Urnabhih by Sumedha Verma Ojha

Mandar's book review (17th Dec 2015)

"Urnabhih" by Sumedha Verma Ojha. This book is published by IndiaInc in 2014 and has 351 pages. This is author's debut novel.

Chandragupta Maurya, under guidance of Chanakya, has taken over Pataliputra in a bloodless coup. Chandragupta is going to be married to daughter of Dhananada. Chanakya employees Misrakesi, a ganika, in his Gupt Varangana Sena as a spy.

Is this a temporary assignment or there's more? Can Misrakesi be faithful to Maurya's? How does she prosper? Does she encounter ghost? Is there a man in her life? What is her ambition? Does she succeed?

What is the meaning of Urnabhih? Urnabhih means spider's web, a web of deceit and deception. An apt title for a spy story.

It is a story set at the rise of Mauryan empire. It's a story of spies and espionage. It's the story of rich and opulent. It's a story of politics. It's a story of human emotions and love. It's a story set centuries ago. It's interesting. It's intriguing. It's complex. It's exotic and its bold.

Sumedha Verma Ojha is a Switzerland based Indian author. She has done a commendable job, this being her first novel. Her writing style is good. Narration is interesting. You smell and taste the atmosphere.

The question that obviously came to my mind was 'Why name the heroin Misrakesi?'. There are so many minor characters with beautiful names, but the heroin had a very unglamorous name.

Author has given three maps. One of Mauryan empire, one of Pataliputra and one of Sugaang Prasad (Royal palace) to help readers understand the movements. However more than half the story happens out if the city.

It's a big book in terms of number of pages as well as it's page size, add to it small font and you have a big book to read. Holding it for long time while reading tires your hands. The paper quality is not good, print impressions can be seen on the reverse side of the page.

Full marks to the author for a good entertaining book. Good news is that there will be a sequel.

A very good book. Recommend reading.

The steradian trail by M.N. Krish

"The steradian trail" by M.N. Krish. This book is published by Westland Ltd in 2013 and has ~356 pages. This is Book 0 of The infinity cycle.

Joshua, a professor at MIT, has developed a new fast shortest path algorithm based on Sulba sutra, the ancient Indian scriptures. He is on tour of India visiting his friend Prof. Lakshman in Madras. His assistant, Jeffery, is murdered and leaves a clue before dying.

Who killed Jeffery? Why was he killed? Who killed him? What was the clue? Where will it lead?

The story takes place in Tamilnadu. It starts with an algorithm, them moves to ancient Indian scriptures like Sulba sutra and then moved on to the brilliant mathematician Ramanujan and his work.

The story is narrated well, it has a good pace. It contains a number of clues from the life of Ramanujan, who was one of the most talented mathematicians and who has done work in his short life of 32 years that is still being studied and decoded.

It's a different kind of thriller where action and surprises are not the only tricks used by the author. He has used a number of mathematical concepts like Shortest path algorithm, Traveling Salesman Problem, P Vs NP Problem for the story.

Characterization is good. Joshua, Lakshman, Divya, Venus, Durai etc are clearly defined.

The book leaves some things open like what was Jeffery's coded message? What happened to the pages from diary of Ramanuja's wife? Probably left for the sequel.

Since this is Book 0 of infinity series, we can expect more books by the author with same characters.

A good book. Recommend reading.

The great war of Hind by Vaibhav Anand

"The great war of Hind" by Vaibhav Anand. This book is published by Shrishti Publishers and distributors in Feb 2015 and has 184 pages.

The story is set in 1205 B.C. The world is divided into seven countries. Parbat for Gods, Lunka for demons and Ayodh, Persis, Kurd, Sur, Nipalaya and Ga for humans. Monkeys reside in some of these countries. General Ramm is military general of King Vikramadetya of Ayodh and is having affair with princess Janaki. There is a pact for years that man will not fight man. The pact is broken and Ayodh is under attack.

Who breaks the pact? Who sides with Ayodh? Who is Hanohman? Why Gods interfere? What is Irony of Shiva? What will General Ramm do? What will be the outcome of war?

Although the book is titled 'The great war of Hind' most of the book is the build up to the war and initial battles / skirmishes. Actual war takes less than 20 pages. I expected more page space for the war.

Author has tried his best to develop the characters, but it seems he fell short of page space to develop them properly. Thus there are some things that remain unexplained like how did Ramm and Janaki meet, why Vikramadetya believes that no one will attack, how Hanohman can read the skies? Why revelation dawns on Ramm in the heat of battle? etc.

