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Eye Spy
The greatest eye surgeon of his age, Dr. Amadeus Kaine is fêted by royalty, dictators, Hollywood, and the international jetset. An epicurean of sophistication and dark obsessions, he’s devoted his life to locating the perfect food.
While treating one of Central Asia’s most depraved despots, Kaine is given a little pie to eat – a delicacy reserved for guests of the president. It’s the most delicious thing that’s ever passed the surgeon’s lips, and one that has seemingly miraculous effects.
All of a sudden, Kaine finds that his bald patch is growing over with thick black hair, and that his body is healing itself from the inside out. But, best of all, he realizes that his mental faculties are stimulated in ways he never believed possible. He can write books in a few hours, learn languages in a matter of days, and effortlessly solve problems from world hunger to global warming.
The drawback is that the dictator’s little pies are prepared with human eyes, taken from convicts working in the opal mines. Horrified that he’s unwittingly become a cannibal, Amadeus Kaine can’t think of anything but getting his hands on some more of the illicit specialty.
Obsessed in particular by green eyes, he begins hunting for victims to satisfy his wayward craving. While perfecting his method, he learns to appreciate the subtleties in taste. As he does so, a terrible affliction strikes – Occulosis.
An eye disease that has jumped the species gap from industrialized poultry farming, the virus rips through society, robbing the masses of their sight. The only man who can save the world is the inimitable Dr. Kaine, who is himself on the run.
One of the strangest tales of obsession, mania and intrigue ever told, EYE SPY will quite literally change the way you see the world.
While treating one of Central Asia’s most depraved despots, Kaine is given a little pie to eat – a delicacy reserved for guests of the president. It’s the most delicious thing that’s ever passed the surgeon’s lips, and one that has seemingly miraculous effects.
All of a sudden, Kaine finds that his bald patch is growing over with thick black hair, and that his body is healing itself from the inside out. But, best of all, he realizes that his mental faculties are stimulated in ways he never believed possible. He can write books in a few hours, learn languages in a matter of days, and effortlessly solve problems from world hunger to global warming.
The drawback is that the dictator’s little pies are prepared with human eyes, taken from convicts working in the opal mines. Horrified that he’s unwittingly become a cannibal, Amadeus Kaine can’t think of anything but getting his hands on some more of the illicit specialty.
Obsessed in particular by green eyes, he begins hunting for victims to satisfy his wayward craving. While perfecting his method, he learns to appreciate the subtleties in taste. As he does so, a terrible affliction strikes – Occulosis.
An eye disease that has jumped the species gap from industrialized poultry farming, the virus rips through society, robbing the masses of their sight. The only man who can save the world is the inimitable Dr. Kaine, who is himself on the run.
One of the strangest tales of obsession, mania and intrigue ever told, EYE SPY will quite literally change the way you see the world.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
754 people want to read
About the author
Tahir Shah
167 books628 followersTahir Shah was born in London, and raised primarily at the family’s home, Langton House, in the English countryside – where founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Baden Powell was also brought up.
Along with his twin and elder sisters, Tahir was continually coaxed to regard the world around him through Oriental eyes. This included being exposed from early childhood to Eastern stories, and to the back-to-front humour of the wise fool, Nasrudin.
Having studied at a leading public school, Bryanston, Tahir took a degree in International Relations, his particular interest being in African dictatorships of the mid-1980s. His research in this area led him to travel alone through a wide number of failing African states, including Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zaire.
After university, Tahir embarked on a plethora of widespread travels through the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, and Africa, drawing them together in his first travelogue, Beyond the Devil’s Teeth. In the years that followed, he published more than a dozen works of travel. These quests – for lost cities, treasure, Indian magic, and for the secrets of the so-called Birdmen of Peru – led to what is surely one of the most extraordinary bodies of travel work ever published.
In the early 2000s, with two small children, Tahir moved his young family from an apartment in London’s East End to a supposedly haunted mansion in the middle of a Casablanca shantytown. The tale of the adventure was published in his bestselling book, The Caliph’s House.
In recent years, Tahir Shah has released a cornucopia of work, embracing travel, fiction, and literary criticism. He has also made documentaries for National Geographic TV and the History Channel, and published hundreds of articles in leading magazines, newspapers, and journals. His oeuvre is regarded as exceptionally original and, as an author, he is considered as a champion of the new face of publishing.
www.tahirshah.com
www.twitter.com/humanstew
www.facebook.com/TahirShahAuthor
http://www.youtube.com/user/tahirshah999
www.pinterest.com/tahirshah
Along with his twin and elder sisters, Tahir was continually coaxed to regard the world around him through Oriental eyes. This included being exposed from early childhood to Eastern stories, and to the back-to-front humour of the wise fool, Nasrudin.
Having studied at a leading public school, Bryanston, Tahir took a degree in International Relations, his particular interest being in African dictatorships of the mid-1980s. His research in this area led him to travel alone through a wide number of failing African states, including Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zaire.
After university, Tahir embarked on a plethora of widespread travels through the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, and Africa, drawing them together in his first travelogue, Beyond the Devil’s Teeth. In the years that followed, he published more than a dozen works of travel. These quests – for lost cities, treasure, Indian magic, and for the secrets of the so-called Birdmen of Peru – led to what is surely one of the most extraordinary bodies of travel work ever published.
In the early 2000s, with two small children, Tahir moved his young family from an apartment in London’s East End to a supposedly haunted mansion in the middle of a Casablanca shantytown. The tale of the adventure was published in his bestselling book, The Caliph’s House.
In recent years, Tahir Shah has released a cornucopia of work, embracing travel, fiction, and literary criticism. He has also made documentaries for National Geographic TV and the History Channel, and published hundreds of articles in leading magazines, newspapers, and journals. His oeuvre is regarded as exceptionally original and, as an author, he is considered as a champion of the new face of publishing.
www.tahirshah.com
www.twitter.com/humanstew
www.facebook.com/TahirShahAuthor
http://www.youtube.com/user/tahirshah999
www.pinterest.com/tahirshah
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 2, 2013
Loved this book! It was such a fast-paced story that I read it in one weekend.
Note that this book is TOTALLY different from the author's previous work. He's completely stepped out of travel writing into...crime? Action? Suspense? This is an action-packed read that is full of adventure and surprises. The book will keep you on your toes, and you'll never be able to imagine what's coming next. It would make the perfect film.
Eye Spy is definitely the most shocking read that Tahir Shah has written. You'll see eyes in a whole different light after reading this book.
Disclaimer: I know the author personally and work with him through my company, Tribal Publishing, which helps authors build their online platform using social media. I was a reader of this author's books before working with him, and our professional relationship did not affect this honest review.
Note that this book is TOTALLY different from the author's previous work. He's completely stepped out of travel writing into...crime? Action? Suspense? This is an action-packed read that is full of adventure and surprises. The book will keep you on your toes, and you'll never be able to imagine what's coming next. It would make the perfect film.
Eye Spy is definitely the most shocking read that Tahir Shah has written. You'll see eyes in a whole different light after reading this book.
Disclaimer: I know the author personally and work with him through my company, Tribal Publishing, which helps authors build their online platform using social media. I was a reader of this author's books before working with him, and our professional relationship did not affect this honest review.
April 24, 2013
Tahir Shah has always had a penchant for the oddball, not only in his travel writing but also in his own, well-documented life. With Shah having now taken to writing fiction, "Eye Spy" has to be his wackiest read yet.
You know that what Dr. Amadeus Kaine is up to is really offensive to the prevailing norms of supposedly civilized society, and yet you just can't help but become engrossed in, even hooked on, the work; even wondering what human eyeballs might taste like with a little garnishing, if you were to perhaps taste just one. But then, that's all it took to get Amadeus Kaine well and truly hooked.
You know that what Dr. Amadeus Kaine is up to is really offensive to the prevailing norms of supposedly civilized society, and yet you just can't help but become engrossed in, even hooked on, the work; even wondering what human eyeballs might taste like with a little garnishing, if you were to perhaps taste just one. But then, that's all it took to get Amadeus Kaine well and truly hooked.
February 1, 2022
It was an unputdownable read.
Levels of excitement and fascination sky high.
The pace of a good thriller. A diamond.
In the question and answer opportunity on good reads Tahir Shah says 'I am fascinated by the idea that he was the one man alive who could save society's sight at a time when he was its greatest villain. 'Amadeus Kaine may be feasting on eyeballs the reader can feast on other things.
