The Magicians of Mazda-Ashwin Sanghi

Book: The Magicians of Mazda
Author: Ashwin Sanghi
Publisher: HarperCollins India

Do you believe that we all share a common history across the ancient times?

The Magicians of Mazda by Ashwin Sanghi explores the story of what happened when a fleet of boats dock at the port of Sanjan in Gujarat in 720 CE which carried 18000 frightened souls fleeing the cruelty of Iran's Umayyad Caliphate. Chanting Sanskrit-like prayers, the high priest consecrates a sacred fire to thank their god, Ahura Mazda, leading them to a new home and hope. He uses a mysterious substance to spark the flame, but few know of its miraculous properties or provenance. Centuries later, Parsi scientist Jim Dastoor is abducted from his Seattle laboratory and whisked away to Tehran. The Ayatollah believes Jim is the key to uncovering the ancient relic known as the Athravan Star and his men will do anything to possess it, even murder.  Deftly navigating between time and geography, the book travels backwards, through the epochs of Islamic jihad, Macedonian revenge, Achaemenid glory, messianic birth, Aryan schism-to the Vedic fount from where it began.

True to Ashwin’s style of writing, the book has multiple events unfolding at multiple locations that come together to bring the story to a close in a surprising manner. The storytelling keeps you turning the pages, and as you feel that things are finally settling down, something changes again and you are forced to move on rather than place a bookmark. The book is well researched and I loved the fact that he takes his time to set things up, be it the conflict or the solution. Another thing that I loved about the story is that things unfold in pieces, rather than a long discourse towards the end. The concept that he explores in the story is something that is quite unique, but as you read the story, you realise that the probability of the existence of the idea is not that fantastic, and such is the level of detail to which the things are explained. As a master storyteller, there is nothing written or mentioned by chance, and each and everything that is a part of the narrative has a reason for being there. What interested me in this story is that as a reader, you start guessing how the story would turn out, and while I am happy I could guess a very small part of the story, I was in awe of the very last unveiling in the climax, one that has an excellent message as well.

Coming to the characters, as a storyteller, Ashwin’s characters emerge over a period of time, and rather than show all his cards at once, the element of mystery is what makes his characters unique. As the plot moves, the characters’ true colors are revealed, and more often than not, the characters inhabiting the story would surprise you, more times than you can guess. I liked how Jim is the primary character, yet the spotlight is not much on him as it is on the culture and history of the Zoroastrians. Another interesting aspect of the characters in the story is that the connections between them which seem generic at first, start making sense as you continue with the story.

The book might look like a bulky read (450+ pages) but the gripping nature of the story will make it seem that it is almost half that. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who loves to read a well written mythological fiction. The book scores a 4.98/5 for me.

I got my copy at Kunzum Gurgaon and you can get your copies on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore.