Book 7

Book Seven of the Years of Rice and Salt throws the light on the industrial revolution which took place in India. In the beginning of the story, the plot suggests that the new empire has come in India which is much better than the previous. This empire brought some major advanced technological changes, industrial progress and a lot of inventions took place at that time. India also had a most powerful army because of these technological changes. As the Indian empire became more powerful, the Ottoman Empire was not able to compete with them and got divided. The land of Konstantiniyye got attacked by the Indian empire and sultan was not able to rescue neither his palace nor his land.  Ismail, an expert in medical sciences went to India and shared his medical information with others. Robinson concludes this book with an overview of a World War. This book was interesting and easy to read. The knowledge of medical sciences and the development of Qing dynasty is specially noticeable.

Years of Rice and Salt: Book 10 (Extra Credit)

In Book Ten: The First Years of “The years of Rice and Salt” written by Kim Stanley Robison the main Character is Busho who used to be a Japanese Samurai. In this book we learn about the discovering of the “new land” but in this last chapter instead of it being discovered by England how it happens in real time history it is discovered by China. In this book there is Busho and he was forced to leave his home land in Japan do to an invasion by the Muslims. Busho then goes on to the Americans where he saves a Native American tribe from the Sioux tribe. While then living with the American tribe for a while Busho is nominated to be the chief of what they call “The eight nations of Native Americans”. Busho accepts the position of chief; while chief he revels quite a bit of himself and his background to everyone. He tells of people from his “home world” and how they had once tried to set up a territory in the Americas but where only invaded by the Chinese. What Busho does to help the tribe is to propose they build stronger alliances with the other American tribes so that they can build up the defense of their “new world” to keep other outside were they belong: out.

Years of Rice and Salt Book 7 (Simone G.)

In The Age of Progress Tranvancore is invading Konstantiniyye. I thought it was amusing that how the Sultan was not in a rush to defend his empire because he was so impressed with the new military technology of “black magic and flying baskets”.  Ismail and the captives were all invited back to Tranvancore. Ismail was wanted by the Kerala so that he could share the Chinese viewing on human anatomy with the teachers at the monastery. We learn that the Kerala wants a form of utopia in the world, where everyone is equal and war no longer exists.

In chapter three we jump ahead several years and we meet Kiyoaki who has been flooded out of his home in China. He and Peng-ti are picked up by Japanese and are taken to Japantown. We come across Ismail again who is trying to help form a resistance against the Chinese because they were trying to take over. The book ends in a kind of world war with two major powers: China and Islam. The war never really balanced out at first because both powers were either both down or both up. Eventually the Islamic states came together because the Chinese were threatening to take over Asia. Other countries were trying to stay neutral but were soon drawn in; starting the world war.

Years of Rice and Salt Book 8 (Simone G. – EXTRA CREDIT)

In the War of the Asuras, the book starts off in the middle of a war between the Chinese and the Muslims. The Muslims are trying to take over and Chinese are trying to put up a resistance. Major Kuo, Bai and Iwa are the main characters and as generation after generation of their army dies somehow they manage to stay alive. The war had been going on for years and it had gotten to the point where the Chinese and Muslims were fighting with boys and women.

I think that throughout the book it explores the difficulties and mistakes that could happen in any war. Kuo is very irritated with the “Military Talent”, a group of people who try to come up with ways to defeat the Muslims. Many times they have tried to come up with strategies but they have all failed. We see the use of atomic-like bombs: the Muslims using floating bombs that exploded and spread poison gas throughout the Chinese camps.

At the end of the book our three main characters die. However, Bai and Iwa are somewhat in a denial about it. Bai and Iwa kepp imagining themselves back in the human world fighting off the “Muslims”. Kuo is trying to get Bai to realize that he is dead and that he is really in the bardo. He also wants him to accept change. “We have to try to accept change. And change leads to death. (Robinson 381)”. Bai and Iwa eventually comes to terms with their deaths and are able to move on to the next life.

