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Commonwealth Empire #1
The Inhuman Race
The year is 2033. The British Empire never fell. Communism never happened. The Commonwealth flies the flag of the Empire. Many of the Empire’s colonies are stripped bare in the name of British interests, powerless to resist. Upon this stage is Ceylon – a once-proud civilization tracing itself back to the time of the Pharaohs, reduced but not dead. The Great Houses of Kandy still control the most lucrative trade routes, since even dust and ashes can serve a purpose. In this surreal landscape, where technology and humanity intersect, we meet The Silent Girl – a survivor, an explorer.
- GenresScience Fiction
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2018
6 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
29 books236 followersYudhanjaya Wijeratne is a Nebula-nominated science fiction author and data scientist from Colombo, Sri Lanka. By day he is a senior researcher with the Data, Algorithms and Policy team at LIRNEasia, working at the intersection of technology and government policy.
He is the co-founder of Watchdog, a fact-checking organization that sprung up in the wake of the April 2019 bombings in Sri Lanka. He built and operates @osunpoet, an experimental Instagram poet using OpenAI technology to test a human+AI collaboration in art - a thesis currently being explored in an entirely separate trilogy of novels.
Yudhanjaya blogs at Yudhanjaya.com, and has written for Slate, Foreign Policy and more besides.
He is the co-founder of Watchdog, a fact-checking organization that sprung up in the wake of the April 2019 bombings in Sri Lanka. He built and operates @osunpoet, an experimental Instagram poet using OpenAI technology to test a human+AI collaboration in art - a thesis currently being explored in an entirely separate trilogy of novels.
Yudhanjaya blogs at Yudhanjaya.com, and has written for Slate, Foreign Policy and more besides.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 5, 2021
The Inhuman Race features a Ceylon in 2033, where the British never left and the Houses of Kandy still exist.. Science fiction is a genre that I don’t usually pursue but with this epic blurb, how could I not??
I’m glad I did. This was a diverting read; combining elements of both the past and the future, the familiar and the unimagined, with some dry Sri Lankan humour thrown in. I wished this book were longer: more about the dystopian system and why and how things are the way they are. I guess sometimes possibilities can be a bit too endless.
I’m glad I did. This was a diverting read; combining elements of both the past and the future, the familiar and the unimagined, with some dry Sri Lankan humour thrown in. I wished this book were longer: more about the dystopian system and why and how things are the way they are. I guess sometimes possibilities can be a bit too endless.
December 12, 2018
This story deserves 5 stars, but I'm not going to give it - Harper Collins India you have ruined a good book!
But positives first
The story starts in the year 2033. Elizabeth the Third is Queen of England and its various dominions, the Chinese are a powerful contender, and the city of Colombo is a destroyed wasteland. We follow the life of a girl who is dumb, and communicates with the aid of a radio by playing pre-recorded phrases. She lives in Colombo 3 and unlike many of the other children (there are no adults mentioned) she is a loner and does not belong to a tribe (the tribes are named after famous hotels now destroyed). She makes a new friend who is called Pissa because he seems a bit mad at first. The first part of the tale takes the reader on their journey towards a better place. The Silent Girl follows her friend to Colombo 1 and joins what seems a paramilitary group (again composed of only children, and you begin to realise something is not right). She discovers something terrible and flees with him to Kandy, now the centre of government, only to meet an untimely end. (I have tried to limit spoilers as much as possible!). The rest of the story follows Dr. Kushlani de Almeida in her quest for justice.
I liked the idea of a girl who is unable to talk as the central character. Her struggles to communicate make her thoughts and actions so much more meaningful. I also enjoyed the writer's style and turn of phrase. There were some particularly striking descriptions that were worth a second read.
"Then, the Sun appeared: a half-disc, glowing, the lone trumpet, pitching in, signalling the rest of the orchestra to begin. And then the gold exploded everywhere, flinging its arms and dispelling the night. Clouds swirled in glee. She gasped. It was just so beautiful."
The references to music did not stop there. I found particularly insightful the classical music that was played every morning to wake the children up (the ghoulish sound of Mozart's Lacrimosa Requiem gives a hint of what is to come, and Max Bruch's First Violin Concerto is known as the Music that did not Kill).
The fact that the story is set in Sri Lanka made for some interesting insider jokes and references that foreigners will not get (like the Bandaranaike family having been in power for decades, and the Singhe-le t-shirt flying high atop a mountain of garbage). Nevertheless I felt that given the genre, the back story was easy to latch on to. There are so many similarities, but also many differences in the world which is created in this narrative. There are thankfully no info-dumps but all the bits and pieces leak in almost subconsciously giving due place to the story unfolding. I also appreciated how there are tiny clues left scattered that you may remember later and go 'ah ha!' (flipping back and forth on an ebook is not as easy as with a paperback, but I must confess I went back and hunted for certain passages to re-read them so that they made sense after the 'revelations').
There were so many cultural references that were pure gems. My personal favourite was the password exchange between Pissa and Kanishkasir. The 'mango tree' conversation taken from the Mahavamsa of how Mahinda Thera tested King Devanampiyatissa's intelligence ties up nicely with the debate of sentient beings and intelligence later in the book.
