Fury is about the 55-year-old Rushdie-clone Malik Solanka, Mumbai-born, London-educated. Solanka suddenly and inexplicably leaves his English home, wife and child to move across the Atlantic to New York. The search for peace and a new life eludes Solanka, but yields a rich store of pop-cultural subjects for his author to vent his spleen on.
Except that critics are now venting their spleen on the celebrated writer. "Rushdie," declares London-based Independent's reviewer, "has long been over-rated as a novelist, but after three major duds in a row, it must be time for his relegation from the premier league." Fury, says the reviewer, "fails on every single level".