Book 7- Rachel Kassabian

Book VII starts off in the land of Konstantiniyye with Sultan Selim and his head doctor, Ismail. Both the doctor and sultan study the human body by dissection. Ismail is known among other doctors and has made many advances by looking at work from Ancient Greece and then adding key elements that were unknown before. One day, ships from India which are propelled by steam come to Konstantiniyye and start to bomb the Sultan’s palace. Instead of defending his lands, he is instead caught up in the new military advances that India is using against him, such as the hot air balloon. After the land is conquered, Ismail is invited back to India and has an invitation to meet the Kerala and exchange information on health and the human body with them. He is introduced to their empire and shown the ways that these people live in prosperity. 

book VII: Brenda Leigh Denny

With an attack of “flying balloons” and a fleet of ships, book seven begins. During this section, blood, nerves, and circulation is explored. This form of human science and anatomy is a touchy topic for some scientists of the time because their religion would not allow them to do formal autopsies on the human body. One part I found interesting was how different the scientists were. While Ismail and his ruler focus on the soul and its weight, other scientists are studying a more practical study–physiology.

At the end of the section, the world is on the brink of a multi-faceted war. All of the sections the were in contention with each other have built up their military technology and seem to be ready to fight.

A few references that should be considered include: blood and circulation, the Qing dynasty, the Manchu, and silk-worms.

Years of Rice and Salt Book 7

The book 7 gets very interesting with industrial revolution. In this part Robinson shows the development in Southern Asia. Robinson draws a very interesting point on this part. From the other chapters, what interests me the most in this chapter is the significance of religion.

We can see a lot of development on warfare equipment and a lot of development in medical science. Specially with human anatomy and blood circulation. Apart from all these warfare we can see a very rich culture and music on south India. They are very much festive and also the Kerala is supportive of medical development in his state.

At the end of the book the tension between different countries is noticeable. For example at the end of the book we can see the Chinese were taking help from the south Indian’s to protect themselves from the Muslims.

At conclusion, I would say that Robinson shows that as the world was moving towards advancement, there were also tension rising.

Years of Rice and Salt Book 7

Years of Rice and Salt Book 7 starts of the story with Ismail who is a scientist/doctor who follows the Sultan around. Then the Sultan asked Ismail about the Indian empire. Ismail does not know much about the Indian empire except that they have new weapon that is a great danger to Ottaman empire. Then the Indian empire attacks the Ottaman empire and the Ottaman empire is no match for the Indian empire that the sultan runs away and leaves Ismail their. Ismail is taken to the capital of the indain empire to meet their leader. The leader decides to ask Ismail to become a member of thier empire and ismal says yes. In the middle of the story we have a traveler how goes to the chinese empire. Then we have the begining of world war.

The Years of Rice and Salt- Book 7

In this book we learn about the industrial revolution taking place in India. We start off by learning baout the Konstantiniyye empire which is the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Ismail is a physician who works for the Sultan. We meet them in the first pages when they are talking about The Indian Empire that plans to conquer them. The Sultan ask Ismail for information on the Indian empire and what types of dangers will they be facing. Ismail didn’t know much except what he had heard. The Indian Empire was able to conquer the Ottoman Empire with the type of weapons and machinery they had. The Indian Empire had made some great advancement in technological innovations they had;a superior navy, hot air balloons, fire-powered ships, coal industries, and  shipping industry. They also had some other innovations as well. They used their advancement to protect themselves from future invasion and The Chinese.  In the middle of the story Ismail survives the invasion and goes to work with the Indians on medicine. At the end of the story the start of the World War happens.

Years of Rice and salt Book VII

Book seven in the years of Rice and Salt, tells the story of the industrial revolution which takes place all around India.  In the beginning of the story, the reader is given a bit of background as to set the context of the story. In the story, the reader learns that the long reigning Mogul empire was overthrown and a new empire was established. The new empire focused on technological and industrial innovations, which lead to some significant discoveries. And, as a result of these discoveries the Indian empire had a superior navy, superior air power in hot air balloons, fire-powered ships, coal industries, and a shipping industry.  These innovations gave the Indian empire a considerable amount of advantage over the weak Ottoman Empire; and as a result, the Ottoman Empire is easily broken and conquered without facing much resistance. Upon the conquest of the Ottoman Empire, the sultan flees with his guards and his advisor’s leaving the gold and the reaches behind. Although all of his close advisor’s leave with the sultan, Ismael the sultan’s leading physical stays behind, and he helps in the expansion of medical science. The leader of the Indian empire imagines a world where “everyone everywhere is free of all empires”. And the Indian empire works as sort of as a buffer between the two old world power of the time, the Chinese and the Muslims.  But in the end, their efforts prove to be futile, when insurgency within china escalates and draws the whole known world into war.