The Himadripuram Adventure-Sitharaam Jayakumar

Book: The Himadripuram Adventure
Author: Sitharaam Jayakumar
Publisher: Book Street Publications

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What if someone you blindly trust turns against you?

The peninsular kingdom of Himadripuram is flourishing under the rule of the just and able king Devdutt Narayan. The people are happy and content and everything is just fine. But one summer, somewhere deep inside the corridors of power, a conspiracy to overthrow the king is taking shape slowly. A conspiracy that might tear the kingdom apart and render it helpless and hapless. Jagan Mohan is the chief of the Himadripuram Khoofiya Vibhagh (HKV). During the weekly meetings of the HKV, Jagan can sense an undercurrent of discontent among the members. His gut instinct tells him that something is wrong, and he wonders if one or many of the members have turned rogue. One of the members of the HKV who tries to warn Jagan is found stabbed to death. Within a few days, another member is killed. Jagan with the help of his able pupil and royal guard Vishnu Sarma must unravel the conspiracy before it bursts like a volcanic eruption. Is Jagan able to successfully stop the kingdom of Himadripuram from disintegrating? Is he able to prevent it from succumbing to anarchy? Only time can tell. He must tread very carefully as the conspirators are ruthless and will stop at nothing.

The book has an interesting premise where the author has set up a fictional country in the ancient times. As the book opens, there is a note on the city by the author where he describes the setup which helps in connecting with the story. The book is told in a linear manner and the events have been presented in a comfortable pace, which helps in connecting with the plot. What I liked about the book was that the mystery of the whodunnit remains hidden till the end and as a reader, you are invested into the storyline. Another thing that works in the favour of the story are the details and how the author manages to build in multiple connections that unravel in the end. What did not work for me, however, was the monotonous manner in which the story has been told. While the blurb promises a conspiracy and adventure in the story, while reading you do not feel either of the things because the storytelling is quite flat. I felt that a lot of emphasis was put on the world building and not much of the storyline which led to the issues with the reading experience. Similarly, the climax fails to incite excitement because of the fact that time was not given and it seems as if it was written in a hurry and the details got missed.

Coming to the characters, Jagan’s character has been fleshed out in detail in the book. I loved how the author has taken time to highlight various aspects of his character and his equation with the other characters. Veer Narayan’s character was a promising one, but again the emphasis and the development of the character arc was not enough to build him up as a promising adversary. I felt that the detailing in the character development could have been also improved a bit.

Overall, the book is a decent read that scores a 3.88/5 for me.  

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.

This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program

Anarkali-Harshali Singh

Book: Anarkali
Author: Harshali Singh
Publisher: Readomania

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you heard the story of Anarkali?

A woman loved by many but understood by none. Was Anarkali a pawn in the hands of a controlling monarch, or was she the knight? Anarkali’s dream of becoming a celebrated courtesan in Emperor Akbar’s harem in 16th-century Hindustan is realised. But soon life at Lahore’s Shahi Mahal becomes mundane for the free-spirited girl. In the midst of this ennui, Anarkali is pulled into a taboo relationship with the childlike Salim, Akbar-e-Azam’s heir apparent and favourite son. Marooned amid relationships that shatter her heart and threaten her life, Anarkali traverses the intrigues of the royal harem using her wiles to survive while skirting passion, danger and violence. She uses her charms, knowing men only want parts of her and never the whole—until she makes the ultimate mistake of raising her voice against powerful men. Was she purposefully erased from the annals of history for questioning free will? And yet, her story resonates even today, its myriad connotations catching our imagination, resulting in a rainbow of possibilities and hope.