Now to the negatives -
There were so many typos it was criminal! I hope the paperback is of better quality! I also felt that the story divided quite nicely into three sections - the children and their journey ending with when they reach Kandy, the aftermath of that ending with Almeida's determination to dig deeper, the events of 30 years later. I felt that the book should have been sectioned into official parts as it was a bit confusing to turn the page and start the next chapter and realise the story does not continue but jumps in what seems a completely disjointed manner. I also would have liked the native-speak of the first part to have had the Sinhala-Tamil bastardized speech that is referred to later by the scientists. Except for one instance where there is a phrase (Eelanga - Atutta - Xiayige) given in Sinhala, Chinese and (I think) Tamil, all the phrases are in Sinhalese only, which does not pair with the diagnosis given later. Also, the family name of Bandara suddenly became Bandaranaike in just one place in the text (the latter name of course made a lot more sense) - I don't know if that was intentional or just another typo. Also, I was left wondering at which point in the timeline the updates and memory re-sets were put in - whether in was only the first bots of Silent-girl's era that were not programmed like that, or whether it was an upgrade introduced in the thirty year gap between parts 2 and 3. If bots got regular memory re-sets from the start of the story (Is that what the Bluetooth paring was about?) to prevent them learning and remembering, how did Pissa and the others who lived alongside Silent-Girl behave in such a human fashion knowing Beauty, Goodness, Truth and Justice? I may need to read the book a second time to sort that one out.
Science Fiction writers today do more than entertain. They question concepts that we take for granted. This book is no different. What makes one human? What is sentience? How do you react when you discover there is something fundamentally wrong with accepted social norms and behaviour? This book also made me stop and value beauty, kindness, friendship and justice - the everyday things you accept as normal in life - because it is later revealed that the children have no right to those very things and it is an abnormality for them to value those at all.
"There were four main things that the ancients considered essential to a human being. Beauty, goodness, truth and justice...If you believe buggers who died a few thousand years ago, we've got the four main attributes of a human right here... You do realise, if these things are alive, then we're torturing living things for entertainment?"
The story ends with a sacrifice for the greater good of the Inhuman Race. I can't wait to see what develops next!
But positives first
The story starts in the year 2033. Elizabeth the Third is Queen of England and its various dominions, the Chinese are a powerful contender, and the city of Colombo is a destroyed wasteland. We follow the life of a girl who is dumb, and communicates with the aid of a radio by playing pre-recorded phrases. She lives in Colombo 3 and unlike many of the other children (there are no adults mentioned) she is a loner and does not belong to a tribe (the tribes are named after famous hotels now destroyed). She makes a new friend who is called Pissa because he seems a bit mad at first. The first part of the tale takes the reader on their journey towards a better place. The Silent Girl follows her friend to Colombo 1 and joins what seems a paramilitary group (again composed of only children, and you begin to realise something is not right). She discovers something terrible and flees with him to Kandy, now the centre of government, only to meet an untimely end. (I have tried to limit spoilers as much as possible!). The rest of the story follows Dr. Kushlani de Almeida in her quest for justice.
I liked the idea of a girl who is unable to talk as the central character. Her struggles to communicate make her thoughts and actions so much more meaningful. I also enjoyed the writer's style and turn of phrase. There were some particularly striking descriptions that were worth a second read.
"Then, the Sun appeared: a half-disc, glowing, the lone trumpet, pitching in, signalling the rest of the orchestra to begin. And then the gold exploded everywhere, flinging its arms and dispelling the night. Clouds swirled in glee. She gasped. It was just so beautiful."
The references to music did not stop there. I found particularly insightful the classical music that was played every morning to wake the children up (the ghoulish sound of Mozart's Lacrimosa Requiem gives a hint of what is to come, and Max Bruch's First Violin Concerto is known as the Music that did not Kill).
The fact that the story is set in Sri Lanka made for some interesting insider jokes and references that foreigners will not get (like the Bandaranaike family having been in power for decades, and the Singhe-le t-shirt flying high atop a mountain of garbage). Nevertheless I felt that given the genre, the back story was easy to latch on to. There are so many similarities, but also many differences in the world which is created in this narrative. There are thankfully no info-dumps but all the bits and pieces leak in almost subconsciously giving due place to the story unfolding. I also appreciated how there are tiny clues left scattered that you may remember later and go 'ah ha!' (flipping back and forth on an ebook is not as easy as with a paperback, but I must confess I went back and hunted for certain passages to re-read them so that they made sense after the 'revelations').
There were so many cultural references that were pure gems. My personal favourite was the password exchange between Pissa and Kanishkasir. The 'mango tree' conversation taken from the Mahavamsa of how Mahinda Thera tested King Devanampiyatissa's intelligence ties up nicely with the debate of sentient beings and intelligence later in the book.
Now to the negatives -
There were so many typos it was criminal! I hope the paperback is of better quality! I also felt that the story divided quite nicely into three sections - the children and their journey ending with when they reach Kandy, the aftermath of that ending with Almeida's determination to dig deeper, the events of 30 years later. I felt that the book should have been sectioned into official parts as it was a bit confusing to turn the page and start the next chapter and realise the story does not continue but jumps in what seems a completely disjointed manner. I also would have liked the native-speak of the first part to have had the Sinhala-Tamil bastardized speech that is referred to later by the scientists. Except for one instance where there is a phrase (Eelanga - Atutta - Xiayige) given in Sinhala, Chinese and (I think) Tamil, all the phrases are in Sinhalese only, which does not pair with the diagnosis given later. Also, the family name of Bandara suddenly became Bandaranaike in just one place in the text (the latter name of course made a lot more sense) - I don't know if that was intentional or just another typo. Also, I was left wondering at which point in the timeline the updates and memory re-sets were put in - whether in was only the first bots of Silent-girl's era that were not programmed like that, or whether it was an upgrade introduced in the thirty year gap between parts 2 and 3. If bots got regular memory re-sets from the start of the story (Is that what the Bluetooth paring was about?) to prevent them learning and remembering, how did Pissa and the others who lived alongside Silent-Girl behave in such a human fashion knowing Beauty, Goodness, Truth and Justice? I may need to read the book a second time to sort that one out.
Science Fiction writers today do more than entertain. They question concepts that we take for granted. This book is no different. What makes one human? What is sentience? How do you react when you discover there is something fundamentally wrong with accepted social norms and behaviour? This book also made me stop and value beauty, kindness, friendship and justice - the everyday things you accept as normal in life - because it is later revealed that the children have no right to those very things and it is an abnormality for them to value those at all.
"There were four main things that the ancients considered essential to a human being. Beauty, goodness, truth and justice...If you believe buggers who died a few thousand years ago, we've got the four main attributes of a human right here... You do realise, if these things are alive, then we're torturing living things for entertainment?"
The story ends with a sacrifice for the greater good of the Inhuman Race. I can't wait to see what develops next!
December 31, 2018
Ugh..(a nice ugh by the way)..this is creepy crazy..The Inhuman Race by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne, a Sri Lankan writer marks the first time I am reading science fiction! Hell yeah! I have never read science fiction though I have been fascinated by writers like Ray Bradbury, Arthur C Clarke and HG Wells.
It took me some time to get into the groove of this book. But boy! the narrative, the ambience, the setting and the crazy crazy world it describes is what kept me engrossed. I loved the almost chaotic, very surreal world of tech bods and tech waste in a world where the British Empire has never fallen and Ceylon is struggling to keep afloat on its past glories and current violence.
I loved the mention of contemporary political mooring in the books, how a futuristic world is almost dominated by children being subjects of tech games being watched and logged in. that brief analogy to cricket as an almost blood sport that was mentioned almost in passing was sheer brilliance.
would recommend this for science fiction and dystopian book readers. this be the last book for 2018.
Thank you Harper Collins India for a review copy. All opinions are my own.
It took me some time to get into the groove of this book. But boy! the narrative, the ambience, the setting and the crazy crazy world it describes is what kept me engrossed. I loved the almost chaotic, very surreal world of tech bods and tech waste in a world where the British Empire has never fallen and Ceylon is struggling to keep afloat on its past glories and current violence.
I loved the mention of contemporary political mooring in the books, how a futuristic world is almost dominated by children being subjects of tech games being watched and logged in. that brief analogy to cricket as an almost blood sport that was mentioned almost in passing was sheer brilliance.
would recommend this for science fiction and dystopian book readers. this be the last book for 2018.
Thank you Harper Collins India for a review copy. All opinions are my own.
December 17, 2018
The Inhuman Race (#1 of Commonwealth Empire)
By - Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
Population, ten zillion and six
Where signs say, "Welcome to the Star Core Metropolis"
Me, I live on the wired side of town
Reaching and searching for a space called paradise found
(Metropolis by Janelle Monae)
In 1927 German moviemaker Fritz Lang made a silent Sci Fi movie that discussed class division called Metropolis. It also had a robot with human likeness.
Janelle Monae broke in to the music scene with an EP and a conceptual album based on that movie and fashioned an alter ego (similar to Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust) called Cindi Mayweather (android #57281)
Her music was brought to my mind as I read ‘The Inhuman Race’
In the year 2033, We are still under British rule , Elizabeth the Third is on the throne, the Commonwealth flag is flying high , and the country is called Ceylon.
In that backdrop, we meet the ‘Silent Girl’ amidst the ruins of Colombo’s top hotels.
The city is mainly being used as a Garbage dump and is also a home for gang warfare among bands of feral children.
Shades of Battle Royale , Lord of the Flies and possibly Hunger Games might come to the readers mind.
“She's praying in the sand like she's the last samurai
It's a stick up stick up and a pick up pick up
Telling lies and telling lies will put your face on fire
Run and tell your friends to never dream, never win
Ghettos keep a crying out to streets full of zombies
Kids are killing kids and then the kids join the army
Rising and a waking, yes sir here comes the sun
March into the war and with the kick of the drum
The wiser simians have got the bombs and the guns
So you might as well keep dancing if you're not gonna run”
(Dance Or Die from the album The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae)
The Silent Girl meets a boy child who is better known as ‘Pissa’ (mad one).
Together , they leave the ruined Colombo after a fateful night and boards a supply train heading to Kandy.
Kandy is where the rulers are , the governing center. The Mahanayake (ultimate Judiciary) resides along with the powerful houses that controls the resources and trade routes.
Kandy is where the girl and boy meets with an unexpected fate.
Then it falls on one Doctor De Almeida to bring some semblance of justice to the ‘Silent Girl ‘ and ‘Pissa’.
By the time the readers find out the identity of ‘Silent Girl’ and ‘Pissa’ , they’ll be six deep in the book and will only surface once they’re done.
I’ll give 5 stars to the author for imagining such a story.
However, the concept of AI beings and their evolution have been discussed from Asimov to Philip K Dick and Ted Chiang so there’s nothing original conceptually.
But the author manages to mash up uniquely Sri Lankan situations and folklore to build up the story.
There were instances where I felt whether non Sri Lankan Readers would feel put off by that.
Maybe a footnote or two might be helpful.
Plus I needed to know the rationale behind using gangs of ‘Kids’ as entertainment.
Why not ‘adult beings’ ? It kind of reminded me about child conscription by the L.T.T.E.
I’m not sure whether I missed a point where it was elaborated in the book, if that’s the case I need to re read !
Then there were all those typos in my Kindle copy. Let’s hope they correct it by the time the next book is released.
Despite those few concerns , the Inhuman Race was a page turner.