Author has used characters from history and mythology to create an entirely different world. Although this novel uses a number of historical references, it is historically anachronistic. Here Ramm is 20 years older than Ravan, Dashrath is Janaki's forefather, Adum comes before Ramm, Janak is Janaki's grandfather, Raam is military general without a lineage, Sanjay is the chronicler of war at the time of Ramm.

Author has written a good decently paced novel. The narration is good. It's full of surprises. Readers get a big shock towards the end when Ramm's secret is revealed. What's it?

Although it's a book about Ramm, there is no war with Ravan in this book. That is saved for the sequel or sequels.

Subsequent books, whenever they come, should take us through Ramm Ravan war. What twist would there be? Guess we will have to wait.

This is a very different book. Recommend reading.

Capitalism: A ghost story by Arundhati Roy

"Capitalism: A ghost story" by Arundhati Roy. This book is published by Haymarket books in 2014 and has 128 pages. It's a collection of her essays on various topics.

'Capitalism a ghost story' is an essay on the theme: Capitalism is destroying planet. Author sees corporate philanthropy as a ploy. She criticizes the use or misuse of foundations funded by corporations to further business interests. Tata and Ambani group seem to be on her hit list. She blames upper class communist leadership for the rift between dalits and communists viz Bhimrao Ambedkar and S.A. Dange.

'I'd rather not be Anna' is an essay about Anna Hazare where author says that his means may be Gandhian but demands are certainly not, because Gandhiji's ideas were about decentralization of power and Jan Lokpal bill is a draconian anti corruption law. She questions why Anna did not talk about a number of other issues?

'Dead men talking' is an essay about government's persecution of troublesome news gatherers and disseminators i.e journalists. She quoted examples of  deportation of US radio-journalist David Barsamian and Prof Richard Shapiro. Harassment of Gautam Navlakha, Lingram Kodopi, Himanshu Kumar, Kartana Joga etc.

In 'Kashmir's fruits for discord' she voices her controversial opinion about Kashmir, insurgency and atrocities by armed forces.

In 'A perfect day for democracy' she actually says that Afzal Guru, who was hanged for Parliament Attack, was innocent. Is she challenging the courts?

In 'Consequences of hanging Afzal Guru' she, unbelievably, says that by executing Guru government of India has taken a decision to fuel process of destabilization and invited it in. Laughable argument!

In 'Speech to the people's university' she spells what she wants and enumerates her demands.

The book contains appalling revelations about the oppression of poor by the rich, mineral war in central India and government atrocities. She also throws light on the nexus between government, businessmen, institutions and NGOs.

Interesting perspective is that big businesses are trying to alter public opinion, notably of middle class, by sponsoring literary fests, magazines, competitions etc. The question is: Is it possible to change opinion of middle class by these measures? Is the middle class so naive or simply ignorant?

The observations and arguments made by author range from studious, insightful, thoughtful, hypocritical, provocative and laughable. She presents only one side.

Author is known for her left leaning. She avoids commenting on failure of communism world wide. The book does not contain any introspection. Author keeps complaining and accusing the people in power without suggesting solutions or alternatives. She complains about right wing, center, left wing politicians, establishment, businessmen, rich and activists. In short almost everyone. Thus author's tirade against capitalism comes out as a rant against the business houses, institutions funded by them, NGOs and cry about the suppression of poor and 'innocent communists'.

The book was written in 2014, before the general elections in India. Author has predicted the outcome of elections confidently. Needless to say that each of her prediction turned out to be wrong.

Read for nuggets of information, ignore the laughable arguments.

Career of evil by Robert Galbraith aka J. K. Rowling

"Career of evil" by Robert Galbraith aka J. K. Rowling. The book is published by Little brown book group in Oct 2015 and has 512 pages. This is Book 3 of Cormoran Strike series.

An unknown person sends a severed leg of a young girl to Strike and Robin. A lot of media attention comes their way due to Strike's fame and because he is an amputee. Strike identifies four possible suspects from his past, who may have a grudge. Body of the girl, owner of severed leg, is found. Investigation begins.

Why a leg is sent to Strike? What is the final objective? Who is behind this? Will Robin marry her long time boy friend finally? What is career of evil?

The big difference in this book, as compared to previous two, is that here the investigation becomes personal rather than professional. The answers lie in Strike's past.

