What are some of the good writing techniques Rushdie uses to create tension?

Rushdie's rich mind pictures of an exotic world of water where living stories endlessly flow, blend, and mix have a deeper meaning He embeds commentary on censorship and pornography in the context of an ecological crisis. The villain admits he is killing the Ocean of the Streams of Story because he cannot control them. One army debates every order that comes down from the General, who approves and joins in.