8/12/2019 Review of M C Raj's Latest novel PlanetB2 by Hedi Harrington

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Planet B2

M C Raj

Partridge India, Penguin Books India, 2014

ISBN 978-1-4828-1704-1 (ebook)ISBN 978-1-4828-1705-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-4828-1706-5 (hard cover)

433 Pages, Fiction

Back with a new novel Planet B2, M C Raj tickles his fans imagination with a story that merges science

fiction, fantasy, and political satire. This time the prolific and imaginative author leads us to outer space, to a

world that beats everything we have down here on earth. Dangling the rewards of living on his utopian planet

such as constant bliss, full body orgasm, and flowing communication by positive waves-, he also points out

the reasons why most of us earthlings will never get there.

The plot is quite simple. U.S. scientists discover a planet with evidence of life, and the ruthless

American president sets out to visit and ultimately conquer it. After three failed missions, he realizes that the

planet and its inhabitant life forms are not willing to cooperate with him. He decides that the only way to dea

with the issues of his own power-hungry ambitions, failures, and the planets resistance is to destroy the

newly discovered cosmic world, even if it results in a universal war.

M C Rajs magic, of course, goes way beyond the plot. Planet B2is a fusion of all the global issues the

author is interested in, including the power and humility of indigenous peoples regarding nature; global

political alliances; the supremacy of strong, educated women; the impact of general greed on the future of our

natural environment; eastern and native philosophy and worldview, and so forth.

Even though the author depicts a fictitious America with details that do not accurately represent the

U.S. today, the final impression adds up to the aggressive, domineering image The United States carries all

over the world, and which only landlocked Americans are not aware of.M C Rajs magical storytelling resembles that of indigenous elders: somewhat loose, repetitive,

simplified, and very human, just like the native stories of oral tradition. Elements of folk tales, tall tales, and

bonfire stories merge with philosophy, utopia, fantasy, and myths. His unique imagery underlines a crystal

clear message represented by recurring themes: Stop messing with my world. He is a harsh, rather radical

critic.

I wish the author stayed in the genre of fantasy. Mixing his dystopic vision with real life settings and

people (such as the Frankfurt airport, real countries and their representatives, the CIA, etc.) decreased the

mysticism of the story and the effectiveness of the ultimate message for me, but I can see how the same

strategy would enhance the reading enjoyment of an audience with more political aptitude.

I pride myself to be a global citizen, but M C Raj raised the bar: the next step is to become a cosmic

citizen. The good news is that, by the authors inspiration and call for action, I might be able to change my

ways and have the opportunity one day to land on Planet B2, where the accumulated positive energy will

allow me to live in constant bliss.

I say its worth a try!

Hedi Harrington

For The Harrington Review

http://theharringtonreview.com/

March 24, 2014

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