The Tantric Exorcist-Ashwin Mudigonda

Book: The Tantric Exorcist
Author: Ashwin Mudigonda
Publisher: Juggernaut

Do you read horror stories?

The Tantric Exorcist by Ashwin Mudigonda is a terrifying journey into the world of tantra. A retelling of the story of Vikram-Vetal, the story is set in Chennai. The story begins when Vikram, a college student, gets possessed by a vetal. Looking at the things, a great tantric Chaturvasi was summoned to free him, but soon they realise that it is not an ordinary possession. Chaturvasi realizes that the key to the exorcism lies in his past, and to save Vikram, it would take all his learnings.

The story is excellently plotted with the things unfolding slowly, revealing the entire picture only towards the end. The first part of the story is quite engaging which the details of possession of Vikram quite detailed and graphic. As it moves ahead, the chills start getting to you when the scenes near the library unfold. I loved the part at Vikram’s house when the transformation happens, and the first scene in his parent’s bedroom was truly horrifying. The language is quite interesting, and the author has taken the pain to be authentic to the shlokas and the translations so that the reader does not get lost. However, the story starts to slack in the second half when multiple events are taking place in the story and there are loose ends that reduce the experience one is having with the context of the first part. The horror element of the book is virtually missing in this half, and it focuses more on Chaturvasi. The climax was interesting, and I have a mixed opinion about it. I loved the manner in which it began, but the end did not do much justice to the overall story.

Coming to the characters, Chaturvasi’s character arc is intelligently drawn and unfolds slowly throughout the story and is the thread that holds the plot together. An interesting character, his being a dentist-cum-tantric is quite innovative, and his activities lend a certain level of intrigue to the plot. Ranganathan was another character that was interesting, especially his loyalty and belief in Chaturvasi.

Overall, an interesting book that could have been treated better. It scores a 3.88/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book here.