verses" is that there is so much word play that I found myself confused many times.I tend to gravitate towards books that are less challenging to understand and more transparent when making their point. This book, though makes its point, runs the unnecessary risk of losing a lot of readers about half way. On the other hand, the vocabulary is brilliant, and the challenge of understanding it is really what sets the book apart. The schisms that take place b/t the unlikely two counterparts help to unfold a thickening plot about the battles b/t good and evil. This is evident when the books protagonist turns into a goat and is then beaten, formally, by police. Furthermore, he awakens to find himself in a hospital ward surrounded by other metamorphesized creatures. B/c they are all being treated very badly and have no means of achieving satisfying life from within the ward, they, the creatures, form a pact and decide to escape. Parts like this make this book very worthwhile to read. The complexity of the events and that of the characters really bring to life the main point of the story. Reading this book is not for the weak minded. Once you begin, I would suggest you take your time to really take in what you are being exposed to. Then you might have some sort of appreciation of what the author is portraying.
Rating:
Summary: Wrestling with God
Review: On the evening of September 10, 2001, the acclaimed, or is it notorious, British-Indian author of The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie, came to Houston to read from his latest work. A small crowd of Ayatollah-following extremist protesters picketed outside the Alley Theater. If that is all they're up to now, I thought, perhaps we've heard the last of the jihad, the fatwa and the Islamic crazies. Little did I know what outrage awaited the next day. When I found The Satanic Verses in the book store, I thought, If this is a war of ideas, a war for the mind, then my own little personal protest will be to read what my enemy does not want anyone to read. It had not occurred to me before, because the fervor of the fatwa led me to believe Salman Rushdie's book was some sort of religious tract or angry political protest against Muslim fundamentalism, not a novel of brilliant imagination, sensual metaphor and lyrical poetry. It is a story of India and Britain, and the inevitable clashes between, brought on by their long, and turbulent history together. It is a story about personal identity, racial identity and religious identity. It is a story of damnation and redemption, love and betrayal, betrayal and forgiveness. But most of all, it is a story about people. Deep, colorful and live, full of passion, humor and questions for the Almighty. It is, in short, a human story, so well crafted, that anyone, even someone like me who has little experience with India or Islam, can relate to its message. Perhaps this accessibility is just what worried the Ayatollah Khomeni. By issuing his death sentence upon Salman Rushdie's head, he drew widespread attention and sympathy for a talented writer who might otherwise have gone unnoticed outside his own circle of interest. Khomeni also demonstrated what power mere words could hold over those who rule by the absolutism of ideas. "What does a poet write? Verses. What jingle-jangles in Gibreel's brain? Verses. What broke his heart? Verses and again verses." Rushdie's criticism for the religion of Islam/Submission, as spread by the Prophet Mohammed/Mahound, is sharp, angry and completely unapologetic. He even goes so far as to suggest that Mahound invented a lot of the "rules" of this religion for the sake of convenience, or compromise, in businesslike fashion,
for the more successful spread and maintenance of power of the Idea and its officials. Throughout the story, Rushdie asks the question, Where are the words, or verses, attributed to God/Allah really coming from? "All around him, he thinks as he half-dreams, half-wakes, are people hearing voices, being seduced by words. But not his; never his original material. - Then whose? Who is whispering in their ears, enabling them to move mountains, halt clocks, diagnose disease? He can't work it out." No wonder Khomeni was afraid. One amusing thing is that Rushdie was clearly aware of the danger he was creating for himself by writing and publishing his opinions. "'And now Mahound is coming in triumph; so I shall lose my life after all. And his power has grown too great for me to unmake him now.' Baal asked: 'Why are you sure he will kill you?' Salman the Persian answered: 'It's his Word against mine'." I did not, however, get the sense that Rushdie was arguing against belief in God or even Allah. The book has too much life-affirming optimism for such a stance. His argument is against God's misuse for the purpose of controlling or subjugating people; that submission is not for normal human beings. Normal
human beings wrestle with God, have doubts, questions, even anger. "What kind of idea are you?" He asks repeatedly throughout the book. "How do you behave when you are weak?" - Bend, compromise, in order to survive? "How do you behave when you are strong?" Hard, unyielding, pure? or Forgiving and merciful? But even while all these heavy questions are being considered and discussed, Rushdie never loses his sense of humor. "Gibreel's vision of the Supreme Being was not abstract in the least. He saw, sitting on the bed, a man of about the same age as himself, of medium height, fairly heavily built, with salt-and-pepper beard cropped close to the jaw. What struck him most was that the apparition was balding, seemed to suffer from dandruff and wore glasses." With his lightning-fast wit and willingness to satire even himself, he reminds us all that, Hey, this is a book, a novel, and its first purpose is to entertain. The Ayatollahs, Imams and religious dictators need to lighten up.
