Reviewed: The Beast with Nine Billion Feet

The Beast with Nine Billion Feet

by Anil Menon

Young Zubaan (2009)

Four Green Stars (very good indeed!)

In Anil Menon's The Beast with Nine Billion Feet, Pune of 2040 is a city that is at once familiar and strange: strict Sanskrit teachers; climate change; roadside dhabas; talking auto rickshaws; and persistent poverty--the Pune of the future has it all, and then some.  Thirteen year old Tara and her seventeen year old brother, Aditya live with their aunt and face many of the same problems young people have always faced: confusing friendships, unreasonable adults, difficult exams.  But when they meet two strange new friends and their "terrorist" father comes out of exile to a hero's welcome, things begin to get exciting.

This is not a "guide to green living", nor is it a political tract. It is a well-written adventure.  But we are reviewing it here at the dhaba because good literature has always been one way in which people confront and consider the important questions of their time.   And The Beast with Nine Billion Feet will get young readers thinking about many important questions.  Is it OK to genetically modify life to meet human whims or needs? Can science serve super-rich citizens of super-developed northern countries and poor Indian farmers at the same time?  Is Indian democracy capable of responding to a genuine (and messy) people's movement for ecological and social justice?

This book is successful in part because it does not provide tidy answers to the questions it raises.  Like most good literature, The Beast with Nine Billion Feet is challenging. If you read only Enid Blyton or Chetan Bhagat, this might not be your cup of tea.  But those who are willing to willing to work a little bit will not be disappointed.  And if you have a 13+ year old child who likes science fiction, this is a must buy.  In fact, if you are a science fiction fan of any age, you should consider buying this book for yourself.


Buy The Beast with Nine Billion Feet at Friends of Books.
Author Anil Menon's website