A great weekend read

The Paatala Prophecy Son of Bhrigu
by Christopher C. Doyle
Genre : Fiction

This is the first book of the Paatala Prophecy series. Son of Bhrigu refers to Shukracharya - the Guru of Asuras. I had put this aside because of the title.Two days ago, I decided to read it finally as I had not read Doyle for a long time. And what a ride!

Arjun and Maya are two fifteen year old school kids who find their life turned upside down when their history teacher is murdered. While all including police are stumped, another murder takes place which is even more gruesome.  Why are people being murdered? It is not a serial killer but carefully selected targets. Just when the pattern seems to be emerging, the police are at a loss as it all stops. Maya's father asks her to take his diary and escape which she does. What does the diary contain? Why does Arjun's Uncle drive non-stop from Delhi to Madhya Pradesh? What secret are they hiding and who are they fleeing from?

From Egyptian pyramids to Allahabad escapade, murders in Delhi to hidden Gurukul in Panna National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Doyle has outdone himself. This has various references from the Mahabharata which is normal to me as I have read his other books. I was a little ticked off though when he says Parikshit is the son of Arjuna but actually the grandson. Other than that, it is a page turner and is thoroughly enjoyable.

The writing is clear and if you like the parallel universe theory and portals, do pick it up to read it over the weekend.

 

You can buy it here 

The Treasure of Kafur -book review

The Treasure of Kafur
by Aroon Raman
Genre: Historical Fantasy

This is another one of those books that I finally decided to read during the lock down.

      

Malik Kafur is a legendary figure. He was the one responsible for the success of Aladdin Khilji and the destruction of  many kingdoms. He made the Delhi Sultanate famous in South India, not Khilji. Kafur is well known in the South for his victories..He was turned back at my hometown way down South. But little is known about the man or how he died.

His life itself was mysterious and the stuff of legends. He was a slave who became a general and a general who killed with a ruthlessness that most of India was conquered. He must have commanded extreme loyalty, something even his king in Delhi didn't. Strangely enough, historians are not able to agree on what exactly happened to him or to his plunder. All that is known is that we do not know what happened to him or his treasure.

Raman spins an extraordinary story about the hidden treasure of Kafur and how 250 years later during the Mughal era, a part of it was revealed to Akbar.

Ambu, one of the guardians who can telepathically communicate with animals lives with her grandson Datta in a small hut when she has a vision of the local king Baig plotting with others (from Afghanistan to the Deccan) to encircle the Mughal empire of Akbar. She is abducted when Baig realises she knows the location of the treasure. Afterall, how can a war between differing kingdoms  despite a common enemy be fought without money? However, she ensures Datta is set off towards what proves to be an adventure to warn Akbar of the impending doom and also the location of the treasure before she is abducted. Datta accompanied by a tortoise, a bunch of ravens and a cow makes his way past the Tapti river. Does Datta manage to reach Akbar on time to save Ambu and the Mughal Empire?  Who are the legendary figures he meets during this adventure? Is the truth of the treasure of Kafur completely revealed or does it still lie somewhere in some godforsaken place in India? Raman asks and answers these questions in his book, "A Treasure of Kafur"

From the banks of the Tapti to the Agra Fort, from the ravines of  Aravalli to the Deccan plateau, Raman weaves a story of intrigue, scheming and grandiose that keeps you engaged. This book is t action packed and it will keep you in suspense till the very end when you will finally know if Datta succeeded in saving the empire and his grandmother. Emperor Akbar's mightiness as well as his humane nature is  well conveyed in The Treasure of Kafur.

A must read  for all Indians who are not taught much about Kafur or the society of guardians.

To buy the book

Click  here

The Mahabharata Secret
by
Christopher Doyle
Genre: Fiction - Historical Thriller.
386 Pages, Om Books International.
Available in Different formats.


Most readers of my blog may be aware of the Indian epic,  Mahabharata. It is like 1000 stories in one, all inter connected and in which Bhagavad Gita is a part - the philosophical treatise which most Indians know about but do not follow. But then, this is India, so you cannot expect anything else!  So, what is the secret ? That is what I thought when I began this book. But I never expected Emperor Ashoka to make his appearance in the first few pages or that it would be a fast paced terrorist thriller that takes us through little known parts of India especially Bihar. I mean Rajasthan and Delhi where the author lives was okay but Bihar?

This book does two things. It flits back and fro through history, from Emperor Ashoka's times to the present and in between. It flits across South Asia and then inside India but more importantly, it reminds most people of South Asia about the Buddhist past of the region which lasted for around 2000 years, which is never taught in schools as if it never existed at all.

From the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan to the ramparts of Rajasthani forts, from scientists turned terrorists of the Lakshar -e- Taiba to the hunting for clues in Ashoka pillars in Bihar, the author masterfully weaves a story of intrigue, action, puzzles and reminders of the buried past.

I purposely read it in bits because I wanted to savour the feeling of eating a delicious meal  multiple times. The style is crisp and the tone is clear.The ending didn't leave me sated but Christopher Doyle, thank you for a much needed historical thriller.

To think this debut novel in 2013 has received so little attention was shocking.


If you feel I had still not told you what the secret is, I ask you to read the book. Buy it here


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