Lotus Land (Konark Secret Book 1)-Bhuban Patra

Book: Lotus Land (Konark Secret Book 1)
Author: Bhuban Patra
Publisher: Leadstart Inkstate

Have you even wondered about the secrets many monuments hold?

Lotus Land by Bhuban Patra is the first book in the Konark Secret Duology which is a fictionalized account set in 1200 CE when a small kingdom in the Eastern part of India was entering its golden period. While being a maritime superpower, Kalinga remained secluded and reclusive to the other nations in the subcontinent. The book tells us the tale of Bishnu Maharana, the chief architect of the Konark Temple. The story traces his journey as he became a master architect, and the various hurdles he had to overcome. Not a simple take of creation, but the story explores the idea that behind the temple. The techniques used in the construction were not that were not common, and this raises a number of questions. Was Bishnu Maharana just an architect, or was he something more, and what is the secret that hide behind the walls of the temple?

The book is an interesting tale which chronicles the mythology of one of the most famed temples of India. Bhuban has taken the story and penned a plot that is rife with secrets, one that can interest people who love mythological retellings as well as people who have a keen interest in the field of architecture. The details in the book, be it human or structural, are well crafted and explained and that helps in visualizing the scenes as they unfold. The element of mystery in the book has been well preserved, and the things revealed are quite interesting as well, with enough left over for the second book. however, this detailing also became a negative aspect of the book, as a lot of details seemed irrelevant in the context of this book and could have been reduced. There are a couple of places where the plot actually lost pace because of the details. The grammar also needs one round of editing as there were issues, though nothing that cannot be sorted after a round of proofreading. The climax is interesting, and I would wait to read the second part of this duology.

Coming to the characters, Bishnu’s character is quite interesting in the manner it is told. I loved the aura of mystery that he carries, and how various aspects of his character, both strengths and weaknesses, are shown. Another character I admired was of Guru Silpy, and I hope to see more of him in the second book as he presented an interesting character in terms of plotline. Nara was a surprise element for me and the way his arc panned out was quite interesting and specially the reveal in the end was astounding!

Overall, a book with a potential to be more, and I await the second part of the book to unravel the mystery! This book scores a 3.69/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book here.

The Hidden One-Ruchir Gupta

Book: The Hidden One (The Untold Story of Aurengzeb's Daughter)

Author: Ruchir Gupta

Publisher: Platinum Press (Leadstart Publication)

Family is something we trust blindly, right? They can go to any extent to protect us and do what it takes to be on our side. But what happens when your family is your nemesis?

Set in 1658, The Hidden One is set after the events of the play for the throne of the Mughal Empire after Aurangzeb imprisons Shah Jahan, murders his brothers, seizes the throne of Delhi and proclaims himself as the emperor. His reign is a story of tyranny, invading his neighbors, religious intolerance by destroying temples and churches and banning the music and the arts. During this time, Aurangzeb’s daughter Zebunissa forms a secret poetic society called the Makhfi (Hidden One in Persian). Though it is a society to promote the arts on the outside, Zebunissa uses the arts to plot and plan rebellions to overthrow her father and restore justice in the kingdom. How Makhfi influences the turn of historical events is the plot of The Hidden One.

The Hidden One is part-fiction-part-history. As described by the Author, the Makhfi did indeed exist but he intermingled it with the historical events to create the plot. The book progresses through the eyes of Zebunissa and we get to see the transformation of Mughal India into decline. Makhfi, though lost in history, deserves its place in history and that is what the author attempts to do.

The book is the second one in The Mughal Intrigues series by the author, though it can be read independently as well. The plot of the book is beautifully crafted with twists and turns at unexpected points. With many powerful characters like Zebunissa, Jahanara, Raushanara and the others, each of them gives their unique flavor to the plot. Cold and calculating Raushanara, Ruthless Aurangzeb, Assertive Zebunissa, each of them has a role in the events. The poetry in the book is amazing and has been taken from the actual writings of Zebunissa, hence should not be skipped. They are an integral part of the plot. The story is gripping with emotional upheavals at many points.

A special mention to the cover art of the book which is truly beautiful with many hidden elements.

Ruchir Gupta has created a wonderful account of what could have happened in this game of thrones of the Mughal empire. The events are described in detail. The ending of the book is truly heart wrenching and emotional.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, do give this one a read. 

I would give this book 4.25/5.

IM So Hacked-Gautam Mayekar

Book: !M S0 H@CK3D

Author: Gautam Mayekar

Publisher: Jufic Books (Leadstart Corp)

How secure are you while you browse the internet? Isn’t it the latest fad to have a Internet-enabled TV or maybe go up a notch and have IoT enabled gadgets controlling your house? Makes you pretty safe seeing a CCTV camera?

What if one day you wake up and find out you are no longer in control of your own house, own computer or for that matter your mind?

Welcome to Avidit’s world, or should I say @v!, as he calls himself. A hacker who works for India’s numero uno antivirus company as a security researcher and at night, crawls the deep recesses of the darkweb into the hacking forums. A general recluse, he despises his routine office work and lacks purpose in his life. Everything changes when he receives a letter from a person calling himself M@dR1; a revolutionary who wants to change the world. To convince @v!, he uses his horrific past to motivate him into doing what he wants, which begins with a not so damaging task of shutting down the internet of the entire city. Just the beginning, the innocuous hack transforms into a complex web of interconnected events leading to a major cyber attack that rocks the foundation of the country’s technological unit with the help of @v!’s friends, $@m and K!LL3R.

!M S0 H@CK3D is a book that keeps you on your toes all the time. The plot of the book is tightly bound and keeps you engaged. With common yet not-so-common hacking terms like DDOS and XSS are used but explained in detail, thus help keep the reader understand the technical aspects and keep track with what is happening in the plot. Moving along the plot at a brisk pace, you are sure to make some assumptions that are confirmed in the penultimate chapter of the book. Relating with Avidit with his corporate life is easy for any person who is working in that setup. For a person who is into hacking or understands the concepts, this book is going to be a wonderful ride.

The book also has some wonderful song recommendations and my personal suggestion would be to plug in your earphones and listen to the songs as they come into the plot and them move ahead. This would enhance your reading experience multifold.

The characters of @v!, M@dR!, $@m and K!LL3R are wonderfully crafted with careful details and specific roles each of them plays in the plot development. The character arcs move without a hitch and close all loose ends at the end in an amazing manner.

The title of the book is just apt and will become crystal clear one you read the book.

The plot twist at the end is just mindblowing and will make you question the very concept of Hacking! Just for this, I am adding half-a-star to the rating.

A sure shot recommendation for your TBRs, I will give the book 4.5/5.

The Prisoner of Yakutsk-The Subhash Chandra Bose Mystery Final Chapter

Book: The Prisoner of Yakutsk-The Subhash Chandra Bose Mystery Final Chapter

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing

Author: Shreyas Bhave

Taking the often-retold story of the disappearance of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Shreyas has beautifully woven a storyline around it, moving across countries. It is a pacing story with multiple twists and with an even amazing climax. The story moves between the past and the present where Shreyas has taken seemingly unrelated events and given a plot to the timelines. 

The characters are constructed in detail and the individual stories of the characters move in sync with the complete plotline.

It has a gripping plot that keeps you engaged and waiting for the next chapter to start and no wonder, I finished the book in one sitting.

It is a definite must read for anyone who has read or researched the history of Netaji’s disappearance.

The plus point in the book is the discussion in the beginning where Shreyas details the background the work that went in. it is definitely something different that I saw for the first time in a fiction that is inspired from historical events.

Recommendation: A Definite Read