Here is a list. Sight and the right and wrong ways of getting it. How the brain might be stimulated, what trouble we are in re manufactured food, how poor is our understanding of almost everything, how slow we are, how we collapse at a crisis, how we wait for someone else to come up with the ideas or solution, how we compromise ourselves with out noticing it. There are plenty of cross checks too.
I spy eye spy and recommend it without reservation.
Levels of excitement and fascination sky high.
The pace of a good thriller. A diamond.
In the question and answer opportunity on good reads Tahir Shah says 'I am fascinated by the idea that he was the one man alive who could save society's sight at a time when he was its greatest villain. 'Amadeus Kaine may be feasting on eyeballs the reader can feast on other things.
Here is a list. Sight and the right and wrong ways of getting it. How the brain might be stimulated, what trouble we are in re manufactured food, how poor is our understanding of almost everything, how slow we are, how we collapse at a crisis, how we wait for someone else to come up with the ideas or solution, how we compromise ourselves with out noticing it. There are plenty of cross checks too.
I spy eye spy and recommend it without reservation.
May 2, 2013
This is a book that once read, you can never unread. But hey, that could be a good thing, right? You might treasure the memory of having all your personal boundaries assaulted in one sitting (you won't be able to fold down a corner even at 3 am), savour the taste of your complete submission to a totally demented worldview. What can be said of this masterwork of taboo-busting, heavy-punching, wacko, lunatic observation of our shared cultural lunacy without spoiling the unequalled suspense and surprise and then the horrible journey to the inevitable? You'll want to laugh but you may be gagging at the same time, so people on the train will look at you funny. You won't be able ever again to read simple prose statements such as, "She lifted her eyes to his face," without wondering--What? They're on a plate?
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
March 6, 2014
'Eye Spy" is a riveting read with a unique and unforgettable central character, a tragic hero worthy of Shakespeare. It is also a book which questions accepted ideas of good and evil; but it goes further than that. Re-reading it, I began to realise something fundamental about seeing. I was seeing what I wanted to see, and ignoring what was less comfortable. This book taught me that reality is both grimmer and more wonderful than what we are led to believe, and being blind to it is not an option, at least for me.
April 28, 2013
Another engrossing and provocative story from Tahir Shah. Hard to put down and easy to read in one go, however there is nothing superficial about the story which has at its centre the morally ambiguous and disturbing Amadeus Kaine. It will make you confront some interesting questions about good and evil in the maelstrom of the modern world. Highly recommended.
April 29, 2013
Fantastic book! The story is really intriguing and I read it in one breath during a day: it is a book you simply cannot put down until you finish! It is not for the faint of heart, especially for the ones with green eyes, like me...
May 5, 2013
Wondrous and horrendous...tantalizing hints at hidden
patterns andprocesses. Reads like watching a spy/adventure
movie. A fascinating creation of a main character who is
both ultra-horror-villain and medical-super-hero.
patterns andprocesses. Reads like watching a spy/adventure
movie. A fascinating creation of a main character who is
both ultra-horror-villain and medical-super-hero.
May 5, 2013
Wondrous and horrendous...tantalizing hints at hidden
patterns and processes. Reads like watching a spy/adventure
movie. A fascinating creation of a main character who is
both ultra-horror-villain and medical-super-hero.
patterns and processes. Reads like watching a spy/adventure
movie. A fascinating creation of a main character who is
both ultra-horror-villain and medical-super-hero.
April 10, 2014
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...
Eye Spy is unlike any book I’ve ever read before, and surprisingly, that’s a good thing. Dr. Kaine, our main character, is a renowned eye surgeon, who is asked frequently to operate on important and famous people, including foreign dictators. It’s one of these journeys that he discovers a new delicacy – human eyes. A strange new form of cannibalism, that for some unexplicable reason, has an eerie effect on Dr. Kaine. Not only are the eyes sublime in taste, they also make him smarter, faster, stronger, than he ever hoped to be.
Dr. Kaine grows increasingly obsessed with eyes, and eating them. At first, he gets his supplies from the dictator, but as time progresses and a new virus is unleashed upon the world that turns people blind, Dr. Kaine knows he needs the supreme intelligence eating human eyes gives him, in order to save the world. As the leading surgeon of his era, and the only one who can stop the virus from spreading, the world depends on him.
Eye Spy looks taboos straight into the face, and gives them a punch. The book provides us with a tragic hero, someone who does wrong when he wants to do good, and the other way around. He alone can save the world, but if he wants to do so, he must do despicable htings. Even though so, it’s hard to dislike Dr. Kaine and impossible to hate him. We’re forced into his mind, into a mind that says obsession is all right if it is for the greater good. While Dr. Kaine rationalizes his actions, the reader is left to wonder if maybe the eye surgeon is right. Maybe it’s okay to be a cannibal, if you’re the one who can save the world.
And what about it – do we kill Dr. Kaine, or do we let him live, and have a chance of defeating this virus? What does humanity do when the fate of the world is in the hands of a cannibal?
The book is all about how blurry the lines are between good and bad, and as such, is a fascinating, riveting read. The writing was solid, but the story and plot were the most impressive parts of this book.
If you don’t mind a book that is provocative, lets the reader think about their own morals, and might occassionally make you feel sick to the stomach, then you definitely have to read Eye Spy. Ideal for horror fans, or anyone looking for a book that might shock them and fascinate them at the same time.
Eye Spy is unlike any book I’ve ever read before, and surprisingly, that’s a good thing. Dr. Kaine, our main character, is a renowned eye surgeon, who is asked frequently to operate on important and famous people, including foreign dictators. It’s one of these journeys that he discovers a new delicacy – human eyes. A strange new form of cannibalism, that for some unexplicable reason, has an eerie effect on Dr. Kaine. Not only are the eyes sublime in taste, they also make him smarter, faster, stronger, than he ever hoped to be.
Dr. Kaine grows increasingly obsessed with eyes, and eating them. At first, he gets his supplies from the dictator, but as time progresses and a new virus is unleashed upon the world that turns people blind, Dr. Kaine knows he needs the supreme intelligence eating human eyes gives him, in order to save the world. As the leading surgeon of his era, and the only one who can stop the virus from spreading, the world depends on him.
Eye Spy looks taboos straight into the face, and gives them a punch. The book provides us with a tragic hero, someone who does wrong when he wants to do good, and the other way around. He alone can save the world, but if he wants to do so, he must do despicable htings. Even though so, it’s hard to dislike Dr. Kaine and impossible to hate him. We’re forced into his mind, into a mind that says obsession is all right if it is for the greater good. While Dr. Kaine rationalizes his actions, the reader is left to wonder if maybe the eye surgeon is right. Maybe it’s okay to be a cannibal, if you’re the one who can save the world.
And what about it – do we kill Dr. Kaine, or do we let him live, and have a chance of defeating this virus? What does humanity do when the fate of the world is in the hands of a cannibal?
The book is all about how blurry the lines are between good and bad, and as such, is a fascinating, riveting read. The writing was solid, but the story and plot were the most impressive parts of this book.
If you don’t mind a book that is provocative, lets the reader think about their own morals, and might occassionally make you feel sick to the stomach, then you definitely have to read Eye Spy. Ideal for horror fans, or anyone looking for a book that might shock them and fascinate them at the same time.
May 28, 2013
To paraphrase Alfred Lord Tennyson - another prolific writer raised in the British Isles, also of noble ancestry (and also the acclaimed author of a work entitled Timbuctoo)-
'Ours is not to reason why
Ours is but to read Eye Spy!'
'Ours is not to reason why
Ours is but to read Eye Spy!'
May 24, 2013
In which the world's leading eye surgeon develops too much of a taste for his work! Delicious.
October 29, 2024
‘This is it,’ he exclaimed in a whisper. ‘The most perfect food in the world!’
I don't think - or at least I hope - that I'm not one for flippant hyperbole in my book reviews, but I have to say that as of this moment, my reaction to Tahir Shah's "Eye Spy" is that it is one of the best books I've read in the past few years. It is easily in my Top 3 for this year … and I've read some great books in 2024 across several genres so far! But I have literally skipped meals today and put all plans on hold just in order to keep reading what struck me as a nearly perfect story. Now I'll also add at this point that I've been itching to complete an "eye-based" reading challenge - I even titled my tracking worksheet "The Eyes Have It" (oh how clever I find myself!) - and this is in fact my last of a series of 12 such tales. Still, I have to say it: holy effing eyeballs Batman, this was just incredible!
The sense of ecstasy to cascaded over him. It was like being baptized in the waters of immortality.
