Page 45 of 66
As I had mentioned in my earlier post, of late, I find myself interested in mythology. That’s the main reason I signed up for this book. Well, over to the review..
Image Courtesy: http://www.infoaboutbooks.com
Ashwin Sanghi has done a good job delivering a gripping book to the audience. Again. Having read his Chanakya’s Chant, I can say that much. This book is of the same genre under which Dan Brown’s books fall. Thriller? Yes. Worth a buy? Yes. Unique? Ummm.. I have to say no. It is just that though a book can be of the same genre with various best-sellers but when it has striking similarities that remind you of some other book at every turn, you tend to lose forget the author’s touch. It happens.
Let me elaborate:
The main characters in The Krishna Key:
1. The protagonist : Ravi Mohan Saini
2. The female counter-part (helping the protagonist as he tries to unmask the antagonist) : Priya
3. The tough police officer who is honest (no doubt there) but mistakes the protagonist due to evidences leading up to him : Radhika Singh
4. Then there is always the CBI 😉 : Sunil Garg
5. Antagonist: Taarak Vakil (His name also has a Dan Brown’s touch. Read the book to know more about this hint :P)
Ravi Mohan is on the run to prove that he is innocent and at the same time to decipher a seemingly-impossible set of clues to uncover a great mythological truth and at the same time to protect it.
Now, answer me? Too many similarities with Da Vinci Code? Yes. That’s what disturbed me the most about this book. Then again, I cannot just blow off Ashwin Sanghi’s effort by saying he has done a Dan Brown toned down to Indian tastes. He has done a great job in weaving the plot so that it keeps up with the pace. The book has twists and turns wherever necessary. Necessary in the sense that which is needed to keep the audience hooked. Nothing in excess and nothing in short.
I loved the way how certain explanations were re-quoted to bring in the emphasis and realization because otherwise, readers tend to miss certain awesome realizations since it has a lot of information to take in.
Also, i should appreciate the efforts of the author who has succeeded in presenting the right form of Indian mythology to the world. We all know that India was the source of knowledge for many unbelievable technologies/findings. But, how much do we really know? How much do we realize? Do we really grasp what a mother lode of knowledge and intellect we had so many years ago? And how that has all forgotten over times and now we sit here calling ourselves a developing country.
I applaud this book in the fact that it succeeds in making the readers scoot over to Google to check facts about our history that we never bothered to know more about. That in itself a big achievement for the book. It has made it’s point. So here is my rating, I would say it is a good book, worth a buy, worth reading more than once, but not one of it’s kind.
Until later 🙂
This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!
Last month, I bought the first 2 parts of the Shiva Trilogy – The immortals of Meluha and The secret of the Nagas ( Finally!) I had been getting mixed reviews about this set of books and I was also a bit skeptical because Mythology has mixed effects on me. However, once I started reading 1st part, I couldn’t put them down until I had finished both the books back to back.
The turns that the author – Amish Tripati has made the story to course through are captivating. The books were not the reflection of those mythical stories created/spread to induce some fear/discipline among the masses. The plot was based on such a simple concept – Those divine beings whom we call God (in various representations and by way of idolization) could have been normal human beings to start with. The choices they made through their life raised them up to a platform where they are worthy of being considered as the supreme force. After all, that’s what decides a human’s worth – one’s choices. Ain’t it?
Another baseline that mirrored my thoughts was that we consider certain things/people evil just because they are different from us. We fail to see that the differences are based on one’s own priorities/preferences and nothing to do with evil. Identifying the real evil and destroying it is the choice that a person has to make with tact and supreme will of the heart. This is what the Mahadev (Lord Shiva or Lord Rudra as we perceive today) had to do back then.
These concepts on which these books are based gave me something to think upon in this confused, most debated topic. If you are interested in exploring the depths of Indian myths, finding answers to deep-rooted questions about the way the idolization of gods evolved, you will find these books to be the right choice. People who use their religious/spiritual views to influence others or to look down on people must have a read and realize that all the scriptures defining the rules were formulated for a particular period and can be evolved for the good of the masses.
In a nutshell, these books are a really interesting read and gives something for the readers to chew upon and explore with their minds. I am eagerly waiting for the release of the last part – The oath of Vayuputras. Hope it will make as good a read as the previous 2 books and give some conclusions. 🙂
Until later 🙂
Just for a minuscule moment
She thought that she was free again;
And then again the insecurities and the darkness engulfed her
She gasped for breath, fighting against the darkness
Trying to raise a hand against the unjust life
All the while, knowing that it’s a lost battle
Yet, knowing that she tried her best to stand up
That’s what gave her the satisfaction
That she did not bow at any instant
It was her pride, until the end.
Until later 🙂
P.S: Do not ask me why I wrote this, because I do not know 😉 Sometimes, words frame themselves best, when given the free reign 🙂
I was on a reading frenzy today and completed reading the 74 unread posts in my reader 🙂 That should vent out the frustration that had built up because I couldn’t read and write as much as I wanted to. Ever since I came to Bangalore, almost all the days fly by as if they have wings. 24 hours are not enough for me. Sometimes I wonder if I am the one who is not doing justice to the time that’s given to me, but I cannot give up on that 9 hours of blissful sleep, can I? 😉 That is my weak point which I am unable to change and the rest of my day goes in a blur. Sigh! Anyway, will be back with a review my view on the first 2 books of Shiva Trilogy. I had been postponing reading this series since I received mixed opinions about it. However, now that I have finished reading “The Immortals of Meluha” and “The Secret of the Nagas”, I cannot wait for the “The Oath of the Vayuputras”. It has been a long time ever since I finished reading up 2 books back to back within 4 days.
Will be back soon with more 🙂
Until later 🙂
That’s me