It ends with a cliff hanger that makes you want to call up the author and ask him to finish the next book ASAP !
Overall rating is 4 stars.
Eagerly await the 2nd installment of the Commonwealth Empire saga.
By - Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
Population, ten zillion and six
Where signs say, "Welcome to the Star Core Metropolis"
Me, I live on the wired side of town
Reaching and searching for a space called paradise found
(Metropolis by Janelle Monae)
In 1927 German moviemaker Fritz Lang made a silent Sci Fi movie that discussed class division called Metropolis. It also had a robot with human likeness.
Janelle Monae broke in to the music scene with an EP and a conceptual album based on that movie and fashioned an alter ego (similar to Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust) called Cindi Mayweather (android #57281)
Her music was brought to my mind as I read ‘The Inhuman Race’
In the year 2033, We are still under British rule , Elizabeth the Third is on the throne, the Commonwealth flag is flying high , and the country is called Ceylon.
In that backdrop, we meet the ‘Silent Girl’ amidst the ruins of Colombo’s top hotels.
The city is mainly being used as a Garbage dump and is also a home for gang warfare among bands of feral children.
Shades of Battle Royale , Lord of the Flies and possibly Hunger Games might come to the readers mind.
“She's praying in the sand like she's the last samurai
It's a stick up stick up and a pick up pick up
Telling lies and telling lies will put your face on fire
Run and tell your friends to never dream, never win
Ghettos keep a crying out to streets full of zombies
Kids are killing kids and then the kids join the army
Rising and a waking, yes sir here comes the sun
March into the war and with the kick of the drum
The wiser simians have got the bombs and the guns
So you might as well keep dancing if you're not gonna run”
(Dance Or Die from the album The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae)
The Silent Girl meets a boy child who is better known as ‘Pissa’ (mad one).
Together , they leave the ruined Colombo after a fateful night and boards a supply train heading to Kandy.
Kandy is where the rulers are , the governing center. The Mahanayake (ultimate Judiciary) resides along with the powerful houses that controls the resources and trade routes.
Kandy is where the girl and boy meets with an unexpected fate.
Then it falls on one Doctor De Almeida to bring some semblance of justice to the ‘Silent Girl ‘ and ‘Pissa’.
By the time the readers find out the identity of ‘Silent Girl’ and ‘Pissa’ , they’ll be six deep in the book and will only surface once they’re done.
I’ll give 5 stars to the author for imagining such a story.
However, the concept of AI beings and their evolution have been discussed from Asimov to Philip K Dick and Ted Chiang so there’s nothing original conceptually.
But the author manages to mash up uniquely Sri Lankan situations and folklore to build up the story.
There were instances where I felt whether non Sri Lankan Readers would feel put off by that.
Maybe a footnote or two might be helpful.
Plus I needed to know the rationale behind using gangs of ‘Kids’ as entertainment.
Why not ‘adult beings’ ? It kind of reminded me about child conscription by the L.T.T.E.
I’m not sure whether I missed a point where it was elaborated in the book, if that’s the case I need to re read !
Then there were all those typos in my Kindle copy. Let’s hope they correct it by the time the next book is released.
Despite those few concerns , the Inhuman Race was a page turner.
It ends with a cliff hanger that makes you want to call up the author and ask him to finish the next book ASAP !
Overall rating is 4 stars.
Eagerly await the 2nd installment of the Commonwealth Empire saga.
January 4, 2019
"But if we kill them all, are we any better than them?"
Name- The Inhuman Race
Written By- Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
Published by- HarperCollins
Pages- 187
Review-
"Power" a small word which controls the entire civilization.
It has always been about power, in terms of wealth or position. The only constant in our world is this struggle for power.
The Inhuman Race, describes a tale of an unknown world, a world where the humans co-exists with the machines they created. "Bots" to be precise. Bots who resembles much like the human children. Bots who are designed to kill each other. To fight and die. If its "why" you are planning to ask, the answer will unnerve you more. Simple human pleasure. To derive the satisfaction of bot children killing each other on camera, betting huge sums of money and gain a little more, perhaps a higher position in the power struggle.
The author takes us to Ceylon, where these incidents of horror takes place. The British Empire still controls most of the world and technology had progressed beyond comprehension.
Among this lust for power and entertainment we the readers get to meet "The Silent Girl".
Described as "a survivor, an explorer, a threat" the readers comes face to face with the original reality of the situation through her journey. We laugh, we weep and we root for her and her friend The Pissa.
The entire plot was well built with an adequate amount of suspense. I loved how the author carried on with the plot and pulled off the climax effortlessly.
Wijeratne, created a world so chaotic yet realistic that will give you goosebumps and yet make you question- Do we human beings really deserve to be a superior race?
Name- The Inhuman Race
Written By- Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
Published by- HarperCollins
Pages- 187
Review-
"Power" a small word which controls the entire civilization.
It has always been about power, in terms of wealth or position. The only constant in our world is this struggle for power.
The Inhuman Race, describes a tale of an unknown world, a world where the humans co-exists with the machines they created. "Bots" to be precise. Bots who resembles much like the human children. Bots who are designed to kill each other. To fight and die. If its "why" you are planning to ask, the answer will unnerve you more. Simple human pleasure. To derive the satisfaction of bot children killing each other on camera, betting huge sums of money and gain a little more, perhaps a higher position in the power struggle.
The author takes us to Ceylon, where these incidents of horror takes place. The British Empire still controls most of the world and technology had progressed beyond comprehension.
Among this lust for power and entertainment we the readers get to meet "The Silent Girl".
