Author: Rajat Chaudhuri
Publisher: Niyogi Books
I was provided a Media Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
What if you wake up in a strange location one day, without any idea how
you reached there?
Chanchal Mitra wakes up in a far-off desert town, sharing a dingy hotel
room with the flamboyant Mr. Kapoor, who is planning to abduct a billionaire.
Kapoor insists that the billionaire tycoon is an impostor. Chanchal is
unwittingly drawn into the plot. Soon they are joined by the mystery woman
Sujata, her eyes dark like murder; and then a crutch-clutching ex-sailor, who
is quick with a gun. In the smog-swathed capital city of Aukatabad, an organic
chemist engaged by the tycoon to design a mind-altering drug, is found dead
from an overdose. Elsewhere, the billionaire industrialist's chocolate factory
is contaminated by salmonella while Sujata fights a fiery death at the hands of
hired killers.
Spellcasters has been set in the fictional cities of Aukatabad, Anantapur and Bhaskarnagar. The book explores multiple angles where we see three genres-psychological thriller, climate adventure & occult- cross paths. While there is chaos in the first part of the book, the second part of the book is equally sorted and once the threads come together the storytelling keeps you hooked. As the story moves progresses, events start making sense and the discrete events weave into a cohesive plot that keeps you hooked in the rest of the story. The book blends the question of rapid economic development with a question on its sustainability which is served to you with a side of mythology. Another thing that works for this book is the fact that the things are revealed in parts and while you guess about one aspect of the story, something happens which will make you change your mind. The storytelling is quite engaging and Rajat keeps the reader glued into the book and guessing about the next events. The climax of the book is very well executed and the little surprise in the end is something I really hope gets solved sometime in the future.
The characters in the book are quite interesting. Chanchal Mitra’s character
and his quirks are explored in detail. I loved how his past has been explored in
detail which forms the basis of the storyline. I also liked the character arc of
JRK and how his life gets entangled with that of Chanchal Mitra. Sujata’s
character was also a surprise as to how her character turns out, specially
towards the end. There is a surprise character which appears a few times, but
is a pivotal one.
Overall, a definite recommendation if you like to read a book that is exciting. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.
Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.
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