The story is slow. Little happens in long stretches. Strike and Robin investigate there suspects based on Strike's hunch without an iota of evidence. Thus the book becomes a wild goose chase. It's monotonous. Readers continue to read only because they want to know who the killer is. And eventually when the killer is revealed, the clue lies in a photo.

Robin's upcoming marriage is on the verge of collapse. Why? Is there a hint of romance between Strike and Robin? Well this question remains in the minds of readers since Book 1, but again goes unanswered. In fact when the book ends, readers still wonder if Robin has married her fiancé or not. Would be clear in next book.

With every new book of the series, the quality of this series deteriorates. I have liked each next book less and less. Will I read next book of Cormoran Strike series? Probably not. Anyway, I will definitely not buy it.

Author has used titles of songs of American rock band, from 1970's, Blue Öyster cult as title of the chapters. But the relevance of the band to the story is flimsy.

I expected much more from J.K. Rowling.

Avoid.

The great war of Hind by Vaibhav Anand

"The great war of Hind" by Vaibhav Anand. This book is published by Shrishti Publishers and distributors in Feb 2015 and has 184 pages.

The story is set in 1205 B.C. The world is divided into seven countries. Parbat for Gods, Lunka for demons and Ayodh, Persis, Kurd, Sur, Nipalaya and Ga for humans. Monkeys reside in some of these countries. General Ramm is military general of King Vikramadetya of Ayodh and is having affair with princess Janaki. There is a pact for years that man will not fight man. The pact is broken and Ayodh is under attack.

Who breaks the pact? Who sides with Ayodh? Who is Hanohman? Why Gods interfere? What is Irony of Shiva? What will General Ramm do? What will be the outcome of war?

Although the book is titled 'The great war of Hind' most of the book is the build up to the war and initial battles / skirmishes. Actual war takes less than 20 pages. I expected more page space for the war.

Author has tried his best to develop the characters, but it seems he fell short of page space to develop them properly. Thus there are some things that remain unexplained like how did Ramm and Janaki meet, why Vikramadetya believes that no one will attack, how Hanohman can read the skies? Why revelation dawns on Ramm in the heat of battle? etc.

Author has used characters from history and mythology to create an entirely different world. Although this novel uses a number of historical references, it is historically anachronistic. Here Ramm is 20 years older than Ravan, Dashrath is Janaki's forefather, Adum comes before Ramm, Janak is Janaki's grandfather, Raam is military general without a lineage, Sanjay is the chronicler of war at the time of Ramm.

Author has written a good decently paced novel. The narration is good. It's full of surprises. Readers get a big shock towards the end when Ramm's secret is revealed. What's it?

Although it's a book about Ramm, there is no war with Ravan in this book. That is saved for the sequel or sequels.

Subsequent books, whenever they come, should take us through Ramm Ravan war. What twist would there be? Guess we will have to wait.

This is a very different book. Recommend reading.

Shikhandi: and other tales they don't tell you by Devdutt Pattanaik

"Shikhandi: and other tales they don't tell you" by Devdutt Pattanaik. This book is published by Penguin books Ltd. in 2014 and has 179 pages.

This is a non fiction dedicated to queerness. Author has used tales from mythology to educate the readers to the fact that queerness is not a recent concept but existed since many centuries. The book is divided in two parts. First part is author's commentary about queer behaviors and second part consists of tales from mythology.

Author does not limit the definition of queerness only to homosexuality, lesbianism, androgynous, cross dressing or hermaphrodites but also to Amazons, transgendered, intersexed, cross dressers, hijras, animals born of two different species, abnormal births etc. He enumerates that queerness is present in mythologies of Hindu, Buddhist, Persian, Viking, North American tribes, Aztec, Artic regions, Cuba, China, Japan and Egypt. He poses questions that would make many uncomfortable. He says that this book is celebration of queerness.

Author uses very powerful poetry to start second section. It goes like this:
'All things queer are not sexual, All things sexual are not reproductive, All things reproductive are not romantic, All things romantic are not queerless.'

The stories include that of Shikhandi who was a female in previous birth, Mahadev who became a woman to deliver his devotee's child, Mohini - an avatar of Vishnu, Kali who became a man, Urvashi who was born of no woman, Bhagirath who was born of two women, Arjun and Indra who were temporarily castrated, Bheema and Krishna and Samba who wore woman's cloths, Narad who forgot he was a man, Shiva the Ardhanarishwar and many more. These stories are quoted from Mahabharata, Lores, Yog Vashishta, Puranas, Oral traditions, Ramayan etc. However Mahabharata dominates the stories.