I'm not going to try to conjure up a picture of "Eye Spy" being a perfectly executed book. No, the 100 short chapterlets divided over only 270 or so actual pages of the story would be the first criticsm I'd raise. Which of course could have been relieved significantly if this absolutely and utter disgustingly delicious!!! story had been a couple of hundred pages longer. Honestly, though what would that achieve? Detailing a few hundred more deaths from a man that lost all sense of restraint? A increasingly unsettling tumble into madness as our good Doctor Amadeus Kaine fell further and further into the grasp and compulsions of acute OCD? My opinion is simply if it's not in the author's vision to make a tale longer - or, for example, to meet some contractual obligations or what have you - then don't force it.
All he could think about was the colour. The deeper the shade of green, the better.
My "complaint" above is obviously then my own greed seeping through, wishing I hadn't essentially completed this "must read" tome in one day. Though, I whispered off-stage, it would have been interesting to see how the Obscure Cuisine Dining Club reacted to the news that their friend and curious culinary compatriot was the serial killer that had gripped an entire nation in horror! This of course after several more meals featuring epicurean extravagances such as limaces de mer au Calvados (sea slugs in brandy) or scorpion bisque flavoured with white truffles from Provence. Or perhaps your tastes would lean more towards starting with a tiny but flavorable amuse-bouche - literally a small appetizer intended to prepare and "amuse" your palette and one of my own favourite parts of enjoying French cuisine- of broiled baby iguana in a béchamel sauce which would lead to both warthog carpaccio, followed by grasshoppers stewed in Armagnac! And who would ever forget the Bhochnivian national dish of a bloated pig’s stomach stuffed with day-old chicks. How simply divine!
We like to imagine that we have nature under our thumbs. But nothing could be farther from the truth.
Which of course only goes to further fan the flames of the Doctor's intense rage at man and his wholesale industrialization of food once it becomes clear to him how the oculary plague that is unleashed upon the world has not only been born but also but spreads, mutates, and ultimately destroys all in its path. And naturally it's just as he's suspected for years upon years it would happen, especially in the decadent Western world of mass consumption and gluttony. The irony should not be lost on anyone! It's no wonder then that even as his addiction to eyes skyrockets that he becomes more and more obsessed with changing the very fabric of how mankind operates. We see then towards the end of this reign of terror not someone with a fine sense of styling and class but a raving madman preparing a manifesto for a so-called "brave new world". It should surprise no one then what he decides will be necessary to bring mankind's health and intelligence to a new plane of enlightenment. After all, such a small price to pay…
Human eyes were best served not only raw, but alive.
It is interesting, too, especially as my eye-based-read-a-thon is now finished - well, at least the first one as this was an awesome collection I assembled (for the most part) - that this is not my first exposure to someone munching down on eyeballs. Nor even the premiere occurrence of the diner in question that displays this ickiest of conceivable tendencies to have picked a favorite color on which to munch. No, that honor such as it is would fall to Monika Kim's extremely popular - and deservedly so I would add - psychological thriller "The Eyes Are The Best Part". But whereas Kim focused on the fall of a much younger character whose family was falling apart around her, here we are viewing the world through the eyes of the preeminent ophthalmologist and eye surgeon on the planet!
He was driven mad by craving and desire. An eye. A delicious, succulent, moist human eye.
Yes, Kim's protagonist also had severe personality and psychological problems, but whereas she came from the "rough side of the tracks", Shah's Kane enjoys a very different life, one filled with financial and career success, albeit often from performing "surgical favors" and other services for some of the world's worst despots, oligarchs, and maybe even worse. In fact, besides their obviously obscure "culinary" tastes, the only similarity I might argue to underline would be somehow comparing any tendencies - or full-fledged suffering from - the aforementioned grip of OCD… or as I like to call it = CDO… because that's written alphabetically like it should be, dammit!
Who needed drugs when you could knock back a dozen or two human eyes?
Another thing that our dear Doctor and young Ji-Won have in common is how they're able to connive and twist their way out of the severest of reprecussions by the end of their respective tales, both of which made for amazing conclusions! Kaine's position of "power" in terms of what he arranges is easy to understand as he winds up curing what in this world would pass as an extreme pandemic, arguably even much, much worse than what we all went through (or are going through) with COVID-19. This of course is that the Doctor manages to prevent mankind - yep, that's all of us - from going blind which would invariably lead then to a collapse of society and survival of us all as we quickly fall from our position as the dominant species on this big blue (yum!) and green (even yummier!) ball. But although I struggled to identify personally with the university age Korean-American, I was able to commiserate with Kaine much more readily. No, I'm not sure what that says about me, either that I was able to identify with someone who essentially becomes a cannibal of sorts nor his personal justifications for continuing well past any point of no return.
It was senseless and futile, like the hankering of an addict whose grip on reality was lost.
Part of me is even a little bit worried that despite it all, that I found Dr. Kaine's life much more glamorous. And I don't mean his Angliophilic tastes for the best in fashion nor his desire to surround himself with the finer things in life. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that all his family strife was well in the rearview mirror, with his life of comfort and adventure taking place primarily in New York City. I mean, at the end of the day, can't we all just look a few minor transgressions like a stretch as a serial killer along with his other crimes as a necessary - but acceptable - evil? I mean, like Flash Gordon, he did save everyone of us! But again, whatever weird things I need to work through in my own psyche, all I can do again is heap praise upon this book and tell each and every fan of not only Ms. Kim's work but anyone that enjoys a bit of sick and depraved entertainment in their lives (yeah, I'm looking at you fans of "Dexter"!) to give this book a try.
The world of bio-tech was united by a single goal - to find a cure.
...And, more importantly, to make a fortune having done so.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling a bit peckish. Excuse me, miss? Yes, you with the lovely emerald-colored eyes! Do you have a moment, perhaps even would you care to join me for dinner …?
I don't think - or at least I hope - that I'm not one for flippant hyperbole in my book reviews, but I have to say that as of this moment, my reaction to Tahir Shah's "Eye Spy" is that it is one of the best books I've read in the past few years. It is easily in my Top 3 for this year … and I've read some great books in 2024 across several genres so far! But I have literally skipped meals today and put all plans on hold just in order to keep reading what struck me as a nearly perfect story. Now I'll also add at this point that I've been itching to complete an "eye-based" reading challenge - I even titled my tracking worksheet "The Eyes Have It" (oh how clever I find myself!) - and this is in fact my last of a series of 12 such tales. Still, I have to say it: holy effing eyeballs Batman, this was just incredible!
The sense of ecstasy to cascaded over him. It was like being baptized in the waters of immortality.
I'm not going to try to conjure up a picture of "Eye Spy" being a perfectly executed book. No, the 100 short chapterlets divided over only 270 or so actual pages of the story would be the first criticsm I'd raise. Which of course could have been relieved significantly if this absolutely and utter disgustingly delicious!!! story had been a couple of hundred pages longer. Honestly, though what would that achieve? Detailing a few hundred more deaths from a man that lost all sense of restraint? A increasingly unsettling tumble into madness as our good Doctor Amadeus Kaine fell further and further into the grasp and compulsions of acute OCD? My opinion is simply if it's not in the author's vision to make a tale longer - or, for example, to meet some contractual obligations or what have you - then don't force it.
All he could think about was the colour. The deeper the shade of green, the better.
My "complaint" above is obviously then my own greed seeping through, wishing I hadn't essentially completed this "must read" tome in one day. Though, I whispered off-stage, it would have been interesting to see how the Obscure Cuisine Dining Club reacted to the news that their friend and curious culinary compatriot was the serial killer that had gripped an entire nation in horror! This of course after several more meals featuring epicurean extravagances such as limaces de mer au Calvados (sea slugs in brandy) or scorpion bisque flavoured with white truffles from Provence. Or perhaps your tastes would lean more towards starting with a tiny but flavorable amuse-bouche - literally a small appetizer intended to prepare and "amuse" your palette and one of my own favourite parts of enjoying French cuisine- of broiled baby iguana in a béchamel sauce which would lead to both warthog carpaccio, followed by grasshoppers stewed in Armagnac! And who would ever forget the Bhochnivian national dish of a bloated pig’s stomach stuffed with day-old chicks. How simply divine!
We like to imagine that we have nature under our thumbs. But nothing could be farther from the truth.
