Author: Aurijit Ganguli
Publisher: Self Published
Do you think that the mythical city of
Shambhala does exist?
The Shambhala Sutras by Aurijit Ganguli traces the journey
of Arjun and Lisa as they look for the elusive Sanjeevani in the hills of
Uttarakhand. Paired up circumstantially, the former is a botanist, and the
latter is a chef, with a common friend Sara who guides them towards this trip.
As they reach Varanasi, some shocking revelations are told to them and
unknowingly they trudge on the path to a mystical place that is believed to be
the epitome of ultimate knowledge, power, and wealth. Would they be able to
decode and find this elusive place?
The Shambala Sutras has a simple and a crisp plot that is executed with finesse. Aurijit has taken the mythological references as well as urban legends to weave a wonderful story. The idea to bring to strangers on a common journey is quite interesting and I loved the way he builds up the journey as it moves from the USA to Varanasi to Chidambaram and then to the upper ranges of the Himalayas. The storytelling is quite good and breezy. At no point does the plot seem slow or unnecessary. The pace is quite fast, and the reader is always motivated to turn the page. The language is easy to understand, and no complex words or phrases are used. The second part of the story did seem a bit fast as the things unfolded and I would have loved to see a bit more of the tension before the secret is revealed. It would have improved the overall story experience. The climax is interestingly crafted, and I liked how the author meshes the reality with fiction.
The book is focused primarily on Lisa and
Arjun as characters. We do come across some other characters, but their
presence in the story is more as facilitators and thus they don’t have much of
detailing. Both of our protagonists are well sketched, and the backgrounds are
provided to help understand the context in which they are operating. I loved the
clever history that the author uses to set context and how he uses an urban
legend to provide context to the plot. Another aspect of the characterization I
would like to commend is the names of certain characters in the plot and how it
connects to the theme of the book in the climax.
Overall, this is a recommendation if you like
reading a fast-paced and well told mythological fiction. The book scores a
4.13/5 for me.
Get a copy of the book here.
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