Author argues that in devotional traditions (भक्ती संप्रदाय), God takes male as well as female form for the devotee. These queer stories are not sexual but they do challenge notions of gender.

The stories are short and laced with commentary. Author has done a lot of study of literature from various parts of India and in various languages. He has made good use of it to advocate his point.

Although it contains many stories, all of them are so short that you don't get to enjoy the story. Stories are used more as an evidence in this book than enjoyment. By a bit of elaboration book could have become more interesting.

It is a bold topic to choose for a book. Queerness is still considered taboo in India. To write a book and expect it to sell is courageous. What's even more interesting is that the book is published in collaboration with Zubaan, an organization dedicated to publishing feminist literature.

One may ask what is the significance of book title to content? Well, the story of Shikhandi occupies only a couple of pages. The title of this book is thus a misnomer but it serves the purpose of attracting and enticing the readers to read it.

Read it if you don't mind the subject, but not a must read.

Sambhala: The journey begins by Shariful Hasan

"Sambhala: The journey begins" by Shariful Hasan, translated from Bengali and adapted by Arindam Mukherjee. This book is published by Grapevine India in 2014 and has 295 pages.

An old man starts behaving strangely in a village in Bangladesh. The cult of Lucifer is after a book in Dacca. Rashed, a college going youngster is suspected of murder. Nicolas Carson, a famous archeologist is searching for Count of St Germain.

Are these incidents related? What is the relation? What is the legend of Sambhala? What is the secret?

Sambhala (शम्भल) is a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in inner Asia. Vishnupuran (विष्णु पुराण) mentions it as birthplace of Kalki. Gradually it came to be seen as Buddhist pure land. This book has the legend of Sambhala as the theme.

There are few legends in Indian mythology. This is one of the few used to write a fiction. Although it's Indian mythology and it's a Hindu and Buddhist legend, the story takes place in Muslim country of Bangladesh. That's mainly because the author is Bangladeshi. Elixer of life is a most sought and never achieved mirage in human history. The book deals with this subject.

Writer has an elaborate writing style. He uses all the words he needs to convey the point without worrying about the length. But the book does not become uninteresting. Characterization is proper except for the character of Arfin, who undergoes change of personality for no apparent reason. Majid's necessity to kill innocent people is also uncalled for.

Author's idea of a character that lives very long and tries to alter the course of history of mankind for good, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing, is fascinating.

The book turns out to be an eventual anti climax because story never goes to Sambhala. That is left for the sequel. So although book is good, reader is disappointed. Why name it Sambhala?

The book looks small, but it isn't. It uses a small font. With normal font another 70-100 pages would have been added.

Arindam has done a good job of translation and adaptation. The sequels of original Bengali book are a big success. Don't know if English translations are available.

Read it for a change or if you want to read the sequel, whenever it's available.

The Gurkha's daughter by Prajwal Parajuly

"The Gurkha's daughter" by Prajwal Parajuly. This book is published by Quercus in 2014 and has 304 pages.  It's a collection of eight stories.

'The cleft' is story of Kali, a black servant girl of 13 with a cleft lip & her master, a widow when they travel to Birtamod for a funeral.

'Let sleeping dogs lie' is the story of Munnu, a Bihari Musalmaan paanwala, in Kalimpong who is losing money due to a kleptomaniac daughter of a rich man. What can he do?

'A father's journey' takes us through the journey of a father and his daughter from age six to age thirty in Gangtok.

'Missed blessing' is a story of a young jobless engineer staying with his brother and grandmother in Darjeeling. It's a day in his life when western Christians purportedly try to convert him and unwanted relatives come for Tika ceremony and stay at his house stretching his resources.

'No land is her land' is story of Anamika, an ethnic Nepali Bhutanese from Phuntsholing who is a refugee staying in Khudunabari Nepal and who has a chance to migrate to America.

'The Gurkha's daughter' is a beautiful story set in Kathmandu. It's a story about two little girls who are best friends.What happens in their emotional worlds when transformations take place in their lives?

'Passing fancy' is the story of a recently retired mother's perceptions in Gangtok whose children are in America.

'The immigrants' is the story of a well to do Nepali Indian working in Manhattan and his Nepali maid who unknowingly becomes his good friend.

As the name suggests, all the stories are of Nepali people (Gurkha) living either in Nepal, Bhutan or India (BTW, the book was published in America). These are the stories of common Gurkha people, their poverty, plight, difficulties, issues, emotions, thinking, transitions and ups and downs in their lives.