Which of course only goes to further fan the flames of the Doctor's intense rage at man and his wholesale industrialization of food once it becomes clear to him how the oculary plague that is unleashed upon the world has not only been born but also but spreads, mutates, and ultimately destroys all in its path. And naturally it's just as he's suspected for years upon years it would happen, especially in the decadent Western world of mass consumption and gluttony. The irony should not be lost on anyone! It's no wonder then that even as his addiction to eyes skyrockets that he becomes more and more obsessed with changing the very fabric of how mankind operates. We see then towards the end of this reign of terror not someone with a fine sense of styling and class but a raving madman preparing a manifesto for a so-called "brave new world". It should surprise no one then what he decides will be necessary to bring mankind's health and intelligence to a new plane of enlightenment. After all, such a small price to pay…
Human eyes were best served not only raw, but alive.
It is interesting, too, especially as my eye-based-read-a-thon is now finished - well, at least the first one as this was an awesome collection I assembled (for the most part) - that this is not my first exposure to someone munching down on eyeballs. Nor even the premiere occurrence of the diner in question that displays this ickiest of conceivable tendencies to have picked a favorite color on which to munch. No, that honor such as it is would fall to Monika Kim's extremely popular - and deservedly so I would add - psychological thriller "The Eyes Are The Best Part". But whereas Kim focused on the fall of a much younger character whose family was falling apart around her, here we are viewing the world through the eyes of the preeminent ophthalmologist and eye surgeon on the planet!
He was driven mad by craving and desire. An eye. A delicious, succulent, moist human eye.
Yes, Kim's protagonist also had severe personality and psychological problems, but whereas she came from the "rough side of the tracks", Shah's Kane enjoys a very different life, one filled with financial and career success, albeit often from performing "surgical favors" and other services for some of the world's worst despots, oligarchs, and maybe even worse. In fact, besides their obviously obscure "culinary" tastes, the only similarity I might argue to underline would be somehow comparing any tendencies - or full-fledged suffering from - the aforementioned grip of OCD… or as I like to call it = CDO… because that's written alphabetically like it should be, dammit!
Who needed drugs when you could knock back a dozen or two human eyes?
Another thing that our dear Doctor and young Ji-Won have in common is how they're able to connive and twist their way out of the severest of reprecussions by the end of their respective tales, both of which made for amazing conclusions! Kaine's position of "power" in terms of what he arranges is easy to understand as he winds up curing what in this world would pass as an extreme pandemic, arguably even much, much worse than what we all went through (or are going through) with COVID-19. This of course is that the Doctor manages to prevent mankind - yep, that's all of us - from going blind which would invariably lead then to a collapse of society and survival of us all as we quickly fall from our position as the dominant species on this big blue (yum!) and green (even yummier!) ball. But although I struggled to identify personally with the university age Korean-American, I was able to commiserate with Kaine much more readily. No, I'm not sure what that says about me, either that I was able to identify with someone who essentially becomes a cannibal of sorts nor his personal justifications for continuing well past any point of no return.
It was senseless and futile, like the hankering of an addict whose grip on reality was lost.
Part of me is even a little bit worried that despite it all, that I found Dr. Kaine's life much more glamorous. And I don't mean his Angliophilic tastes for the best in fashion nor his desire to surround himself with the finer things in life. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that all his family strife was well in the rearview mirror, with his life of comfort and adventure taking place primarily in New York City. I mean, at the end of the day, can't we all just look a few minor transgressions like a stretch as a serial killer along with his other crimes as a necessary - but acceptable - evil? I mean, like Flash Gordon, he did save everyone of us! But again, whatever weird things I need to work through in my own psyche, all I can do again is heap praise upon this book and tell each and every fan of not only Ms. Kim's work but anyone that enjoys a bit of sick and depraved entertainment in their lives (yeah, I'm looking at you fans of "Dexter"!) to give this book a try.
The world of bio-tech was united by a single goal - to find a cure.
...And, more importantly, to make a fortune having done so.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling a bit peckish. Excuse me, miss? Yes, you with the lovely emerald-colored eyes! Do you have a moment, perhaps even would you care to join me for dinner …?
April 12, 2023
May 2020.
What a roller coaster! Woohoo.
''Look at us,' shouted Amadeus Kaine. 'We live in a mechanized industrialized society. We use machines to do everything, and we think that we can create food by the same mass industrialization. It's lunacy. We have become detached from the Earth of our ancestors, and oculosis is nature reminding us of that.''
Earlier Review. Well I have read all of it now... non stop... an unputdownable read. Levels of excitement and fascination sky high: pace of a good thriller.
In the question and answer opportunity on Goodreads Tahir Shah says: 'I am fascinated by the idea that he was the one man alive who could save society's sight at a time when he was its greatest villain.' Amadeus Kaine may be feasting on eyeballs; the reader can feast on other things.
Here is a list. How the brain might be stimulated, what trouble we are in re manufactured food, how poor is our understanding of almost everything, how slow we are, how we collapse at a crisis, how we wait for someone else to come up with the ideas or solutions, how we compromise ourselves with out noticing it. There are plenty of cross checks too. DONT BOTHER WITH MY LESS THAN ADEQUATE PARAPHRASES... READ THE REAL McCOY.
I spy Eye Spy and recommend it without reservation.(less)
What a roller coaster! Woohoo.
''Look at us,' shouted Amadeus Kaine. 'We live in a mechanized industrialized society. We use machines to do everything, and we think that we can create food by the same mass industrialization. It's lunacy. We have become detached from the Earth of our ancestors, and oculosis is nature reminding us of that.''
Earlier Review. Well I have read all of it now... non stop... an unputdownable read. Levels of excitement and fascination sky high: pace of a good thriller.
In the question and answer opportunity on Goodreads Tahir Shah says: 'I am fascinated by the idea that he was the one man alive who could save society's sight at a time when he was its greatest villain.' Amadeus Kaine may be feasting on eyeballs; the reader can feast on other things.
Here is a list. How the brain might be stimulated, what trouble we are in re manufactured food, how poor is our understanding of almost everything, how slow we are, how we collapse at a crisis, how we wait for someone else to come up with the ideas or solutions, how we compromise ourselves with out noticing it. There are plenty of cross checks too. DONT BOTHER WITH MY LESS THAN ADEQUATE PARAPHRASES... READ THE REAL McCOY.
I spy Eye Spy and recommend it without reservation.(less)
January 21, 2014
Are you the type that gets queasy just thinking about people putting contacts in their eyes? If so, this is definitely NOT the book for you.
This was a fantastically weird and creepy read. The main character transforms from hero to villain in a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' type fashion right before your very eyes ...sorry couldn't stop myself. :o)
The cover is very appropriate and perfect for this tale about a doctor with the most unusual cravings.
This was a fantastically weird and creepy read. The main character transforms from hero to villain in a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' type fashion right before your very eyes ...sorry couldn't stop myself. :o)
The cover is very appropriate and perfect for this tale about a doctor with the most unusual cravings.
April 25, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed Tahir Shah’s fascinating book ‘EYE SPY’. It awakened my forgotten memories about eyes from my early life too.
Long time ago when I was in early teens, I acquired an eye of a water buffalo from the butcher’s shop in our neighborhood and was quite surprised to discover a wet functional lens in it! Many years later I remember an Iranian gourmet restaurant (Pialeh) near the town of Chalus on the Caspian Sea shores, where one particular dish was cooked whole eyes. It was a favorite of my host who enjoyed it!
In ‘EYE SPY’ besides being a great story sprinkled with humor & wrapped in suspense, Tahir Shah is also trying to open our eyes to look at our world objectively.
We are in the day and age of emerging diseases e.g. Ebola, AIDS, Lyme Disease, Babesiosis, Zika virus etc. In a very subtle way, reading ‘EYE SPY’ also made me think about the world we are living in where the cause of at least one emerging disease is ‘factory farming’ of cows for meat. In this case cows, which are herbivores were fed powdered animal parts in their feed to make them grow faster with the added proteins in their diet. This led to the mutation of a normal protein into a self replicating, cooking resistant ‘prion’, resulting in the ‘foot and mouth disease’.
Long time ago when I was in early teens, I acquired an eye of a water buffalo from the butcher’s shop in our neighborhood and was quite surprised to discover a wet functional lens in it! Many years later I remember an Iranian gourmet restaurant (Pialeh) near the town of Chalus on the Caspian Sea shores, where one particular dish was cooked whole eyes. It was a favorite of my host who enjoyed it!
In ‘EYE SPY’ besides being a great story sprinkled with humor & wrapped in suspense, Tahir Shah is also trying to open our eyes to look at our world objectively.
