Luka and the Fire of Life facts for kids
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| Author | Salman Rushdie |
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| Cover artist | Niroot Puttapipat |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Random House |
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Publication date
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16 November 2010 |
| Pages | 217 |
| Preceded by | Haroun and the Sea of Stories |
Luka and the Fire of Life is an exciting adventure novel written by Salman Rushdie. It came out in 2010. This book is a follow-up to another story called Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Salman Rushdie shared that he got ideas for this book from video games. He also wrote it especially for his 13-year-old son.
Luka's Big Adventure: What Happens?
The story begins with Luka and his father, Rashid, walking home from school. They live in a make-believe city called Kahani. They pass a circus called the Great Rings of Fire. Luka sees the sad animals and shouts a curse. He wishes the animals would stop obeying and the fire rings would burn the tent.
Later that day, Luka's curse comes true! The circus animals rebel, and the tents burn down. Two animals, a dog named Dog and a bear named Bear, escape. They become Luka's loyal pets. About a month later, something terrible happens. Rashid, Luka's father, falls into a deep sleep. People think it's a curse from a bad guy named Captain Aag.
To save his father, Luka must travel through a magical place. This place is called the 'World of Magic'. A ghost-like creature named Nobodaddy guides Luka. Nobodaddy represents Rashid's coming death. Luka learns that Bear is actually Barak, an immortal dog-man. He was turned into a dog by a Chinese curse. Dog is a king from a northern land. He was turned into a bear by an ogre.
All four of them need to find the special 'Fire of Life'. This fire is the only thing that can wake Rashid up. They follow the River of Time to find it. But an old man from the river attacks them and kills Luka. Luckily, Luka comes back to life! He realizes that in this world, he will keep reviving until he finishes his mission. Luka beats the Old Man in a game of riddles.
The group finds a boat, but it flips over. Then, strange creatures called Elephant Ducks carry them upriver. These ducks have bodies like ducks but big elephant heads. They are very silly.
Later, the group stops in a city called the Respectorate of I. This city is ruled by rats who believe everyone's ideas are equally right. As they leave, Luka accidentally insults their national song. But a girl named Soraya, the Insultana of Ott, saves him. Luka realizes she has the same name as his mother.
Soraya joins Luka and his friends. They fly on her flying carpet through misty areas and a place called the Great Stagnation. The elephant birds help them through a maze of paths. Here, the real River of Time is hidden among many fake ones. They are then stopped by the Great Rings of Fire. Dog and Bear recognize this as Captain Aag's work.
When Bear and Dog disable the rings, Captain Aag appears with Nuthog. Nuthog is a shape-changer who looks like a dragon. But Nuthog betrays Aag when Soraya frees Nuthog's three sisters. With the sisters' help, Luka and his friends avoid many gods from different myths. They finally get the Fire of Life.
A trickster spirit named Coyote distracts the gods. This gives Luka a chance to grab the Fire of Life. Coyote then convinces the gods to let Luka keep it. They return to the human world. Prometheus, a powerful figure, joins them. He helps them get past the Mists of Time.
But they are captured in a cloud fortress called Baddal-Garh. This fortress is now controlled by a bad guy named Aalim and Nobodaddy. Nobodaddy has betrayed Luka to finish his task of killing Rashid. Prometheus throws Nobodaddy into outer space. The Aalim cause everyone but Luka, Dog, Bear, and Prometheus to feel terrible pain. Luka curses the Aalim, and the gods destroy the fortress.
Luka and his friends continue towards Rashid. The gods protect them from dangerous 'Rain Cats'. Luka finally revives Rashid! Bear, challenged by Nobodaddy, gives up his own immortality to save Rashid's life. The story ends with Luka's mother hiding the Fire of Life after a family celebration.
Meet the Characters
- Luka Khalifa: He is the main character of the book. Luka is a twelve-year-old boy who goes on a brave journey to save his sick father. He is very courageous and can even curse his enemies.
- Bear: This is a chocolate Labrador dog who can sing. He is actually Barak, one of the immortal dog-men. A Chinese curse turned him into a dog. Bear is Luka's loyal pet and protector. He later gives up his immortality to save Rashid.
- Dog: This is a dancing bear. He is a normal bear and is always with Luka.
- Nobodaddy: This is a phantom creature. He was created to take Rashid Khalifa's life. Nobodaddy first joins Luka to steal the Fire of Life. But he betrays Luka to the Aalim. Prometheus throws him into space. He later takes Bear's immortality in exchange for Rashid's life.
- Soraya: She is the Insultana of Ott. She has green eyes and red hair. Soraya helps Luka through the World of Magic. She uses her flying carpet, Resham, which belonged to King Solomon. She can be grumpy but often acts like a kind older sister to Luka.
- The Aalim: These are the ultimate guardians of the Fire of Life. They rule the World of Magic. They look like cloaked figures with no faces. Their voices alone can cause great pain to magical beings. Luka eventually leads a rebellion that takes away their power.
- Captain Aag: He owns the Great Rings of Fire circus. He is actually Menetius, the Titan of Rage. He is a bad guy throughout the story and is linked to fire and anger. He puts a curse on Luka's father, Rashid, to make him sleep forever.
- Prometheus: He is Captain Aag's brother. The Aalim made him suffer. Once he is freed, he helps Luka leave the World of Magic to save his father.
- Coyote: This character comes from Native American legends. He distracts the gods to help Luka get a chance to steal the Fire.
- Haroun Khalifa: He is Luka's older brother. Haroun is the main character of the book Haroun and the Sea of Stories. He is often kind to Luka.
- Rashid Khalifa: He is Luka's father. Captain Aag curses him to fall into a deep sleep forever.
- Soraya Khalifa: She is Luka's mother.