All these stories are about feelings, emotions and perceptions, be it a small child, an army man, an immigrant, a retired lady, an unemployed youth or a common person. The steak of immigrant or displacement appears frequently.

An interesting aspect of the book is that, in each story the author has given a part map of the Gurkha area which includes India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh identifying the city where the story takes place. It helps in understanding the ambience.

Of all these stories, I liked 'The Gurkha's daughter', 'Let sleeping dogs lie' & 'The immigrants' most.

Read it for it's different perspective.

The Solomon curse by Clive Cussler

"The Solomon curse" by Clive Cussler and Russell Blake. This book is published by G. P. Putnam's Sons in Sept 2015 and has 400 pages. This is Book 7 of Fargo adventures.

Fargos are on an archeological expedition in Solomon islands when they stumble upon sunken ruins. They are inclined to find a project to provide medical facilities to islanders. Someone tries to kill them twice in one day. An Australian businessman is in a financial loss. He has partnered with a mysterious person with unknown identity.

What's in the ruins? Why are they attacked?  Is there another hidden plot? Is there treasure involved?

If it's a Fargo adventure, there has to be a treasure. And so it's here as well. The treasure is or was in a construction that sunk in the sea. With Fargos, there are always bad guys who want to kill them and acquire the treasure.

The story is evenly paced. The book has usual witty commentary of Fargos, efficiency of Salma and her impeccable logistics, adventures of Fargos, under water exploration and secrets.

Overthrowing regime of a mineral rich small country to acquire exploration rights is a tried and tested formula. Add to it a treasure and clues and you have this book.

The climax comes suddenly and it's not clear how long and meticulous planning unravels by one radio address of the prime minister.

I am a Cussler fan, however his Fargo adventures are my least favourite. Though they are good, others are better. Same applies here. This book is testimony to this opinion.

The book has all that you expect from a Fargo adventure. It does not surprise you positively or negatively. In this aspect it's pretty much predictable.

Give it a miss, if you have never read Fargo adventures.

Operation Chaos by Himanshu Rasam

"Operation Chaos" by Himanshu Rasam. 

There is a blast in Rashtrapati bhavan. Chief of security is dead. Indian black cast commandos storm a terrorist base in India near Pakistan border. Hypersonic BrahMos missile, first of its kind in the world, project completes phase 1. Terrorists across the border, headed by an intelligent man, have infiltrated India.

What is operation chaos? How is it related to BrahMos? Why Rashtrapati bhavan? What do the terrorists want? Who are the players? What is the objective?

The book jumps straight into action right from the word go without much preamble. The action or actions set the readers pulse high within first 30 pages. The national security is at risk, situation is grave. Commander David D'costa has to save the day.

This story is a treasure hunt with clues, ciphers, references in the books, archeological structures and artefacts from Gautam Buddha's time. It involves a historian, a cryptographer, a hacker, set of commandos and a scientist (now President of India) who had worked on Pokhran nuclear blasts.

Authors writing style is good, very good. He manages to bait the readers and readers take the bait: hook, line and sinker. What is better is that author manages to keep the reader interested till the very end. It's a thriller out and out. The narration is vivid. Moreover author has provided some photographs and maps to understand the action better. It makes reading pleasurable.

The idea of a brilliant person, having a grudge at a particular person and nation, hiring terrorists across the border and forcing the Indian securities on a treasure hunt seems a bit far fetched. If the person can do all this planning why he can not hire a team of mercenaries for treasure hunt of his own is confounding. The explanation given is not convincing. If he can take over an ultra secure facility, effect blasts in Rashtrapati bhavan, plant his moles in India and had money why can he not do it himself or wait till the missile goes into production and gain access to many more to increase his bargaining power?

This is the fifth book, I read, based on the legend of Samrat Ashok's nine unknowns. Looks like this legend is getting crowded. Are there no other legends in Indian mythology and history?

A good thriller. Recommend reading.

Tantra by Adi

"Tantra" by Adi. This book is published by Apeejay Stya Publishing in Feb 2013 and has 260 pages.

Anu Agrawal, a young American Indian vampire hunter or 'guardian' decides to transfer from New York to New Delhi. Apart from hunting down vampires, she has a hidden agenda. But the Delhi scenario is very different than America. Here there are other players in the game.

What is Anu's hidden agenda? Does she encounter vampires? Why is the Delhi scene quiet as compared to America? Who would she have to collaborate with? Who will she fight?

