Swansong-Vandana Kumari Jena

Book: Swansong
Author: Vandana Kumari Jena
Publisher: Rupa Publications

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

Do you like reading stories that end with a twist?

It begins with a whisper from the pages of a locked diary, a farewell song, a leap into the void. The surface of life trembles and the ripples spread outwards, pulling what is hidden into the light. In Swansong, nothing is what it seems. A birthday marks the beginning of the end, a neighbour hides more than gossip, an ordinary home turns into a stage for a final performance. By turns poignant, chilling and quietly defiant, these twenty-four stories do not soothe. They disturb, provoke and linger. With unflinching honesty and lyrical precision, Vandana Kumari Jena draws you into unexpected depths, where lives fracture, certainties unravel, and revelations arrive in ways both devastating and redemptive. This is not a book of endings. It is a book of reckonings.

The writing in Swansong is quite interesting and as a reader you are presented with stories with endings you would not have guessed at all. Each of the stories is unique and is set in a different setting. While the stories are short, they are precise and deliver the message that they are written to convey. I went into the book expecting a collection of short stories that would have a thriller element, or might also have some bit of twists, but Vandana turns each of the 24 stories into a masterpiece, keeping you turning the pages till you finish the book. It is a page-turner and I can surely attest to the writing prowess of the author, specially with the endings of some of the stories. The very first story, Swansong, presents so many options and opoortunities, yet the author picked the one ending that you would usually not guess at all. Memories of Happier Times is another story that cannot be slotted in any conventional genre, but presents a situation that has become all to common, and the author presents it in a wonderful manner. Angel of Mercy stood out for me for the sheer coldness of the characters and how the author writes the last line of the story, that spine chilling was exhilarating.

Overall, Swansong is a book that I would recommend to anyone looking to read a wonderfully penned book that would surprise you with each of the 24 stories. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or a Bookstore near you.

Creepy Crawlies-Kanika Sharma

Book: Creepy Crawlies
Author: Kanika Sharma
Publisher: Hachette India

What if things were not what they seem?

Something creepy hides in the cracks... It's watching you, waiting to crawl out. In this unsettling anthology of psychological and supernatural horror, the line between the living and the demonic blurs, boundaries between nightmare and reality collapse, and sanity is only a mirage. A boy returns from the asylum after years, and his neighbour's infant goes missing. A reclusive homeowner begins to suspect the spiders in his house aren't intruders, but guardians. In a chilling psychiatric interview, a young girl recounts why her brother had to die. The darkly audacious stories in Creepy Crawlies twist the familiar into the grotesque. Drawing inspiration from ancient folklore, urban legends and the darkest corners of the human mind, this collection dares readers to peek behind the curtain with a fair warning that they may find something sinister watching from the dark.

Creepy Crawlies is written in an interesting concept where Kanika takes 10 paranormal entities across folklores and weaves a story around them in the Indian context. Kanika’s storytelling is interesting and keeps you hooked in the stories one after the other. Another aspect of the book that works is the concept of the book, and how the idea of these paranormal entities has been woven into seemingly normal stories. Kanika’s writing will keep you guessing what is going to happen in the end.  The story about Dybbuk stood out for me for the fact that the author uses the idea of the paranormal entity and a diary in a good manner and while the perpetrator is quite visible, you keep turning the pages to see what happens in the end. Similarly, the story with the Ghoul was another that I liked for the manner in which Kanika treats the concept. What did not work for me in the book, however, was the length of the stories. I think that with the concept that Kanika brought in, and with her storytelling, the characters needed a bit more of space and time for the creep and thrill to blossom. While the stories kept me turning the pages, the spine-chilling fear that I had expected somehow did not materialize completely. That being said, I loved the way each of the stories end.

The book is a recommendation who love reading about paranormal entities and happenings, specially in the Indian context. The book scores a 4/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book on Amazon India or a bookstore near you.

The Divine Duel-Pratik Sahay

Book: The Divine Duel
Author: Pratik Sahay
Publisher: Book Leaf Publishing

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

In the peaceful town of New Delhi, a few tragedies befall Anugrah, a devoted family man, a loyal lover and pillar of the friends. Malevolent instances sweep through, leaving his family and friends brutally taken from him. Consumed by grief and fueled by a thirst for justice, Anugrah descends into the shadows, emerging as a vengeful force against the world that betrayed him. Haunted by unanswered questions and a deep-seated anger, Anugrah adopts a new identity – "GOD." Under this dark guise, he seeks answers not from the earthly realm but from the divine. As Anugrah amasses power, his actions draw the attention of a group of heroes called the ATF, determined to stop the spreading darkness. Led by General Daksh and others, the ATF embarks on a journey to save the world from Anugrah’s wrath. The novel unfolds as a gripping exploration of revenge, redemption, and the blurred lines between good and evil. "The Divine Duel" delves into the complexities of loss, the fragility of the human psyche, and the consequences of unchecked power. The novel weaves a tapestry of mysticism, morality, and the indomitable human spirit, as Anugrah navigates the thin line between justice and vengeance while confronting the gods themselves in his quest for answers. Will he find solace in revenge, or will the light of redemption pierce through the veil of darkness shrouding his heart?

Pratik’s attempt to mould mythology and science fiction together is a commendable attempt. He explores the idea of the circle of time in an interesting manner. The book explores the story of Anugrah, a boy with dreams and purity in his heart, forced by the actions of others to turn to the other side and turn evil. Pratik’s idea of showing the entire arc of a good guy turning bad was nicely penned and I liked that the transformation was explored in detail. Another aspect of the book that stands out was the science and how he weaves it into the entire plot of the book. The aspect of friendship, bonds and relationships is also touched upon nicely. What did not work for me in the book was the stark contrast in the first and the second half of the book. The “Too Good” turning “Too Evil”, while ideated nicely, was not executed well in the story. Another aspect of the book that did not work for me was the rushed storytelling, vague codes that seemed like afterthoughts and storylines that did not make sense. The climax, while in line with the theme, could have been explored a bit better and with the build-up, I was expecting a bit more of content.

Overall, the book is a good attempt at mythology and science fiction which could have been treated better. The book scores a 3.75/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India.