We are in the day and age of emerging diseases e.g. Ebola, AIDS, Lyme Disease, Babesiosis, Zika virus etc. In a very subtle way, reading ‘EYE SPY’ also made me think about the world we are living in where the cause of at least one emerging disease is ‘factory farming’ of cows for meat. In this case cows, which are herbivores were fed powdered animal parts in their feed to make them grow faster with the added proteins in their diet. This led to the mutation of a normal protein into a self replicating, cooking resistant ‘prion’, resulting in the ‘foot and mouth disease’.
June 13, 2018
Amadeus Kaine is a high flying leader in the field of ophthalmology. Indeed, he is probably the greatest eye surgeon alive. But he's got a secret: he can't stop devouring human eyeballs. Following a trip to Vladimir Drusnev's pleasure dome, Kaine finds himself hooked on the "delicacy." Serve 'em up on a spoon, raw, seasoned, with or without wine. But green eyes, and especially green eyes, are his favorite. He craves them so strongly that he goes on a killing rampage to acquire more, and more, and more, sucking eyeballs out of innocent people's eye sockets with a Kaine Excisor.
Yet, there is a more hopeful side to Amadeus Kaine's personality. The world is experiencing an outbreak of oculosis, a degenerative eye disease that makes its sufferers go blind. Kaine happens to be the one man alive up to the task of saving humanity's sight. Does he find a cure in time to quarantine the destructive disease? Buy Eye Spy and find out!
Yet, there is a more hopeful side to Amadeus Kaine's personality. The world is experiencing an outbreak of oculosis, a degenerative eye disease that makes its sufferers go blind. Kaine happens to be the one man alive up to the task of saving humanity's sight. Does he find a cure in time to quarantine the destructive disease? Buy Eye Spy and find out!
May 24, 2018
I'm quite fond of Tahir Shah's travel writing, however this was the first fiction I've read of his. While Mr. Shah is an accomplished writer and has wit, elegance, and a renaissance man's view of the world which flows through his writing, I did not expect to read a horror novella from him and the topic- eyes - was quite unsettling and disturbing. I am not quite sure I would recommend it unless you're fond of horror stories involving cuisine (I won't elaborate). I am going back to reading his travel essays with hope and excitement.
June 19, 2018
Gruesome but fascinating, not suitable to read when you are eating!
December 10, 2019
Great story
March 21, 2021
Straightening up ones horror!
I’d recommend this book to those who lay sleepless after movies, it’ll wake one further!
I’d recommend this book to those who lay sleepless after movies, it’ll wake one further!
January 19, 2015
Eye Spy is a story unlike any other published in April of 2013 by author Tahir Shah. After reading Mr. Shah's previous work Scorpion Soup, I was expecting a wonderful story out of Eye Spy and found myself not the slightest bit disappointed.
First and foremost, I'd like to thank Mr. Shah for allowing me the opportunity to review his book Eye Spy. This work is just one of many other books published by Mr. Shah; one other such work is titled Scorpion Soup which is thus far one of my most popular reviews.
In Eye Spy, Tahir Shah tells the story of Dr. Amadeus Kaine, an eye doctor of such high renown that only the most famous, the most royal, and the most twisted seek out. Over the course of 268 pages Mr. Shah gives us a story both mesmerizing and gut wrenching; a story of a man who goes to any length to perfect a horrifying recipe that may just save the world.
The story starts out on what is presumably another day to Dr. Kaine and the staff of his antiquely decorated medical office. What seems to set this office apart from, say the chiropractor I go to, is the little button his secretary Mrs. Phelps possesses on the underside of her desk. A little button kept solely for the rich and powerful, or in this case for the goons of a seemingly powerful president. One thing I have to say about Dr. Kaine's office, when a presumably 3rd world president's henchmen slaps down a brick of $100 bills his schedule quickly opens up. The next day the good doctor will find himself on a plane to Moslok, leaving at sunrise.
However before we depart for Moslok, we're introduced to the darkness of Eye Spy and that is the Obscure Cuisine Dining Club to which our dear Dr. Kaine is a member. In all fairness I'm sure the club was intended to be a place where men with considerable means could eat things most men could not. Be those things slugs, scorpions, exotic truffles, or bugs, it appears anything has a place at the dining club as long as it scores greater than a 3 on their 5 point scale.
If you'd like to know more about the evening the doctor throws in chapter 3, you'll have to read that part yourself. Chapter 4 picks up right away with Dr. Kaine heading to LaGuardia Airport to catch his flight and being served the finest of champagnes on board. However when the doctor arrived in Bhochnivia he is greeted with the usual charm of a 3rd world dictatorship. The prisons overflowing while the shops empty, the natural resources of the country owned by one family (the presidents), and the privileged elite live a life of squander.
But despite Bhochnivia's lack of charm and the president exuberant pomp and circumstance, the good doctor's reputation seems to be well intact as the surgery is a success. The nation celebrates, the president is pleased, and Dr. Amadeus Kaine lavishes in his Moslok Sheraton suite until a knock on the door. "A state banquet is to be held in your honor, Your Excellence," I'm sure this is a custom that Dr. Kaine finds after most of his surgeries. I'd wager the key difference here is the small golden presentation box Dr. Kaine is presented with, a Bhochnivian delicacy given as a token of gratitude from the president himself. To quote the good doctor at the end of the chapter, "This is it, the most perfect food in the world!"
From this point forward Tahir Shah adds many chapters to Dr. Kaine's stay in Bhochnivia, to include the doctor touring the marvels of the realm and the doctor being awarded the Imperial Order of the Diamond Cross, Bhochnivia's highest civilian honor. But the only thing on Dr. Kaine's mine is the lovely pastry he tasted in his room, the most perfect food in the world. But how will the doctor feel about this delicacy once he learns what's inside of it? Without reading the book you'll never know and you won't find me telling any time soon.
As I've said before, a reviewer should never reveal too much of a story's plot to the point that people would rather read my review than buy the book. If at any point in this review you thought to yourself that this is the kind of story that you'd get into, I recommend that you pick this book up and give it a good read. Comparing this work to Scorpion Soup, it's hard to say which one I liked more but I can easily say Tahir Shah is one of my favorite authors.
To Mr. Shah, I loved your collection of stories in Scorpion Soup and I loved the story you've written in Eye Spy. It shouldn't be too surprising that I've listed both books as suggested reading, we both know they're outstanding works of fiction and I only hope my readers get the same enjoyment out of them as I did. The cover is breathtaking but oddly accurate and the characters background is so convincing it's almost as if Dr. Kaine were a real doctor. If in the future you need any works reviewed, you know how to contact me.
First and foremost, I'd like to thank Mr. Shah for allowing me the opportunity to review his book Eye Spy. This work is just one of many other books published by Mr. Shah; one other such work is titled Scorpion Soup which is thus far one of my most popular reviews.
In Eye Spy, Tahir Shah tells the story of Dr. Amadeus Kaine, an eye doctor of such high renown that only the most famous, the most royal, and the most twisted seek out. Over the course of 268 pages Mr. Shah gives us a story both mesmerizing and gut wrenching; a story of a man who goes to any length to perfect a horrifying recipe that may just save the world.
The story starts out on what is presumably another day to Dr. Kaine and the staff of his antiquely decorated medical office. What seems to set this office apart from, say the chiropractor I go to, is the little button his secretary Mrs. Phelps possesses on the underside of her desk. A little button kept solely for the rich and powerful, or in this case for the goons of a seemingly powerful president. One thing I have to say about Dr. Kaine's office, when a presumably 3rd world president's henchmen slaps down a brick of $100 bills his schedule quickly opens up. The next day the good doctor will find himself on a plane to Moslok, leaving at sunrise.
However before we depart for Moslok, we're introduced to the darkness of Eye Spy and that is the Obscure Cuisine Dining Club to which our dear Dr. Kaine is a member. In all fairness I'm sure the club was intended to be a place where men with considerable means could eat things most men could not. Be those things slugs, scorpions, exotic truffles, or bugs, it appears anything has a place at the dining club as long as it scores greater than a 3 on their 5 point scale.
If you'd like to know more about the evening the doctor throws in chapter 3, you'll have to read that part yourself. Chapter 4 picks up right away with Dr. Kaine heading to LaGuardia Airport to catch his flight and being served the finest of champagnes on board. However when the doctor arrived in Bhochnivia he is greeted with the usual charm of a 3rd world dictatorship. The prisons overflowing while the shops empty, the natural resources of the country owned by one family (the presidents), and the privileged elite live a life of squander.