Described as "a survivor, an explorer, a threat" the readers comes face to face with the original reality of the situation through her journey. We laugh, we weep and we root for her and her friend The Pissa.
The entire plot was well built with an adequate amount of suspense. I loved how the author carried on with the plot and pulled off the climax effortlessly.
Wijeratne, created a world so chaotic yet realistic that will give you goosebumps and yet make you question- Do we human beings really deserve to be a superior race?
March 25, 2019
After reading the first chapter I closed the book because dystopian children are a very disturbing theme for me. But thought of giving it another try and finished the story this weekend. What made this story unique is, the story set in Sri Lanka and Yudhanjaya’ cultural and political references which made it very familiar, yet dissimilar to the present period. The concept was not new to me, also, I didn’t like the part of child form of robots using for entertainment. Despite those few concerns and some typos, The Inhuman Race was indeed a page turner. Highly recommend this for dystopian sci-fi fans.
September 24, 2019
not good.
October 25, 2019
(After reading Numbercaste I'm reducing my rating of The Inhuman Race to 1/5 because despite Numbercaste being a self published debut the writing was better and story was more coherent)
While reading the book I think I went through the 5 stages of grief. I was really confused, annoyed and disappointed but near the end accepted it and was only passively reading. I didn't care about what was happening, I just wanted it to be over.
Pros
-The writing was not painful to read
-The book was mercifully short
-The female characters were characters and respectfully written
-My book was a floppy paperback
-The cover is pretty. Good job
Cons
Everything else
Writing:
It wasn't painful to read. It was alright- I could read it but it wasn't anything remarkable to be honest. It was rather amateurish. It was pretty much all telling and no showing. There were also several grammatical and spelling errors (like incorrect/missing spacing and missing hyphens) which was a bit distracting. This is the fault of the publisher who should more closely proof read their manuscripts before publication. My mother told me I should not have such high standards for Harper Collins India.
Plot:
The first half was ok but then the story took a sharp left turn and started doing something completely different. It made me wonder what was the point of any of it.
The second half was so boring. It was like the author started writing one story, ran out of steam or wrote himself into a corner and started writing something completely different.
World Building:
Waste of potential. The more I read, the more that was explained the worse the story got. I wish less was explained because the real reasons were so lame.
And to be honest none of the world building made much sense. There were 'why's but no 'how' so it seemed really flimsy. You'd think a world with a drastically different history and technology would be drastically different but no, basically the same but worse with out of place super-advance tech. How did any of this happen? Who knows! Nothing makes sense.
Themes:
Unoriginal. Not really as deep as the author seems to think it is. Pretty much standard, almost cliche sci-fi tbh.
Tl;dr
Would not recommend.
Read full spoiler filled review on my blog HERE
While reading the book I think I went through the 5 stages of grief. I was really confused, annoyed and disappointed but near the end accepted it and was only passively reading. I didn't care about what was happening, I just wanted it to be over.
Pros
-The writing was not painful to read
-The book was mercifully short
-The female characters were characters and respectfully written
-My book was a floppy paperback
-The cover is pretty. Good job
Cons
Writing:
It wasn't painful to read. It was alright- I could read it but it wasn't anything remarkable to be honest. It was rather amateurish. It was pretty much all telling and no showing. There were also several grammatical and spelling errors (like incorrect/missing spacing and missing hyphens) which was a bit distracting. This is the fault of the publisher who should more closely proof read their manuscripts before publication. My mother told me I should not have such high standards for Harper Collins India.
Plot:
The first half was ok but then the story took a sharp left turn and started doing something completely different. It made me wonder what was the point of any of it.
The second half was so boring. It was like the author started writing one story, ran out of steam or wrote himself into a corner and started writing something completely different.
World Building:
Waste of potential. The more I read, the more that was explained the worse the story got. I wish less was explained because the real reasons were so lame.
And to be honest none of the world building made much sense. There were 'why's but no 'how' so it seemed really flimsy. You'd think a world with a drastically different history and technology would be drastically different but no, basically the same but worse with out of place super-advance tech. How did any of this happen? Who knows! Nothing makes sense.
Themes:
Unoriginal. Not really as deep as the author seems to think it is. Pretty much standard, almost cliche sci-fi tbh.
Tl;dr
Would not recommend.
Read full spoiler filled review on my blog HERE
May 29, 2019
A very promising start to a trilogy.
The Inhuman Race is set in a future Sri Lanka where cyborg children fight each other for the entertainment of humans. The Brits hadn’t left, the law is upheld by Buddhist monks, and technology is inventing wonders.
What I liked best about this book is how close to home it is. I live in Colombo, and when the author takes me through a decrepit future version of the city, I can paint an all too realistic and terrifying picture of what it looks like. This is a story about people who think and talk like me and shares my brown frustrations. How tribal of me.
The point I want to get to is that I have never quite had this kind of relatability with a book before. International readers may fail to notice some Lankan references, but I’m thankful to the author for putting them in anyway.
But don’t mistake this for a book only Lankans can enjoy. It is very much a story of humanity, and the lack of it in some cases. I can’t wait for the rest.
The Inhuman Race is set in a future Sri Lanka where cyborg children fight each other for the entertainment of humans. The Brits hadn’t left, the law is upheld by Buddhist monks, and technology is inventing wonders.
What I liked best about this book is how close to home it is. I live in Colombo, and when the author takes me through a decrepit future version of the city, I can paint an all too realistic and terrifying picture of what it looks like. This is a story about people who think and talk like me and shares my brown frustrations. How tribal of me.
The point I want to get to is that I have never quite had this kind of relatability with a book before. International readers may fail to notice some Lankan references, but I’m thankful to the author for putting them in anyway.
