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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Not knowing the Shiva story at all, I found this novel a fun read. The battle of what is good and what is evil is an interesting one to think about and Amish truly leaves you with a cliff hanger.
Written like a modern retelling of hindu mythology, I really enjoyed the plot. The writing style, and character development could have been better. I wish I felt for them more, I just didn't feel so attached.
Accurate Rating: 2.5
A good fiction supported by facts. However, the line between facts and fiction becomes harder to separate in the course. A person with inclination towards Indian mythology would find this book interesting.
Out of the 26 chapters, the major plot development seemed to be done majorly in the ending chapters and one had to sit through some of the chapters just to keep it going.
Since, the ending makes me want to pick up the next book, I rounded my rating to 3 stars.
A good fiction supported by facts. However, the line between facts and fiction becomes harder to separate in the course. A person with inclination towards Indian mythology would find this book interesting.
Out of the 26 chapters, the major plot development seemed to be done majorly in the ending chapters and one had to sit through some of the chapters just to keep it going.
Since, the ending makes me want to pick up the next book, I rounded my rating to 3 stars.
not my kinda book... didnt enjoy the style of writing.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book challenges the reader in many ways and provides the scientific explanations to a lot of religious beliefs which blows the reader's mind. Also the recitation is very engaging and hence the excitement is built up till the end. At places I felt the book is written as screenplay, with each chapter being episodes of series, ending with some unturned stones building the excitement for the next. Overall very good read and shout out to the brilliant imagination.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I first heard of the book I was a bit apprehensive for a few reasons.
1) I’m not a fan of Indian mythology, I adore Greek mythology and I am mildly interested in Egyptian but Indian mythology never appealed to me.
2) The author had said in an interview that he worshipped Shiva. People tend to sometimes show their own heroes/idols in a supreme being/perfect way therefore I assumed that Amish Tripathi had done the same.
3) The Indian market is full of books written by authors who come from fields which are completely un related to Literature. They write books which are poor in writing and are completely devoid of any plot. Catering to the mass Indian audience who love that sort of chick lit writing they get away with a lot of money. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not being a snob and saying only those who study literature come out as good authors. There are plenty of good authors who have never studied literature and have yet written excellent books, writing is an inborn talent. What I am trying to say is that not many of these chick lit-YA authors do not have that talent yet write books anyway.
Anyway, I was sure I’d give the book a miss. But then on my 14th birthday a friend of mine gifted me this book and so I gave it a read.
I’m not going to say that the book blew me off completely and that I was left gasping for breath and cursing my own stupidity for not devoting my entire life to Indian authors. But it did give me a few pleasant surprises.
I liked the way the characters, especially Shiva, developed throughout the book. Tripathi, instead of giving away the full magnitude of each character’s personality at their very introduction let them unfold throughout the book one by one like the many layers of a cake. Almost all the characters grew through the book, blossoming slowly to reveal themselves as complex human beings, not just cardboard cut outs. The only main character I can think of who remained more or less the same till the end of the book is Sati.
I was proved wrong in my opinion of the book being another outlet of hero worship. Shiva wasn’t an all mighty, all powerful god who knew everything, never made any mistakes, never strayed of the path of dharma; he was a hot tempered youth who lead a tribe, smoked marijuana and swore in almost every other thought. In fact, if anything, he swore too much. I liked the way he grew in the book, gaining knowledge, experience and wisdom and never losing his humility though everyone worshipped the ground he stood on.
The writing, however, was poor. The author used over powering adjectives, melodramatic comparisons and seriously strong description. At one point in the book when Shiva first met Sati, Tripathi wote:
“…he(Shiva) continued to stare at the dust with intense jealousy. It had been fortunate enough to have touched her”
What?!? I get that the guy’s in love, but don’t you think that’s a tad too melodramatic?
The concept of the book was nice. I liked the way the author contrasted the two civilizations of Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis. The detailed descriptions of the city were, I think, based on the Mohenjo Daro civilization. Especially that part of the drainage system and the houses being at right angles with each other and the great bath. The society of the Suryavanshis was fascinating. I found myself wondering if it was actually possible to follow their beliefs and system in our society. Also the justification of the vikarma practice showed that the author gave great attention to the grays of the society where often the happiness of a few have to be sacrificed for the greater good of the others.
Overall, I liked the book, though I can’t say I fell head over heels in love with it(my heart, I’m afraid, was stolen by the Potter books and I am yet to have it back). I look forward to the next book and I am glad that an Indian author has emerged who has been able to bring Indian mythology into the word of YA literature.
1) I’m not a fan of Indian mythology, I adore Greek mythology and I am mildly interested in Egyptian but Indian mythology never appealed to me.
2) The author had said in an interview that he worshipped Shiva. People tend to sometimes show their own heroes/idols in a supreme being/perfect way therefore I assumed that Amish Tripathi had done the same.
3) The Indian market is full of books written by authors who come from fields which are completely un related to Literature. They write books which are poor in writing and are completely devoid of any plot. Catering to the mass Indian audience who love that sort of chick lit writing they get away with a lot of money. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not being a snob and saying only those who study literature come out as good authors. There are plenty of good authors who have never studied literature and have yet written excellent books, writing is an inborn talent. What I am trying to say is that not many of these chick lit-YA authors do not have that talent yet write books anyway.
Anyway, I was sure I’d give the book a miss. But then on my 14th birthday a friend of mine gifted me this book and so I gave it a read.
I’m not going to say that the book blew me off completely and that I was left gasping for breath and cursing my own stupidity for not devoting my entire life to Indian authors. But it did give me a few pleasant surprises.
I liked the way the characters, especially Shiva, developed throughout the book. Tripathi, instead of giving away the full magnitude of each character’s personality at their very introduction let them unfold throughout the book one by one like the many layers of a cake. Almost all the characters grew through the book, blossoming slowly to reveal themselves as complex human beings, not just cardboard cut outs. The only main character I can think of who remained more or less the same till the end of the book is Sati.
I was proved wrong in my opinion of the book being another outlet of hero worship. Shiva wasn’t an all mighty, all powerful god who knew everything, never made any mistakes, never strayed of the path of dharma; he was a hot tempered youth who lead a tribe, smoked marijuana and swore in almost every other thought. In fact, if anything, he swore too much. I liked the way he grew in the book, gaining knowledge, experience and wisdom and never losing his humility though everyone worshipped the ground he stood on.
The writing, however, was poor. The author used over powering adjectives, melodramatic comparisons and seriously strong description. At one point in the book when Shiva first met Sati, Tripathi wote:
“…he(Shiva) continued to stare at the dust with intense jealousy. It had been fortunate enough to have touched her”
What?!? I get that the guy’s in love, but don’t you think that’s a tad too melodramatic?
The concept of the book was nice. I liked the way the author contrasted the two civilizations of Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis. The detailed descriptions of the city were, I think, based on the Mohenjo Daro civilization. Especially that part of the drainage system and the houses being at right angles with each other and the great bath. The society of the Suryavanshis was fascinating. I found myself wondering if it was actually possible to follow their beliefs and system in our society. Also the justification of the vikarma practice showed that the author gave great attention to the grays of the society where often the happiness of a few have to be sacrificed for the greater good of the others.
Overall, I liked the book, though I can’t say I fell head over heels in love with it(my heart, I’m afraid, was stolen by the Potter books and I am yet to have it back). I look forward to the next book and I am glad that an Indian author has emerged who has been able to bring Indian mythology into the word of YA literature.