But despite Bhochnivia's lack of charm and the president exuberant pomp and circumstance, the good doctor's reputation seems to be well intact as the surgery is a success. The nation celebrates, the president is pleased, and Dr. Amadeus Kaine lavishes in his Moslok Sheraton suite until a knock on the door. "A state banquet is to be held in your honor, Your Excellence," I'm sure this is a custom that Dr. Kaine finds after most of his surgeries. I'd wager the key difference here is the small golden presentation box Dr. Kaine is presented with, a Bhochnivian delicacy given as a token of gratitude from the president himself. To quote the good doctor at the end of the chapter, "This is it, the most perfect food in the world!"
From this point forward Tahir Shah adds many chapters to Dr. Kaine's stay in Bhochnivia, to include the doctor touring the marvels of the realm and the doctor being awarded the Imperial Order of the Diamond Cross, Bhochnivia's highest civilian honor. But the only thing on Dr. Kaine's mine is the lovely pastry he tasted in his room, the most perfect food in the world. But how will the doctor feel about this delicacy once he learns what's inside of it? Without reading the book you'll never know and you won't find me telling any time soon.
As I've said before, a reviewer should never reveal too much of a story's plot to the point that people would rather read my review than buy the book. If at any point in this review you thought to yourself that this is the kind of story that you'd get into, I recommend that you pick this book up and give it a good read. Comparing this work to Scorpion Soup, it's hard to say which one I liked more but I can easily say Tahir Shah is one of my favorite authors.
To Mr. Shah, I loved your collection of stories in Scorpion Soup and I loved the story you've written in Eye Spy. It shouldn't be too surprising that I've listed both books as suggested reading, we both know they're outstanding works of fiction and I only hope my readers get the same enjoyment out of them as I did. The cover is breathtaking but oddly accurate and the characters background is so convincing it's almost as if Dr. Kaine were a real doctor. If in the future you need any works reviewed, you know how to contact me.
August 18, 2013
***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng ***
Tahir Shah's Eye Spy delighted more beyond what I expected. This book's synopsis caught my eye, and I decided to grab this book from Nerd Girl's review list. I always keep an eye out for the unexpected, because I feel like those unexpected titles often yield great things. Eye Spy is an unexpected, humorous horror. Tahir weaves a tale so dark that you wouldn't think you'd enjoy it, but the bursts of humor make this a quirky mix that goes down quite well. The don't lie when they say you'll see the world a whole different way after reading this book! I sure am, and I'm loving it!
I'm going to break down my review a little more detailed:
The Cover: This cover is extremely eye catching, not to be punny. It's got eyes everywhere. It's visual, and attractive, and makes you wonder what's going on in the book.
The Plot: The plot of this book develops naturally, it leads you to unexpected places, and gets you there with logic. Tahir's puts a disclaimer that this book was inspired by a photograph, and he has no real knowledge of eyes, surgery or anything this book basically deals with. He asks that we suspend belief and read the book. This book is so well written, I'd never know that he didn't research these procedures, diseases and other things we come across in the book. He builds a plot, step after step, and you don't always see it coming. He weaves a tale, so dark, so far fetched, that it's so hard to believe it's true, but the way it's written, you can't be quite sure.
The Characters: Dr. Amadeus Kaine, leading eye surgeon and main character of this book, is such a detailed character, well rounded, and intricately built that through the trials of the novel, you can see the character devolve so wonderfully, and turn into a whole other person. The doctor Jekyll/Mr.Hyde complex that we deal with it written so wonderfully that you don't even realize it's happening until it's already happened.
The Writing: Tahir's writing style is so fluid, you don't realize how much time you've lost in the book. You turn pages, wanting to know more, and never realizing that he has spun you into his web of details. Each detail interlocks to other details, and slowly brings you to the complex conflicts that are littered through the book. You don't see each plot turn coming, until it hits you in the face. Don't fret though, you'll love it. His writing doesn't leave you wanting more, or less. It gives you the perfect amount of humor, action, horror and suspense. It's all wrapped up together perfectly.
Overall this novel gave me everything I could've wanted. I loved it, I flew through it and didn't want it to end. The numbering of the chapters to the cover art, everything worked together so perfectly. This isn't a novel for the squeamish. If you're a person who faints at blood, or can't watch a medical drama, this book may not be for you, but for the rest of us, this book was wonderful. I've read Silence of the Lambs, as well as Thomas Harris's books, and this could've been among them if not for the wonderful weaving of humor. The action, the suspense and the horror are all reflected that classic style of book! This is definitely a book to check out! I loved reading it and will be super glad to have it on my shelf!
**I was given a copy of this book, by the author, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by this gesture**
Tahir Shah's Eye Spy delighted more beyond what I expected. This book's synopsis caught my eye, and I decided to grab this book from Nerd Girl's review list. I always keep an eye out for the unexpected, because I feel like those unexpected titles often yield great things. Eye Spy is an unexpected, humorous horror. Tahir weaves a tale so dark that you wouldn't think you'd enjoy it, but the bursts of humor make this a quirky mix that goes down quite well. The don't lie when they say you'll see the world a whole different way after reading this book! I sure am, and I'm loving it!
I'm going to break down my review a little more detailed:
The Cover: This cover is extremely eye catching, not to be punny. It's got eyes everywhere. It's visual, and attractive, and makes you wonder what's going on in the book.
The Plot: The plot of this book develops naturally, it leads you to unexpected places, and gets you there with logic. Tahir's puts a disclaimer that this book was inspired by a photograph, and he has no real knowledge of eyes, surgery or anything this book basically deals with. He asks that we suspend belief and read the book. This book is so well written, I'd never know that he didn't research these procedures, diseases and other things we come across in the book. He builds a plot, step after step, and you don't always see it coming. He weaves a tale, so dark, so far fetched, that it's so hard to believe it's true, but the way it's written, you can't be quite sure.
The Characters: Dr. Amadeus Kaine, leading eye surgeon and main character of this book, is such a detailed character, well rounded, and intricately built that through the trials of the novel, you can see the character devolve so wonderfully, and turn into a whole other person. The doctor Jekyll/Mr.Hyde complex that we deal with it written so wonderfully that you don't even realize it's happening until it's already happened.
The Writing: Tahir's writing style is so fluid, you don't realize how much time you've lost in the book. You turn pages, wanting to know more, and never realizing that he has spun you into his web of details. Each detail interlocks to other details, and slowly brings you to the complex conflicts that are littered through the book. You don't see each plot turn coming, until it hits you in the face. Don't fret though, you'll love it. His writing doesn't leave you wanting more, or less. It gives you the perfect amount of humor, action, horror and suspense. It's all wrapped up together perfectly.
Overall this novel gave me everything I could've wanted. I loved it, I flew through it and didn't want it to end. The numbering of the chapters to the cover art, everything worked together so perfectly. This isn't a novel for the squeamish. If you're a person who faints at blood, or can't watch a medical drama, this book may not be for you, but for the rest of us, this book was wonderful. I've read Silence of the Lambs, as well as Thomas Harris's books, and this could've been among them if not for the wonderful weaving of humor. The action, the suspense and the horror are all reflected that classic style of book! This is definitely a book to check out! I loved reading it and will be super glad to have it on my shelf!
**I was given a copy of this book, by the author, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by this gesture**
October 14, 2013
Eye Spy by Tahir Shah was spectacularly, gruesomely awesome!
If you are the least bit squeamish about eyes ... looking at them close-up, the thought of touching them or prodding around in there, or most importantly, the thought of EATING them... then this book probably isn't the one you need to be reading. In fact, out of respect for my husbands eye squeamishness, I kept the book face down or covered while he was around - simply because just the book cover gave him the heebie-jeebies.
However, anyone else looking (no pun intended) to read something off the beaten (or is that eaten?) path, this book is the one you need to read next!
Amadeus Kaine is a world famous ophthalmologist. His success in the field has garnered him many accolades and established respect from his peers as well as dignitaries from all over the world.
He is summoned by a tiny country in Central Asia to perform an eye surgery on the leader. While there, he is given little pastries at a banquet that he finds to be positively divine and it turns out the exquisitely tasty pastries are filled with the human eyes of the prisoners who work in the opal mines.
Being a connoisseur of bizarre gastronomical fares, Amadeus deems the pastries as the most uniquely flavorful and truly mind-altering of any food he has ever tasted. The nectar of gods. In fact, he can't think of anything else he'd rather eat. And thus begins this journey into the depths of twisted, psychotic hell. He is driven mad, literally, with consuming human eyeballs and stops at nothing to appease his new addiction. Along the way, he discovers green eyes are the tastiest. The greener, the better! Mmmmmm!