But don’t mistake this for a book only Lankans can enjoy. It is very much a story of humanity, and the lack of it in some cases. I can’t wait for the rest.
December 23, 2021
Brilliant, inventive and intelligent science fiction filled with surprises and not afraid to take unexpected turns to help tell the bigger story. I urgently need to know what happened next
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
December 1, 2023
This short work of Sri Lankan speculative fiction is set fifteen years in the future of a world where the British Empire never ended, and Ceylon is still a colony of the Queen -- albeit one with a Chinese port concession thanks to the military ruthlessness of the Song Empire. It was this alternate history that caught my eye and got me to pick this up. But that geopolitical context has more or less nothing to do with the plot of the book, which falls into three sections.
In the first, we meet a nameless near-feral mute girl who scavenges for food and water in the ruins of Columbo. It seems the ruins are divided into areas that mimic the old structures (Columbo 1 vs. Columbo 4, etc.) and in her area, different gangs of children vie for control of neighborhoods. One day, a healthier, well-fed boy shows up near the building she lives in, and they form a partnership. He convinces her to join him on a journey to the city of Kandy, a place of abundance and power at the heart of the island.
The second part of the book shifts to Kandy -- where we learn that groups of robots are mass produced to fight wars that are livestreamed for entertainment. Basically an updated version of The Running Man, or Battle Royale, or take your pick -- but with robots. Dr. Almeida and her boss are having to figure out how to handle a situation where some of the robots seem to have gone rogue.
The final section takes place thirty years later, as Dr. Almeida is at the heart of a legal case attempting to prove to a court of Buddhist monks that robots can develop the virtues than define being human: appreciation of beauty, recognition of goodness, and understanding of truth, and the desire for justice. This starts to tread in very familiar territory, and while I'm no expert in speculative fiction's treatment of AI sentience, I wasn't getting any new perspectives from this.
The story continues in a sequel called "The Inhuman Peace" -- but I'm probably not going to seek it out. The first third of this book was engaging -- it felt fresh and I had no idea where it was heading. The other 2/3 of the book were a little more inert, and while there was plenty of Sri Lankan color to it, the story just wasn't nearly as interesting.
In the first, we meet a nameless near-feral mute girl who scavenges for food and water in the ruins of Columbo. It seems the ruins are divided into areas that mimic the old structures (Columbo 1 vs. Columbo 4, etc.) and in her area, different gangs of children vie for control of neighborhoods. One day, a healthier, well-fed boy shows up near the building she lives in, and they form a partnership. He convinces her to join him on a journey to the city of Kandy, a place of abundance and power at the heart of the island.
The second part of the book shifts to Kandy -- where we learn that groups of robots are mass produced to fight wars that are livestreamed for entertainment. Basically an updated version of The Running Man, or Battle Royale, or take your pick -- but with robots. Dr. Almeida and her boss are having to figure out how to handle a situation where some of the robots seem to have gone rogue.
The final section takes place thirty years later, as Dr. Almeida is at the heart of a legal case attempting to prove to a court of Buddhist monks that robots can develop the virtues than define being human: appreciation of beauty, recognition of goodness, and understanding of truth, and the desire for justice. This starts to tread in very familiar territory, and while I'm no expert in speculative fiction's treatment of AI sentience, I wasn't getting any new perspectives from this.
The story continues in a sequel called "The Inhuman Peace" -- but I'm probably not going to seek it out. The first third of this book was engaging -- it felt fresh and I had no idea where it was heading. The other 2/3 of the book were a little more inert, and while there was plenty of Sri Lankan color to it, the story just wasn't nearly as interesting.
December 26, 2018
Book Name: The Inhuman Race
Author: Yudhanjaya Wijerante
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harper Collins
Note: Book 1 in the Commonwealth series
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Plot: The year is 2033. The British Empire never fell. The Commonwealth flies the flag of the Empire. Many of the Empire's colonies are stripped bare in the name of British interests, powerless to resist. Upon this stage is Ceylon. The Great Houses of Kandy still control the most lucrative trade routes, since even dust and ashes can serve a purpose. In this surreal landscape, where technology and humanity intersect, we meet The Silent Girl - a survivor, an explorer.
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My Opinion: I am completely shocked because this was so amazing! The central character of the book is a silent girl who can't speak & she is conveying everything through her action, phases of life & some old tapes! Reading something which has alot of spice gave me a very different experience, because the book isn't just about the girl or the commonwealth or just about another- Era, it's a complete package of entertainment! She makes a new friend who is called Pissa- who was also an amazing character! Also, characters like Dr. Kushlani & Kandy were real spooky to make any one feel peculiar. I love how the author arranged so many sub-plots & took the reader from one place to another, he made sure that he gives the thrill & entertainment too! Taking about the cover- goes pretty well! Highly recommend!
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Pros: If you are looking for something interesting, thrilling, as well as spooky then this is for you! The best part for me was the characterization because it was in so depth that I totally was able to understand the psychology of the dumb girl, though she was shown as dumb but she was playing the central character & which was like icing on the cake! Now, not revealing much of plot- the story ends with a sacrifice for the greater good of the Inhuman Race. I can't wait to see what happens next in the upcoming book in the series! Fancy writing style was what I totally loved!
Cons: Sudden moves & jerks, many sub- plots may not go with all the readers.
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Rating: 4.5🌟
Author: Yudhanjaya Wijerante
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harper Collins
Note: Book 1 in the Commonwealth series
.