Harshali’s retelling of the story of Anarkali is extremely well written and nuanced. The book explores the fictional tale of Anarkali based on real-life events. The book, however, is not just the story of Anarkali the courtesan, but also of her other facets of a pawn and a queen. The book starts from the moment when Anarkali was being immured into the wall and the story then travels back into time and we meet Nadira, before she became Anarkali. The book then explores the events that lead to her first meeting with Akbar and how he becomes enamored with her. the book then moves on to her first performance in front of the emperor which starts off a new dimension in her life and she becomes Anarkali from Nadira. Harshali’s portrayal of her is interesting because we have always known her as a courtesan, but never as a person. The author puts a face to this enigmatic character and paints a picture of a woman who was sharp and could play multiple roles at one time. I loved how Anarkali senses the politics of the harem, adopts an approach that helps her control the power dynamics in her favour. But while we see Anarkali as a courtesan in the harem in the first half of the book being practical to survive, the second half is where the brilliance of the writing shines through. Her first interaction with Salim and Durjan has been written with perfection and conveys the message she wants to convey perfectly. As we move in the story, the emotional side of Nadira comes forth over the practical one. The love story of Anarkali and Salim has been explored quite nicely. Their hush-hush sojourns and the interactions have been contrasted very well as compared to her interactions with Akbar, and you can actually feel her emotions when you read the book. While the story of Anarkali, Salim and Akbar is known to all, Harshali has put in a third arc in the story of Anarkali and Durjan which I felt was the ace in the deck. The emotional tension between the two is quite palpable and has been written with finesse.

While they storytelling is the star of the book, there is one more aspect of this book that astounded me and that are the chapter titles. Drawing reference from the game of Shatranj, each of these is a chess move and the description of each move forms the beginning of the chapter. These titles, however, serve a deeper purpose. They pre-empt the tone of the chapter and if you read carefully, you’ll be able to relate the two.

Coming to the climax (or climaxes), I am not sure what to say!!!, the author manages to create a sense of awe even in an historical fiction. As the story ends, you get to recall these little red herrings that had been left in the book which play a pivotal role in what happens at the end. I would recommend the reader to keep an eye out for anything that seems out of place while reading, because I can assure you that there are no random events in the book.

The review won’t be complete without mentioning the visual storytelling that Harshali has adopted in the book. The scenes are visually detailed and you can almost see the events as they take place. One scene that has stuck in my mind is when the sentence of Anarkali is being carried out and the trowel slips from the mason’s hand and hurts her. The description is so vivid that you can almost see the blood dripping. Another scene that I would love to mention here is the very first chapter. You can almost see all the primary characters of the story and it looks as if there is a play on the stage and the cast is standing there, addressing you.

So, long story short, if you want to read a very well written historical fiction, please pick up a copy of Anarkali and give it a read. This is a 5-star read for me for the storytelling, the characters, the visual cues and the chess references.

Get a copy of the book from your nearest book store or on Amazon India.

Iterum: Tales of Mystic Metamorphosis-Yashaswini Balasubramanyam

Book: Iterum: Tales of Mystic Metamorphosis
Author: Yashaswini Balasubramanyam
Publisher: Notion Press

What is your perception of reality?

When reality becomes unimaginable, the unimaginable becomes real. Iterum is a collection of eight magical short stories and seven little somethings. The tales come to life, when everyday characters stuck in quagmires of life, make the acquaintance of eccentric beings including a jury of spectacled Albino Pigeons, a man who claims to be a dinosaur, a distressed little soul, a maid’s inquisitive son, a bossy turquoise tortoise, a virtuoso in the window across the street, a ghost with a lisp, and a chatty dying puppeteer.

Short stories are usually a very tricky proposition for me, especially when I am reading a debut book. Yasha’s writing is quite fresh and the manner in which the eight stories have been written is quite exceptional. Each of the story is unique and the concept that she has explored comes out very nicely. The storytelling keeps you engaged through and through. Another aspect which I liked about the stories was that they have a subtle message that shines out in the end, and that is something that was truly a surprise for me as I read the very first story, and then it became fun to guess what would happen next in the subsequent stories. The stories have interesting twists that keep you guessing till the very end. Talking about each of the stories in the review would reveal spoilers, hence not detailing them out, but keep an eye out on subtle cues that she leaves between the lines to make the journey fun. The microtales between the stories are an added bonus and show the power of good writing, how so much can be said in such few words.

Overall, this is a wonderful collection of stories that will make you turn the pages till the end. The book scores a 4.81/5 for me.

Get a copy on Amazon India.