In addition to the taboo subject matter, which is nothing like anything I've ever read before, from start to finish the story is delicious in every way. The characters are fantastically written and the medical jargon is either spot-on or at least very believable to the average layman reader.
I also believe the ending was extremely appropriate and fully satisfying.
I recommend this book with the warning to the eye-squeamish. You will never look at a green-eyed person the same way again.
**I won this Dyslectic edition in a GoodReads first-reads giveaway listed by the author. Thank you Goodreads and Tahir Shah for the opportunity to read and review this book! Well done!
***additionally, though I am not Dyslectic, I found the larger-sized, 'weightier' font to be quite easy on my older eyes and I discovered I didn't have to keep moving the book closer/further to focus on the words, nor did they swim around on the page as some do with smaller fonts.
If you are the least bit squeamish about eyes ... looking at them close-up, the thought of touching them or prodding around in there, or most importantly, the thought of EATING them... then this book probably isn't the one you need to be reading. In fact, out of respect for my husbands eye squeamishness, I kept the book face down or covered while he was around - simply because just the book cover gave him the heebie-jeebies.
However, anyone else looking (no pun intended) to read something off the beaten (or is that eaten?) path, this book is the one you need to read next!
Amadeus Kaine is a world famous ophthalmologist. His success in the field has garnered him many accolades and established respect from his peers as well as dignitaries from all over the world.
He is summoned by a tiny country in Central Asia to perform an eye surgery on the leader. While there, he is given little pastries at a banquet that he finds to be positively divine and it turns out the exquisitely tasty pastries are filled with the human eyes of the prisoners who work in the opal mines.
Being a connoisseur of bizarre gastronomical fares, Amadeus deems the pastries as the most uniquely flavorful and truly mind-altering of any food he has ever tasted. The nectar of gods. In fact, he can't think of anything else he'd rather eat. And thus begins this journey into the depths of twisted, psychotic hell. He is driven mad, literally, with consuming human eyeballs and stops at nothing to appease his new addiction. Along the way, he discovers green eyes are the tastiest. The greener, the better! Mmmmmm!
In addition to the taboo subject matter, which is nothing like anything I've ever read before, from start to finish the story is delicious in every way. The characters are fantastically written and the medical jargon is either spot-on or at least very believable to the average layman reader.
I also believe the ending was extremely appropriate and fully satisfying.
I recommend this book with the warning to the eye-squeamish. You will never look at a green-eyed person the same way again.
**I won this Dyslectic edition in a GoodReads first-reads giveaway listed by the author. Thank you Goodreads and Tahir Shah for the opportunity to read and review this book! Well done!
***additionally, though I am not Dyslectic, I found the larger-sized, 'weightier' font to be quite easy on my older eyes and I discovered I didn't have to keep moving the book closer/further to focus on the words, nor did they swim around on the page as some do with smaller fonts.
November 21, 2013
An interesting main character that of Dr Kaine an eye doctor. The short chapters enable a quick flow through events. But the start really doesn’t give anything away of what it to come.
An interesting and distinctly vile twist to the story. I did wonder where this was heading, but it showed how deprived some men can be. All to think that some sort of substance – amino acids, can be an elixir.
The author clearly creates an image of the deprived and poor country of Africa – Moslok. The African president of this small country desperately needs surgery for his eye, while he lives in luxury his country lives in squalor.
While the doctor encounters a delicacy like no other, a food that whets his appetite for more.
The story heading into dangerous and scary territory. Certainly unique in nature. This book is something I’ve never read before. Slightly nauseating at times, but strangely captivating. The other plot of an outbreak causing massive deterioration in the eyes. It is very hard to fully comprehend all of it. But it is fascinating, and terrifying.
An interesting twist to the novel, the good doctor driven crazy because of his obsession with getting human eyes. When one is so obsessed and fixated on something how far would one go to get what they want? Too far? Far enough that once he has done it he cannot go back.
As the plot evolved, the FBI gets involved with the case of the serial killer who removes the victim’s eyes and replaces them with glass eyes. A fascinating and appalling insight to how one becomes a serial killer.
As the FBI and CIA start to close in, they have to choose what is most important. To catch a killer, or to catch someone that may treat an international epidemic. Sacrifice some for the good of many?
The interesting aspect of the main character both creating the antivirus and going on a rampage. The astounding lengths one would go to get what they want. A fascinating perspective through the eyes of a psychopath, and how he became that way.
Revenge, attacking society. It began with a mere obsession, turning to murder, then finally to terrible and sadistic torture.
The terrible, obsessive and psychotic reality of a man plagued with a terrible disorder. A genius in some ways. How the author wrote the book was really fascinating. Unbelievable at times, but quite intoxicating.
3 ½ out of 5 stars.
An interesting and distinctly vile twist to the story. I did wonder where this was heading, but it showed how deprived some men can be. All to think that some sort of substance – amino acids, can be an elixir.
The author clearly creates an image of the deprived and poor country of Africa – Moslok. The African president of this small country desperately needs surgery for his eye, while he lives in luxury his country lives in squalor.
While the doctor encounters a delicacy like no other, a food that whets his appetite for more.
The story heading into dangerous and scary territory. Certainly unique in nature. This book is something I’ve never read before. Slightly nauseating at times, but strangely captivating. The other plot of an outbreak causing massive deterioration in the eyes. It is very hard to fully comprehend all of it. But it is fascinating, and terrifying.
An interesting twist to the novel, the good doctor driven crazy because of his obsession with getting human eyes. When one is so obsessed and fixated on something how far would one go to get what they want? Too far? Far enough that once he has done it he cannot go back.
As the plot evolved, the FBI gets involved with the case of the serial killer who removes the victim’s eyes and replaces them with glass eyes. A fascinating and appalling insight to how one becomes a serial killer.
As the FBI and CIA start to close in, they have to choose what is most important. To catch a killer, or to catch someone that may treat an international epidemic. Sacrifice some for the good of many?
The interesting aspect of the main character both creating the antivirus and going on a rampage. The astounding lengths one would go to get what they want. A fascinating perspective through the eyes of a psychopath, and how he became that way.
Revenge, attacking society. It began with a mere obsession, turning to murder, then finally to terrible and sadistic torture.
The terrible, obsessive and psychotic reality of a man plagued with a terrible disorder. A genius in some ways. How the author wrote the book was really fascinating. Unbelievable at times, but quite intoxicating.
3 ½ out of 5 stars.
October 10, 2013
I have to say from the outset that EYE SPY is one of the weirdest yet most amusing books that I have ever read. It is by no stretch of the imagination mainstream and should probably come with a heavy disclaimer because it will most definitely not appeal to everyone and I think that you probably have to have a slightly dark and macabre streak (which thankfully I do) to fully appreciate it!
The book tells the story of Dr Amadeus Kain, the world's leading eye surgeon who from the word go finds himself facing some pretty tough ethical dilemmas! Having successfully saved the sight of an evil dictator (one of the many that he routinely treats) Kain is given a special "pie" as a reward. The most delicious pie in the world. A pie which he later discovers contains the eyes of prisoners from the opal mines. Now, rather than being repulsed as any sane minded person would be at having unwittingly chomped his way through some tasty eyeballs Kain is actually intrigued, especially when he starts to discover the benefits to his health... Anyway, before too long it's fair to say that the ahem, "good" doctor is completely addicted and embarks upon a cannibalism spree which is both stomach churning and hilarious.
I am a vegetarian. The sight of fish eyes on a plate is enough to make me vomit. So the way the author describes Kain eating these eyes in such vivid and colourful detail literally had me gagging, however because I was hooked, I just had to keep reading more!
The story is fast paced. The chapters are short which mean that you can easily dip in and out of the book and Kain is scarily convincing as he goes from being this internationally respected surgeon responsible for one of the most amazing breakthroughs in medical science to depraved, psychotic serial killer with a target on his back!
The story line is imaginative and original and apart from the fact that it might seriously offend those with a sensitive disposition, I couldn't find a single flaw with it. I can't wait to start reading another of Tahir Shah's books!
You can find me at www.ingridhall.com
The book tells the story of Dr Amadeus Kain, the world's leading eye surgeon who from the word go finds himself facing some pretty tough ethical dilemmas! Having successfully saved the sight of an evil dictator (one of the many that he routinely treats) Kain is given a special "pie" as a reward. The most delicious pie in the world. A pie which he later discovers contains the eyes of prisoners from the opal mines. Now, rather than being repulsed as any sane minded person would be at having unwittingly chomped his way through some tasty eyeballs Kain is actually intrigued, especially when he starts to discover the benefits to his health... Anyway, before too long it's fair to say that the ahem, "good" doctor is completely addicted and embarks upon a cannibalism spree which is both stomach churning and hilarious.