Plot: The year is 2033. The British Empire never fell. The Commonwealth flies the flag of the Empire. Many of the Empire's colonies are stripped bare in the name of British interests, powerless to resist. Upon this stage is Ceylon. The Great Houses of Kandy still control the most lucrative trade routes, since even dust and ashes can serve a purpose. In this surreal landscape, where technology and humanity intersect, we meet The Silent Girl - a survivor, an explorer.
.
My Opinion: I am completely shocked because this was so amazing! The central character of the book is a silent girl who can't speak & she is conveying everything through her action, phases of life & some old tapes! Reading something which has alot of spice gave me a very different experience, because the book isn't just about the girl or the commonwealth or just about another- Era, it's a complete package of entertainment! She makes a new friend who is called Pissa- who was also an amazing character! Also, characters like Dr. Kushlani & Kandy were real spooky to make any one feel peculiar. I love how the author arranged so many sub-plots & took the reader from one place to another, he made sure that he gives the thrill & entertainment too! Taking about the cover- goes pretty well! Highly recommend!
.
Pros: If you are looking for something interesting, thrilling, as well as spooky then this is for you! The best part for me was the characterization because it was in so depth that I totally was able to understand the psychology of the dumb girl, though she was shown as dumb but she was playing the central character & which was like icing on the cake! Now, not revealing much of plot- the story ends with a sacrifice for the greater good of the Inhuman Race. I can't wait to see what happens next in the upcoming book in the series! Fancy writing style was what I totally loved!
Cons: Sudden moves & jerks, many sub- plots may not go with all the readers.
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Rating: 4.5🌟
January 23, 2023
Inhuman Race explores an alternate world where rebellious colonies and uppity Marxists were subdued, the British Empire never ended. Masses of ordinary people eke out disempowered if not miserable lives in the shadow of overwhelming military might and a shadowy, frightening and bizarre secret police force. Against this backdrop, the author brings us to an alternate Sri Lanka where things are not going well.
Colombo lies in ruins following a war between two Empires: British to the west and Chinese to the east. Within the city, gangs of youngsters, abandoned and feral, rule the ruins. They also fuel televised gladiatorial games for the amusement of the masses. Then suddenly, two youths break out, heading up country on the run from their pasts towards an uncertain, precarious and short burst of freedom.
Wijeratne, himself Sri Lankan, writes with a deft and sure style. He’s crafted a fascinating and bleak alternate world shot through with all-too-real inhumanity. His story questions what it is to be human through a series of shifting perspectives and viewpoints. He does an excellent job of bringing us into and then through these, exploring each and then gradually zooming out to the next. His world is both bleak and vivid, crafted with care and told with a light but devastating touch.
Total: 8.5/10 (4 stars, rounded up to 5.)
May 7, 2019
The inhuman race
For ages & millennials, people of this world have been seeking out power. It's the only constant thing in our world & people often struggle for this. Some seek it in terms of wealth, others with position.
Keeping this fact in mind, The Inhuman Race, describes a tale of an unknown world, a world where the humans co-exists with the machines they created.
As the story progresses, we meet 'a survivor, an explorer & a threat' - the readers will be chased between reality & virtual reality. Where machines are trying to dominate over everyone & overrule the world.
Plot is good. Suspense factor is interesting. Climax is good & justified. Cover has been designed really well. It's gorgeous. Language is good. Writing style accompanied by the gripping narration keeps the readers hooked throughout the story. Overall, a good read!
The year is 2033. The British Empire never fell. Communism never happened. The Commonwealth flies the flag of the Empire. Many of the Empire's colonies are stripped bare in the name of British interests, powerless to resist. Upon this stage is Ceylon - a once-proud civilization tracing itself back to the time of the Pharaohs, reduced but not dead. The Great Houses of Kandy still control the most lucrative trade routes, since even dust and ashes can serve a purpose. In this surreal landscape, where technology and humanity intersect, we meet The Silent Girl - a survivor, an explorer.
For ages & millennials, people of this world have been seeking out power. It's the only constant thing in our world & people often struggle for this. Some seek it in terms of wealth, others with position.
Keeping this fact in mind, The Inhuman Race, describes a tale of an unknown world, a world where the humans co-exists with the machines they created.
As the story progresses, we meet 'a survivor, an explorer & a threat' - the readers will be chased between reality & virtual reality. Where machines are trying to dominate over everyone & overrule the world.
Plot is good. Suspense factor is interesting. Climax is good & justified. Cover has been designed really well. It's gorgeous. Language is good. Writing style accompanied by the gripping narration keeps the readers hooked throughout the story. Overall, a good read!
The year is 2033. The British Empire never fell. Communism never happened. The Commonwealth flies the flag of the Empire. Many of the Empire's colonies are stripped bare in the name of British interests, powerless to resist. Upon this stage is Ceylon - a once-proud civilization tracing itself back to the time of the Pharaohs, reduced but not dead. The Great Houses of Kandy still control the most lucrative trade routes, since even dust and ashes can serve a purpose. In this surreal landscape, where technology and humanity intersect, we meet The Silent Girl - a survivor, an explorer.
January 16, 2019
I am not a fan of the sci-fi genre in particular (movies, series or books) and have read very few works in the same sphere. After finishing this book - I have become a fan of Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and this work has acted as a gateway for me to explore many more titles in the genre. The two halves of the book are as different as chalk and cheese and it feels like reading two different books for the price of one (not giving more away due to spoiler alerts.) I cannot already wait for the second book in the series from an author who I strongly believe is a strong voice to watch out for.
January 16, 2022
An odd read, due to Sri Lankan origin and focus, but an interesting world scenario with the true nature of the British ‘Empire’ revealed. The usual “when is a ‘computer’ a ‘person’” scenario is played out through the novel.
