What if you had been stamped like a loaf of bread or a bag of milk with an expiry date the moment you were manufactured, sorry, born? Weird, right? But that is exactly what happens to children born in Manjiri Prabhu’s sci-fi Revolt of the Lamebren. What is their crime? That they are normal human beings, think and behave normally and grow normally!
The tale is about how the earth is ruled by Altklugs who are born with super knowledge and the efficiency of normal humans at the age of 6.25 years. They grow fast, their knowledge gives them the power to build an artificial world where they even control the seasons, letting summer, monsoon, winter happen in the course of one day. They are super-brains but lack human sensitivity or emotions. But growing fast means dying fast too, probably within a span of 16 years. However, a few among them are born normal, you know, like normal humans with normal appearance, normal life span, normal intellect and normal human emotions. The Altklugs despise them, or do they fear them for being different? Here is an excerpt to exemplify:
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt or insult anyone. I just thought the message needed a bit of warmth, so I…I added a half moon under the dot. That’s what I do all the time on my K.Sensor. Draw half-moons to show love.’
A deadly silence followed this confession. The kids in the hall caught their breath. The lamebren at the back of the hall squirmed sensing the doom that would befall Zinnia. Before Perceptor Sven could respond, a sarcastic laughter rang out from the stage. It was Governor Tisya.
‘Love, warmth, half-moons----wasted emotions! Spoken like true lamebirl,’ Governor Tisya hissed. ‘You played mischief with my name. You deserve a punishment that will act as a deterrent to anyone who dares to take such liberty ever again.’
Thus, these normal children are disparaged. They are called lamebren; a clever morphing of the word ‘lame brain’, given numbers instead of names, kept captive and killed off at 16 years, simply because the Altklugs, themselves, don’t live beyond that life span. Manjiri Prabhu spins a fascinating tale of how a group of lamebrens revolt and escape from the Altklug artificial world into the natural world where everything is normal.
On the face of it, the premise and the telling could be taken for an enthralling young adult chronicle but as one travels through the Altklug world and its restrictive regime, one perceives satirical undertones. Manjiri Prabhu seems to ask, is this the future of mankind? In the mad rush to create artificial intelligence and humanoids, is Man inviting the risk of being enslaved by them in the future? In the search for devices to make Man’s life more and more and more comfortable are we in the process creating an artificial world sans the natural beauty of air, water, trees, animals and the skies? Consequently, will we be dominated by super brains who despise human emotions and sensitivity because they themselves have lost the capacity to feel? I especially appreciated the concept of how sexual assault can be committed by taking over the brain and nervous system of the victim…molestation through mind power!
Prabhu’s sway over language is exceptional. Her narration is lucid, metaphors original yet appropriate while descriptions are imaginative and vivid.
‘I’m not an Altklug, just a lamebirl in the Dome
This isn’t my world, nor my home
Soon, I will have to say goodbye
Without asking how, when and why…’
The poignancy of this poem written by one of lambren girls who knows she will die at 16 years cannot but touch the reader’s soul. The author uses words as a vehicle to stimulate emotions that will rise involuntarily in the readers’ hearts and inspire them to accompany the protagonists’ on their roller-coaster adventures.
All in all, Revolt of the Lamebren has been both an eyeopener as well as a warning for me. It reminded me of 1984, George Orwell’s dystopian novel. Manjiri Prabhu is outstanding in the subtle skill of weaving satire through an uncomplicated sci-fi tale of adventure and fantasy. Her deft yet exquisite creation of the Super-Dome world and its unique denizens, displays what a superb storyteller she is. All those of you who enjoy a layered rendition of a science fantasy, do pick up this book. I promise you, it is unputdownable. For me, Revolt of the Lamebren has been an engrossing, interesting as well as a surprising read. I am eagerly waiting for her next offering in the series of The Super-Dome Chronicles.
All rights reserved. @Sutapa Basu 2018