I am a vegetarian. The sight of fish eyes on a plate is enough to make me vomit. So the way the author describes Kain eating these eyes in such vivid and colourful detail literally had me gagging, however because I was hooked, I just had to keep reading more!
The story is fast paced. The chapters are short which mean that you can easily dip in and out of the book and Kain is scarily convincing as he goes from being this internationally respected surgeon responsible for one of the most amazing breakthroughs in medical science to depraved, psychotic serial killer with a target on his back!
The story line is imaginative and original and apart from the fact that it might seriously offend those with a sensitive disposition, I couldn't find a single flaw with it. I can't wait to start reading another of Tahir Shah's books!
You can find me at www.ingridhall.com
October 26, 2022
Reread after many years:
If I had a nickel for every book I read this month that focused on cannibalism amid a global pandemic juxtaposed against criticism of industrial meat farming, I would have 2 nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird it’s happened twice. (The other being Tender is the Flesh which is a truly great fucked up 5 stars)
I read Eye Spy first over 8 years ago and it’s firmly stayed in my mind since then. I have cautiously recommended it to a few friends, and found myself wanting to revisit. It’s just as good as I recall.
I find the character and arc of Amadeus Kaine to be incredibly fascinating. The story is at once a tale of unfettered genius and also unrelenting madness. He simultaneously evolves to a higher plane of consciousness while devolving into a monster with worsening mental illness and delusions of grandeur. Gotta love a story that leads off with a character sick of serving despots and dictators, and ends with his own vision of becoming a Supreme Leader; a man who is so self assured and confident, ending as a husk haunted by his addiction and OCD.
Funny enough I have a fairly strong phobia of eye-related trauma and things happening to eyes, yet I love this book. Who would have thought? Maybe reading about a man literally sucking the eyes from peoples faces serves as a sort of exposure therapy. Aside from the many, many, many instances of eyes being extracted and eaten in various ways, the book is not overly gory or graphic. Except for the eyes. So many eyes.
All in all, a favorite book, and one firmly on my shelf of “weird as hell books I’m not sure how to recommend to my friends.”
———————————————
This book is cemented in my memory and, of course, my favorite novels list.
If I had a nickel for every book I read this month that focused on cannibalism amid a global pandemic juxtaposed against criticism of industrial meat farming, I would have 2 nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird it’s happened twice. (The other being Tender is the Flesh which is a truly great fucked up 5 stars)
I read Eye Spy first over 8 years ago and it’s firmly stayed in my mind since then. I have cautiously recommended it to a few friends, and found myself wanting to revisit. It’s just as good as I recall.
I find the character and arc of Amadeus Kaine to be incredibly fascinating. The story is at once a tale of unfettered genius and also unrelenting madness. He simultaneously evolves to a higher plane of consciousness while devolving into a monster with worsening mental illness and delusions of grandeur. Gotta love a story that leads off with a character sick of serving despots and dictators, and ends with his own vision of becoming a Supreme Leader; a man who is so self assured and confident, ending as a husk haunted by his addiction and OCD.
Funny enough I have a fairly strong phobia of eye-related trauma and things happening to eyes, yet I love this book. Who would have thought? Maybe reading about a man literally sucking the eyes from peoples faces serves as a sort of exposure therapy. Aside from the many, many, many instances of eyes being extracted and eaten in various ways, the book is not overly gory or graphic. Except for the eyes. So many eyes.
All in all, a favorite book, and one firmly on my shelf of “weird as hell books I’m not sure how to recommend to my friends.”
———————————————
This book is cemented in my memory and, of course, my favorite novels list.
October 5, 2014
As veteran wearer of contact lenses, I'm fine with eyes. I don't mind touching my own eyes, and I'm pretty confident that I can touch someone else's eyes without hurting them. My boyfriend on the other hand, cannot stand anything approaching his eyes. He even flinches when I take my contacts out. Once for fun I pretended tried to lick his eye and he completely freaked out.
Now, I don't think my love could take more than a few chapters of Eye Spy. Even I, person that has once stabbed a fish in the eye to see what happens (in a biology class, and yes, the fish was dead beforehand), was absolutely disgusted. Eye Spy is deliciously revolting, and it revels in anything gross related with eyes.
The plot is simple. An eye surgeon, Kaine, goes to operate on a president in a totalitarian country, and tastes a wonderful delicacy there. When he asks what the secret ingredient is, the president reveals that they are made with the eyes of prisoners. Kaine becomes addicted to the eyes and their intellect-boosting side-effects, and figures out different ways to eat them and get his supply.
Usually books like this are one-trick ponies. What I enjoyed about Eye Spy is that it's well-written, and conflicts keep arising to keep you reading. Especially the last few chapters were nerve-wrecking.
The book is filled to the brim with sarcastic dark humour and bizarre situations. If you can get over the image of a guy slurping a few eyes from a spoon, I recommend giving Eye Spy a shot, and prepare to feel slightly nauseous.
Now, I don't think my love could take more than a few chapters of Eye Spy. Even I, person that has once stabbed a fish in the eye to see what happens (in a biology class, and yes, the fish was dead beforehand), was absolutely disgusted. Eye Spy is deliciously revolting, and it revels in anything gross related with eyes.
The plot is simple. An eye surgeon, Kaine, goes to operate on a president in a totalitarian country, and tastes a wonderful delicacy there. When he asks what the secret ingredient is, the president reveals that they are made with the eyes of prisoners. Kaine becomes addicted to the eyes and their intellect-boosting side-effects, and figures out different ways to eat them and get his supply.
Usually books like this are one-trick ponies. What I enjoyed about Eye Spy is that it's well-written, and conflicts keep arising to keep you reading. Especially the last few chapters were nerve-wrecking.
The book is filled to the brim with sarcastic dark humour and bizarre situations. If you can get over the image of a guy slurping a few eyes from a spoon, I recommend giving Eye Spy a shot, and prepare to feel slightly nauseous.
June 18, 2013
Tahir Shah’s recent novel Eye Spy (released as an ebook on Amazon a couple of months ago) is a feast of – many different kinds. It tells the tale of Amadeus Kaine, master eye surgeon of the age and connoisseur of obscure cuisine, and his effects for both good and evil on the human race. It is grim, exciting, funny, well-informed, cosmopolitan, multi-layered, with a detailed analysis of psychological morbidity carried along on a drive that seldom slackens. The author’s love of detail seems to come out on every page. Along the way Shah takes salutary shots at factory farming, biotech over-profiteering, empty celebrity, contemporary dictatorships, parasitic middlemen, the FBI, and our failure to live up to our precious potential. A work that’ll make your mind sizzle, from a citizen of the world. (Warning: You may never look at olives or hard-boiled eggs -- or many other things -- the same way again.) Readers may like to know Mr. Shah has also recently released an essay called Cannibalism: It’s Just Meat, available as an ebook through Amazon.
August 18, 2013
This was disgusting and absolutely marvellous at the same time. I believe this was the first time in my life in which I thank I was not born with green eyes.
Being the first Tahir Shah book I read, Eye Spy was pleasently surprising.
An original story with a brilliant man for a main character. Dr. Amadeus Kaine is the best eye surgeon of his time and, having treated a great share of Presidents and influential people, he has become a man of power and resources. Having a taste for morbid food from the very beginning, his fascination with dark cuisino only rises after tryig a peculiar dish in one of the countries he visitis for work.
This unchains a great obsession for green eyes, which give him great helth and infinite mental capailities. When oculosis, a rapidly mutating eye disease, strikes the world, Kaine, convinced his way of seeing the world is the only right way up to the very end of the novel, increases his eye diet and, from this point onwards, drastic measures and actions surprise the reader in every page.
An sbsolutely riveting read
Being the first Tahir Shah book I read, Eye Spy was pleasently surprising.
An original story with a brilliant man for a main character. Dr. Amadeus Kaine is the best eye surgeon of his time and, having treated a great share of Presidents and influential people, he has become a man of power and resources. Having a taste for morbid food from the very beginning, his fascination with dark cuisino only rises after tryig a peculiar dish in one of the countries he visitis for work.
This unchains a great obsession for green eyes, which give him great helth and infinite mental capailities. When oculosis, a rapidly mutating eye disease, strikes the world, Kaine, convinced his way of seeing the world is the only right way up to the very end of the novel, increases his eye diet and, from this point onwards, drastic measures and actions surprise the reader in every page.
An sbsolutely riveting read
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