February 20, 2019
Yudhanjaya Wijeratne has managed to humanize robots while highlighting the cold, robotic aspects of humans. Absolutely brilliant story. Highly Recommended.
June 14, 2020
Not very original and the writing is overblown.
August 13, 2020
Very interesting concept, and really liked how the perspective suddenly changes halfway through the book. Took me a little while to get into at first, but glad I persevered! 📙🙂
June 25, 2024
Finished it in a day. So much potential. Wish there had been more about continuing colonial exploits but the dystopian theme takes over quite strongly-- promising beginning for the series.
June 9, 2025
Yudhanjaya is a skilled writer, capable of laying out a few traps to capture the reader.
I found myself agreeing with some of his opinions on robots.
I found myself agreeing with some of his opinions on robots.
October 17, 2020
This book was a hard one for me to read because it hit a little too close to home. I had to stop and start a few times but I was always going to finish it. Since I'm also from Kandy the places in the book and the families are pretty familiar to me. That's always a good thing when one is reading a book, to read about a place and think, 'Ohhhh, I went there just last week!'
As for the story, I thought it was like Frankenstein with Robots set in Sri Lanka. I loved the premise and I was very invested in the story of Silent girl. What happened to her and the boy broke my heart, but in a good way. The book was real, no fairy tale ending for anyone, no matter how much, I, the reader, wanted it. I wanted Silent girl and her friend to escape and live a happy life, failing which, at least to be brought back to life. But that doesn't really happen in real life, nor did it happen in Yudhajaya's book. That was hard to accept, and I was angry at the injustice of it all. I wanted my happy ending damn it.
But like all of Yudhanjaya's stories, this was also haunting and beautiful. He never quite gives you what you want from a book, but forces you to accept the reality of what he wants to tell you. You may not like what he has to say, but you're forced to at least consider it. That's what The Inhuman Race does. It lays bare a lot of uncomfortable truths and forces you to face the fact that literature, much like life, is not always sugar and spice and all things nice.
As for the story, I thought it was like Frankenstein with Robots set in Sri Lanka. I loved the premise and I was very invested in the story of Silent girl. What happened to her and the boy broke my heart, but in a good way. The book was real, no fairy tale ending for anyone, no matter how much, I, the reader, wanted it. I wanted Silent girl and her friend to escape and live a happy life, failing which, at least to be brought back to life. But that doesn't really happen in real life, nor did it happen in Yudhajaya's book. That was hard to accept, and I was angry at the injustice of it all. I wanted my happy ending damn it.
But like all of Yudhanjaya's stories, this was also haunting and beautiful. He never quite gives you what you want from a book, but forces you to accept the reality of what he wants to tell you. You may not like what he has to say, but you're forced to at least consider it. That's what The Inhuman Race does. It lays bare a lot of uncomfortable truths and forces you to face the fact that literature, much like life, is not always sugar and spice and all things nice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2019
The Inhuman Race: Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
Book Cover: 4/5
Book summary: 4/5
Language: 3.5/5
Content: 3.5/5
Engagement: 4/5
A futuristic foresight into the year 2033. The very real nightmare of British Empire still exists however with the only difference that now it controls not men but children stuck in warzones, doing odd jobs and fighting on a daily-basis just to make it to the end of the day. However, all hope is not lost.
The civilization of Ceylon is trying its best to survive amidst the remnants of the past and the piling up garbage that endangers the future in ways unforeseen. The pace of the book is fast with no scope for a dull moment, keeps you turning pages for more, and also, the main protagonist (or so as it seems at the beginning of the book) is mute. This creates quite the curiosity while reading for one to know what happens next. The conversations albeit one-sided never felt this surreal. Looks like this is what survival apocalypse does, makes you see the beauty in the ruins.
The silent girl and her friend Pissa make certain decisions that change the course of flow of their monotonous lives and takes them on an adventure never read before. Also, it takes great amount of strength from my side to not fangirl over the sheer brilliance of certain scenes, analogies and descriptions that make your stomach churn in ways unimaginable. Now, I’ll have to stop because I ain’t here to give spoilers!
I would definitely recommend this one for an engaging read. Also a small tip, pick the book when you have time at hand because once you start reading you are most likely not to stop till the end.
Book Cover: 4/5
Book summary: 4/5
Language: 3.5/5
Content: 3.5/5
Engagement: 4/5
A futuristic foresight into the year 2033. The very real nightmare of British Empire still exists however with the only difference that now it controls not men but children stuck in warzones, doing odd jobs and fighting on a daily-basis just to make it to the end of the day. However, all hope is not lost.
The civilization of Ceylon is trying its best to survive amidst the remnants of the past and the piling up garbage that endangers the future in ways unforeseen. The pace of the book is fast with no scope for a dull moment, keeps you turning pages for more, and also, the main protagonist (or so as it seems at the beginning of the book) is mute. This creates quite the curiosity while reading for one to know what happens next. The conversations albeit one-sided never felt this surreal. Looks like this is what survival apocalypse does, makes you see the beauty in the ruins.
The silent girl and her friend Pissa make certain decisions that change the course of flow of their monotonous lives and takes them on an adventure never read before. Also, it takes great amount of strength from my side to not fangirl over the sheer brilliance of certain scenes, analogies and descriptions that make your stomach churn in ways unimaginable. Now, I’ll have to stop because I ain’t here to give spoilers!
I would definitely recommend this one for an engaging read. Also a small tip, pick the book when you have time at hand because once you start reading you are most likely not to stop till the end.
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