The Wish List

By Eoin ColferViking; pound;9.99 A botched-up robbery sends young Meg Finn straight to hell. But as her soul rushes down the tunnel, it ski...

By Eoin Colfer
Viking; pound;9.99

A botched-up robbery sends young Meg Finn straight to hell. But as her soul rushes down the tunnel, it skids to a halt. And she hangs midway 8212; at the crossroads between heaven and hell. Now all she has to do is score enough brownie points to please St Peter who will book her a seat in heaven. To do that, Meg has to help a cranky old man with his wish list 8212; things which he always wanted to do, but never did. It is a difficult task, with the Devil8217;s sidekick Beelzebub trying his best to ensure that she fails.

Eoin Colfer, the brain behind Artemis Fowl, is brilliant as he in his indomitable style lets you join Meg on her exciting journey. If you thought Artemis was good, this is better. Fast-paced, action-packed, it puts Tom Clancy to shame and has a delightful blend of magic, modernity and a pinch of crime. Definitely a must-read in one sitting.

Lands of Early Dawn: North East of India

By Romesh Bhattacharji
Rupa; Rs 395

FOR the sheer dearth of material on the Northeast, this is a handbook worth having on one8217;s shelf. It will probably not be among the all-time 10 best travel books one has read, but the subject and amount of information it contains more than makes up for what the book lacks in style of writing.

In certain sections, especially when Bhattacharji talks about the round of breathtaking Himalayan peaks that one is served on a flight from Delhi to Dibrugarh, it is a treat. Much has been written about them and it is difficult to be gushing and different at the same time. Of course, his Glimpses of the seven sisters the seven Northeastern states has anthropological cliches and stories of typical babu apathy, he should know, being a civil servant himself, the descriptions of a mostly unknown terrain, are worth

a read.

Puja Birla