The supernatural power balance in Delhi is precarious. Guardians (vampire hunters), Vampires, Sattvik powers, Tantric powers and Karta have maintained a precarious balance of supernatural powers. Anu's entry tips it a little and then Baba Seneka destabilizes it completely. Anu has to seek help from unexpected quarters and enemies.

The story is interesting. Author has created a supernatural world in Indian context. Anu, the protagonist, gets a cultural shock but adjusts to the new reality quickly in view of the looming threat. World is in danger, all hopes are on Anu. Will she deliver?

Author has narrated a good story. You don't abandon the book. I felt that author should have spent few more pages to create and elaborate the supernatural world. That would have made the reading easier.

This books throws up some interesting concepts. The concept of Maya and it's threads is curiously interesting. Concept of using astra with the combination of astra, sadhana and yantra is also convincing. Concept of creating vampires by changing the soul of a body but retaining the memories is also interesting.

A number of questions remain unanswered after the climax. What happens to Chandra? Why Baba Seneka does not take drastic steps to stop Anu? Who is Karta? Does she find who killed Brian? How does the world see the events on Choti Holi? Either they are left loose because author wrapped the climax up in hurry or they are left open deliberately, to be addressed in next book.

Normally I am not into vampire stories. Someone gifted this book a few months ago, so I decided to give it a try. Thus this book became my first vampire book. Since the story is in Indian context it has to include tantric powers and sattvic powers and the fight has to be between them. Anu is the protagonist who gets the help of one camp to defeat other.

Quality of paper used for the book is very good. The font also makes reading a pleasure. The book has also got a bookmark fixed to the book, so you don't have to look for one or worry where to keep it while reading.

Read it for a change.

Robert Ludlum's Janson equation by Douglas Corleone

"Robert Ludlum's Janson equation" by Douglas Corleone. This book is published by Orton publishing group in 2015 and has 400 pages. This is the Book 4 of Paul Janson series.

Paul Janson and Jessica Kincaid have planned a vacation when Paul accepts a new case. Girlfriend of the son of an American senator is murdered in Seoul, South Korea. Senator's son is missing and suspected of murder. Evidence looks too obvious.

Where will the investigation lead? Why does Jason take a murder investigation?
What is Diophatnous? Who is behind it?

The story takes place in America, South Korea and North Korea. Story is decently paced and keeps readers interested. Janson has now morphed into a principled man and Seoul not break his rules for anyone.

Idea of a sinister plot to ignite a war between South and North Korea is good but the reason given for the players to plot it is a bit weak.

The story ends with a victory to Janson, but the real peril players behind the scheme are still at large and would resurface in next book. Author also hints that next book would be about Russia.

There are some unbelievably naive things in the book. The spy in North Korea gives his life to allow Janson take his family to South safely when he could have done it himself without sacrificing his life. Janson giving himself up for Kincaid. North Korean General believes Janson quickly. Janson returns from North Korea with the help of 12 men with entire army in pursuit.

This is 4th Jason novel and it's third writer. Why so many authors? Just to keep the franchise alive? However to be fair to the author of this book, he has done a good job, though the writing style is different.

This book goes on to demonstrate that the Robert Ludlum franchise still goes strong. Even years after his death Paul Janson, Jason Bourne & Covert-one series are still being published.

It's yet another novel where the American intelligence agencies are shown as the bad guys. This trend seems to be on the rise now a days. Earlier mafia was bad, then police became bad, then politicians became bad and now intelligence guys are bad. Is this evolution a reflection of society?

If you have read previous books, read it.

The hunt for Kohinoor by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

"The hunt for Kohinoor" by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar. This book is published by Westland Ltd in 2013 and has 432 pages. This is Book 2 of Mehrunisa Khosa series.

Mehrunisa has taken the post of her godfather at Archeological Survey of India. She is still haunted by nightmares; aftereffect of her father's disappearance when she was six.

President of Pakistan and Prime minister of India are in secret talks to establish peace when President of Pakistan is assassinated. The important documents he was going to hand over to India are also destroyed, but there is a copy somewhere. It's code named Kohinoor. Hunt for Kohinoor is on - in Pakistan. Babur Khan, a mysterious American soldier turned Islamic terrorist has surfaced.

Who is hunting for Kohinoor? Where is it? Who will get it? How is Mehrunisa involved?

As in the first book there are a lot of references to renaissance painters and their paintings and Mughal art. The story takes place in Pakistan and India.

