The Immortals of Meluha ( Shiva trilogy
book #1) by Amish Tripathi
Genre: Mythological fiction
Pages: 436
Format: Paperback
Publisher: originally published by
Westland Publications Private Limited
Year of publication: 2010
Amazon link: amazon
Goodreads page: goodreads
RATING: ☆☆☆☆1/2 (4.5)
SYNOPSIS:
The Gods were once humans. Imagine Lord
Shiva as a man walking the earth, rising to divinity by his karma alone. Follow
his story as he becomes the Mahadev, the god of gods.
Imagine a world thousands of years ago. In
the modern day site for the Indus valley civilisation, there stands the
flourishing kingdom of Meluha. Proud and powerful, the kingdom needs a saviour.
Shiva, an immigrant from the distant land of Tibet certifies as the Neelkanth,
the ultimate protector, whom the people have awaited for generations. As Shiva
slowly comes to terms with the fate that looms large before him and succumbs to
his heroic destiny, he faces many challenges. But he cannot let his followers
down. He has to find true Evil and destroy it so that Good can take over. One
issue is the drying of the mythical river Saraswati, which is like a mother for
the people. Another is the terrorist attacks by the Nagas, a race of deformed
and barbaric species. Threats for the inhabitants of Meluha (the Suryavanshis)
by the kingdom down south, the residence of the Chandravanshis- all has to be
resolved. As Shiva confronts his destiny, he is encircled by relationships that
draw him back. But there must be a war, a massive war to set things right. Will
Shiva discover himself in his quest to save them all? Or will he fail in
gaining the trust of people?
REVIEW:
As quoted regarding the author, “Amish is
India’s first literary popstar.”
It seems the word “page-turner” was coined
just for the sake of this book. Because it’s downright amazing. The author has
created an entire fictional world and has conceptualized the story incredibly
well. The whole idea of the gods as
humans is so unique, and not just that – Amish has used numerous other fabulous
concepts throughout the story which makes the readers stay hooked to the pages.
Pros:
The exposition of the story is very well
crafted, and Amish unfolds the plot in such a way that readers always want to
turn to the next page and read on. The characters are very well thought of, and
I just loved the way the mentalities of the characters became clearer and
clearer as the story progressed. At a point, I’d connected so deeply to some of
them that I could visualize their actions right before my eyes. The story puts
up adequate descriptions of the scenery and the different elements that add to
the plot setting. And the descriptions of the battle formations and strategies-
one of the best I’ve read so far. The appropriation and witty use of words
gives a nice flavour to the narratives, such that the story moves on with a
good pace. There is a constant element of suspense in the storyline; an
underlined thrill lurks in each and every corner of the book. This suspense is
build up by the gradual advancement of the plot and also lets the readers
imagine for themselves. At no point does the book feel like a drudge. Basically, the whole idea
of the story is a winner. The author also depicts the apparent flaws in the
protagonists, as they continuously sway from white to grey and then back to white.
The effort and the hard work put into
the book scream loud from each page. The immense research of the author, coupled
with his literary power has really created a masterpiece.
Cons:
Considering this is Amish’s first step
in the world of literature, the book did have some issues. One of them was the
extent of the descriptions in certain areas- where I often used to get deviated
from the main plot. He uses some big words occasionally, which could have been
toned down for the sake of simplicity. The war scenes have become really gory
in some parts, which made me flinch almost every time (the gruesomeness only
increases in the next books in the trilogy). The book is filled with really elaborate
discussions on philosophy and the conflict of discovering true Evil – which I found
distracting. The author perhaps wanted to pour out all his research on ancient
Indian scriptures in the first book itself. Nevertheless, if the readers are
really interested in that sort of a thing, then good for them. The book avoids
even the slightest trace of magic or fantasy, and the author makes sure that he
has logical scientific ways of explaining all that happens throughout. ( for
example, the Divine Weapons ( Daivi Astras) have been depicted as nuclear
bombs) Well, to me that seems a little far-fetched as sometimes the way he
explains the working of something ( like the technology of a newly discovered dam for instance) is so
difficult to understand that it becomes tiring. The book ends on such a
cliff-hanger that if I had been reading this book before the next part had come out,
I would have probably stopped eating until I had quenched that hunger to know
more.
Overall, I’ll say that this book is
truly one of a kind. I’ll recommend it to everyone, whether you’ve read such
fictions earlier or not. Trust me, you’ll love it.
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