Rating:
Summary: BE CAREFUL--you'll be spoiled!
Review: This is a breathtaking book, in every way. It is so rich in figurative language, beautiful wordplay, fantastic story, and twists and turns. I first read it to see what it said that was worth death threats against the author, but I was drawn in by the first page and read it for its own sake. And then read it again. And again. And again. In fact, it took me a long time to get off the first page; I read it aloud several times for myself, aloud to friends a few times, and finally found a way to move on to page 2. You don't have to know a lot about the Koran or Islam to enjoy the book, but if you do know a little it makes the reading even better. Be assured, though, that you can read it without any knowledge of these influences and be thrilled. My criticism of the book is that it drags a little in the middle. You kind of get bogged down--but keep reading! Push on, and you will be rewarded. My personal sorrow is that I'm now spoiled for other authors. I keep trying, really I do. I try other authors but usually find them pale and trite and boring when compared with the clever wonder of Rushdie. Please, Mr. Rushdie, write some more for me!
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Mike Stanley just does not get it...
Review: I understood the views of the previous ones: 'you should know something about Islam' or 'good structure and literary prose, but the book was full of nonsense'. But Mike Stanley says that The Satanic Verses is "filled with uninteresting writings" and "the characters are not well devoloped". Whether or not the book is interesting or not is a matter of preference i suppose, but declaring that the characters are not well developed is beyond ridiculous. The first ninety three pages describes nothing but the two main characters! I am not a fan of spoon-feeding data into the reader and this is borderline in that respect! And Mr. Stanley are quotes, "the story line has no basis or distinction". Mike; Basis (remember, Mike, this is fiction): two men -whose life stories are practically told in the first ninety-three pages, as mentioned- realize that they are something that they never imagined they may be; God and devil, confonting one another in the wake of a terrorist attack. Mike; Distinction: I, being an ardent reader, have not been introduced to such a basis. Have you folks? This book is very interesting. As an atheist, I will admit that I did not understand some of the Koranesque stuff. The first few pages of each chapter were hard to grasp at first (what's life without challenge?), but from then on you discover that Rushdie is a master at his craft. Give it a shot.
From someone who can see art when it is in front of his face.
Rating:
Summary: A quick and satisfying questioning of authority
Review: Don't be put off by the insidery folks' ... that "you have to know Islam." It's an easy read. If you know that Mohammed is Islam's prophet, you'll understand the book and exactly why the Muslims are upset. It's an interesting enough tale, well-spun, and I enjoyed Rushdie's unique voice.
Rating:
Summary: A Prophecy? Perhaps!
Review: I read this book just recently and the events of Sept.11,01 had at least some similarities: a jet that explodes, radical muslims involved and so forth. The author, Mr. Rushdie received a death sentence from the Iranian Kohmeni regime for this book, and Rushdie lives in hiding somewhere in England. This book was certainly a type of prophecy but it also provides us with vital insight into the mind of some islamic fundamentalists. Interesting. Another book that I highly recommend which talks about the modern-day nuclear terrorism at a completely new level and which might be a powerful prophecy is THE CONSULTANT by Alec Donzi.
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