The decision to send Mehrunisa, a civilian, to Pakistan in search of Kohinoor instead of her father does not make sense from logical and intelligence point of view. Especially when so much is dependent on the success of the mission, recruiting Mehrunisa seems to be far fetched. It's surprising that Pakistani intelligence can not find Mehrunisa, Raghav and RP Singh but Babur Khan can track them.

The author seems to be confused as to what should form the central theme of the story. Mehrunisa, Kohinoor documents, Agent Snow Leopard or the terrorist attack on Indian facility. In an attempt to cover all, she is all over the place and none of them is covered properly.

Manreet had raised my expectations after her first book. Her first book was profound. The second book however does not stand up to the reputation. It appears like a documentary. It's superficial. It disappoints.

Give it a miss.

Sword of summer by Rick Riordan

"Sword of summer" by Rick Riordan. This book is published by Puffin in Oct 2015 and has 528 pages. This is Book 1 of 'Magnus Chase and Gods of Asgard' series, based on Norse mythology.

Magnus Chase has become homeless in Boston two years ago when his mother was killed by wolves. On his sixteenth birthday he is told that he is the son of a Norse God. He miraculously retrieves a sword lost thousand years ago, fights a fire demon and dies. Ya! You heard right, he dies.

Is the series over at the beginning of first book? Where does Magnus go after death? What is he destined for? What is sword of summer? Why is it so important? Who is his father?

After his three previous series' on Greek mythology, Egypitian mythology and Roman mythology now Rick has ventured into Norse mythology.

The book contains life after death, dwarves, demigods, elves, giants, gods, serpents, Valhalla, magic and what not. There is a quest for sword of summer, Loki wants to release 'The wolf' and Magnus must stop him with the help of a dwarf, an elf and a valkyrie.

Rick has used some of the ideas from his previous book like the protagonist being a demigod, gods claiming their offspring at the camp, prophesies, quests etc. He has also used the name Annabeth which became famous in the Percy Jackson series. This repeated use of ideas could have been minimized. For an imaginative writer like Rick it was even avoidable.

Most gods are depicted as either stupid or lazy or ignorant or all of it. Author has made use of mythical Norse legends like Loki and Wolf constrained, Thor losing his hammer, Loss of sword of summer, concept of Valhalla, As hard, Midgard, Yggdrasil, nine worlds and Norse gods etc. And he has put them to good use. The story remains interesting till the end, but it's not over yet. More books are still to be published.

Magnus is a young boy who has special powers and a Destiny to fulfill, much like Percy Jackson. His character is still developing. His accomplices, the dwarf, the elf and the valkyrie fight with him along with his floor mates at Valhalla. Would they be there in next book? Well, they should be but author has created a small doubt about it.

Author has done a good job of introducing the readers to Norse mythology and legends through the story. Author has written the book in his trademark 'sarcastically witty' style that has become legendary. It's a joy to read this style of writing.

Book ends with (of course) victory for Magnus. Although this battle is won, the war is not over. Wait for the subsequent book to know what comes next.

If you have liked Percy Jackson, you will like this too.

The Hollow by Agatha Christie

"The Hollow" by Agatha Christie. This book is published by HarperCollins in 2002.

There is a gathering of distant cousins, friends and their families at Lady Lucy and Sir Henry Angkatell's estate, 'The Hollow'. Guests include Midge - Lucy's cousin, Dr. John and his beautiful but stupid wife Gerda, Henrietta - a sculptor, Edward Angkatell, another cousin David and Hercule Poirot. Veronica, John's ex, also gate crashes.

There's a murder. Who is murdered? What is the motive? Whodunit?

It's a typical Agatha mystery with a large house of rich people, many characters, murder in the house, many suspects, scattered clues and mystery.

What I liked most of this book was the fantastic characterization. It's an assortment of peculiar characters. Lucy who is absent minded, vague, has hyper active mind. Henrietta who is devoted to work, slightly ruthless, in love with John. Gerda who is slow and stupid, but not as much as everyone thinks. Dr. John, a magnet for women, who has had a number of affairs and is passionate about finding cure to Ridgway's decease. Edward who is book lover and would not marry if not Henrietta, Veronica a typical egotistical star who gets what she wants with her charm etc.

The interrelations between characters are also curious. There are tangled feelings of love, care, protectiveness, sympathy between the characters. Some questions remain with the readers. Why John did not marry Henrietta? Why did John marry Gerda? Why did Gerda worship John? Why Henrietta cared for Gerda? Did Edward love Midge?

While reading the book I learned a new word Yggdrasil. Search for the meaning yourself :) !!

