"When evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed………a HERO will emerge"…and emerge he does…with style and chutzpah and sheer PRESENCE!
Lord Shiva is undoubtedly the coolest God of the Indian Pantheon. With his dread-locks and tiger-skin attire……he oozes charisma, has definitive Rockstar leanings and epitomises the “I-give-a-flying-fig” attitude to the hilt.
Amish’s take on the original alpha-male is that of a Tibetan tribal war-lord. Set in 1900 BC, Shiva is a brawny, war-weary youngster. Constant, brutal clashes with an opposing tribe seem to be the sorry way of life. So when a tempting offer comes from the land of Meluha (or the Indus Valley Civilization, as we know it), Shiva graciously accepts. Meluha, an almost perfect empire was created centuries ago by the good king, Lord Rama and it promises immigrants like Shiva and his ilk, a life that is peaceful and free from disorder.
But beware of Meluhans bearing gifts! When a standard clinical procedure of drinking a medicine called *Somras* turns Shiva’s throat into a startlingly blue colour, his destiny is changed forever.
The Meluhan empire ruled by the noble Suryavanshis is facing trouble on several fronts: Bitter feuds with their arch enemies, The Chandravanshis…the gradual drying up of the holy river, Saraswati which plays a crucial role in the manufacture of Somras (the elixir which has kept the Meluhans young and healthy for hundreds of years)…and the dreaded terrorist attacks by the widely feared group of sinister Nagas.
A battle between Good and Evil hovers like a pregnant rain-cloud and the Suryavanshis are confident that Shiva is The Neelkanth – the blue-throated one, destined to lead them to a much-yearned for victory.
For a weed-smoking barbarian like Shiva, the concept of him being a messiah is laughable. He would much rather concentrate his energies on winning the love of the dignified Sati who treats him with barely concealed contempt. But love is intertwined with war and a hero cannot be kept down for long. Evil must be destroyed and Shiva rises to the task splendidly.
And here lies another crucial question. What exactly is Evil? Are we prejudiced by our self-righteous view points? If our opponent has something different to bring to the table, does that make his opinion wrong? Evil, almost??? Can Gods or humans elevated to the gleaming pedestal of Godliness make mistakes?
Shiva is a turbulent blend of these confusions. While his appearances in battle are awe-inspiring in their ferocity, he is burdened by his inner demons. He is a synergy of a young man who inspires bonhomie amongst his peers, a warrior who can raze the enemies in a burst of raw fury and a lover who just wants to impress his heart’s desire with a spell-bounding display of exquisite dance moves.
The story, the first in a trilogy would appeal to fantasy/ mythology lovers. The network of characters is rich and varies from supercilious kings to cryptic sages to dignified princesses to crusty generals to patriotic aides to smarmy villains to sinister anti-heroes. Lord Shiva is the icing on the cake; strong, kind-hearted, irrelevant and ruled by his passions. For those familiar with Indian Mythology,stay alert as various legends are weaved in with precision, laying the groundwork for a much-awaited sequel.
8 comments:
Although it is a page turner and interesting, It’s difficult to reconcile the fact that book The Immortals of Meluha is set in 1900 BC whereas the language of the book belongs to the 21st century.
Literary leeway...guess the author assumed that the only way to make Indian Mythology saucy was to pepper it with present-day slang and mannerisms.
One can't help the burgeoning admiration for the author in his grim determination to bulldoze over every historical, mythological, chronological roadblock that came his way. What matters if chronologically Rama came way later than Brahma, Vishnu and Mahadev? What matters if Vidyunmali was actually the name of one of the brothers of Mai and Tarak, the three powerful Asuras who were, as per Shiv Puran, killed by Shiva himself? What matters if Mohen-ja-Daro (a Sindhi term that has been around only since the 1900s) means 'the mound of the dead and not 'Mohan's platform'for some 'Lord Mohan'? And what matters if being an IIT-IIM passout does NOT guarantee your being a decent writer?
It's an interesting read, definitely a page turner. And honestly, don't care about the historical accuracy. Loved the part about weed smoking Shiva talking our lingo.
Would have liked it better if the ending was not left like a TV soap.
It reeked of buy the sequel whenever it comes, if at all...
...wholly agree, Pradeep. Am looking forward to the sequel because The Nagas will come into their own. As anti-heroes, they sound promising.
The soap-style ending was unfortunate...guess the author couldn't resist being a crowd-pleaser
Great review! I am currently reading this one..and i am not accurate with Indian Myth dates.., so i haven't started egging the book from that angle!:P
My first time round here..
#1-I LOVE your reviewing! I actually read 3 entire reviews and intend to read more after this comment! ( I don't usually do that with too many blogs!)
#2- an Indian book blogger!! *jumps up and down*..because you see SOO many book bloggers from the USA and the rest of the world, just Indian ones who review the YA too!
Its a pleasure to meet you!
It would be great to have you over@
http://blogonlinerandom.blogspot.com/
@ Kiwi : I LOVE your happy words :) Pretty chuffed about the compliments! Thank ye :)
It's grand to meet you too!
(Excuse the excessive exclamation marks....am not big on being self-deprecating)
An enjoyable read The Immortals of Meluha by Amish . loved the way you wrote it. I find your review very genuine and original, this book is going in by "to read" list.
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