Book Review # 37: The Great war on Prithvi :Sunil Rajguru
Synopsis:
It is about a 16-year-old caught in a parallel world of Mahabharat style astras that are virtual super nukes. He meets a mysterious Astra Master and timeless yogi called Guru, who throws up more questions than answers. The beautiful and demented Shakti is an assassin out to get Vishnu over a prophecy. Then there’s Duryodhan, a megalomaniac king ready to destroy Prithvi. Vishnu soon finds himself sucked into the Great War whose fate somehow lies in his hands.
My Review:
The synopsis sounded very interesting and I have read very few sci fi thrillers and I am not a big fan of this genre. I started reading this hoping it would justify my decision to step out of my comfort genre and attempt something new.
One of the best sci-fi thrillers read, the story kept me on the edge all the time. It has the power to keep you engaged and curious till the end.
Vishnu is a smart intelligent boy, who has the ability to be the best in whatever he wishes to; becomes a loner because he is confused and gets bored of things easily.
Beautifully written, against the back drop of Mahabharata. I liked the way the author drew parallels from two different times like past and present for developing Vishnu’s character. His character is complex yet relatable. New but old. The story deals with his tryst with his past which he has to deal with when he goes back in time.
The Prithvi is written about very beautifully. Sounds really like a parallel existing world. The story sounded similar to Krishna’s birth story with the killing of kins etc. I would love to read more about the female character Shakti. I felt the character was half baked. A little more detailing to her character would have helped. I liked the in-depth explanation about astras like how they are created, how power is infused by prayers and meditation.
Written intelligently, the story moves at a great pace. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves to read thrillers. Do pick up and read and I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
It is raining mythological books in India these days. A lot of authors are dipping their toes into mythology, I call this the Amish & Banker effect. Well Anand Neelkanthan has a lot of hold over this genre as well.
ReplyDeleteIts becoming difficult to cull good books from amidst this noise. A sci-fi take on Duryodhana is interesting. Dealing with issues like space time continuum also sounds very Flash-y.
How the author deals with others characters and how the plot unfolds will be the game changer. I would definitely pick a copy of this book for review when I'm in India.