One important thing that is almost missing from this book is the investigation, that tantalizing cat and mouse game, gathering of clues and deductive reasoning. Readers are left unsatisfied because murder mystery is not only about finding the murderer but also the process of finding the murderer. The mystery is revealed on its own. As a result Hercule Poirot's role is much smaller as compared to other Agatha mysteries. End is also unconvincing.

The buildup is good but then the remaining story and climax does not live up to the expectation. I sort of fizzles out.

An OK book. Not a must read.

Piranha by Clive Cussler

"Piranha" by Clive Cussler & Boyd Morrison. This book is published by Michael Joseph in 2015 and has 432 pages. This is the Book 10 of Oregon files.

Oregon is in Venezuela and authorities have made out Juan Cabrillo and Corporation. Trap is set. There are simultaneous attempts on lives of Oregon crew. A mysterious person known only as Doctor is able to spy on Oregon and know all their plans. Pirhana designs are stolen.

Can Oregon crew survive? How does Doctor know all plans of the 'Corporation'? How can they plan a fight back if enemy knows their plans as soon as they are made? What is Pirhana? What's connection with Venezuela and Haiti?

Again Cussler has delivered an exciting thriller with a nail biting finish. I am amazed by his ability of delivering thriller after thriller. The story is fast paced, full of inconceivable planning, meticulous execution, daredevil acts, high-tech gizmos and it's very interesting. Concept of derelict looking but technologically very advanced ship based Corporation working as good mercenaries is fascinating. This is tenth thriller in the series.

Pirhana stealth submarines are top of the end technology. It could do wonders in right hands. Nutrino telescope that can see and hear through matter using subatomic Nutrino particles is almost sci-fi. I don't know if such a technology is really in development.

I had a feeling that the initial portion of an elaborate rouse to fake the destruction of Oregon, though very good, was not the requirement of the story. It could have been avoided.

Why is the book named Piranha? That's a misnomer. Significance of Pirhana is minuscule. Real technology and real story is about Nutrino telescope or sentinel. Sentinel should have been the name of the book.

The main mercenary (and right hand of Doctor) is implied dead in the book. Is he? Or will he resurface in next book? Well, we will just have to wait for next book.

Oregon and Cussler fans must read it.

Close call in Kashmir by Bharat Wakhlu

"Close call in Kashmir" debut novel of Bharat Wakhlu. This book is published by Penguin metro reads in August 2010 and has 232 pages.

Dr. Michael Zutshi is a professor of South Asian art and history in USA. His sister is abducted by terrorists in Kashmir. Pirzada Shamsuddin Bandey is the head priest of the Dargah at Aishmuqam. He is opposed to terrorist violence and is vocal about it.  'Amanat' needs to be protected. Artefacts worth millions of dollars are stolen from Srinagar.

Will Michael come back to India? Who is stealing the artefacts? What stand does Shasuddin take? What is 'Amanat'? Why it needs to be protected?

Bharat has written a very good debut novel. Narration is good. Pace is maintained. Reader's interest is retained. Story is delivered with ease. But I felt that author has missed a few opportunities to make it more interesting.

This story centers around a legend of Dara Sukoh, elder brother of Auranzeb, who Aurangzeb beheaded to become Emperor. The book talks of a legend where great treasure was handed over to six mystique saints by Dara to be retrieved at a later date when he became king. He never became king and the treasure was lost.

Kashmir has a long tradition of mystique saints. The book addresses the Islamist terrorist threat to the shrines of mystique saints (sadhus and sufis, Hindu and Muslims). It also addresses terrorism in general including killings, sympathizers within government, black marketing of precious artefacts, kidnappings, ISI etc.

Although the treasure was handed over to six saints, author doesn't make it clear how it ended where it ended. Author has not elaborated the contribution of six. It could well have been one. Here one feels something amiss.

The climax is devoid of any action. In such a book with all ingredients of a thriller, I expected an action packed climax. It was easily possible to do so but the author chose not to.

The artistic key on the book cover tells us that the book has something to do with the hidden treasure. It's an interesting cover. Use of black colour is also symbolic.

Despite purchasing a brand new book, it had yellow pages. The quality of paper used was sub standard. Was it done to keep the cost down? In any case, it hindered the joy of reading.

A good book. Recommend reading.

For complete review, please visit:
Mandar's Book reviews
http://mandarbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Killer in the shadows by Amit Nangia

"Killer in the shadows" by Amit Nangia. This book is published by Red ink publishers in Feb 2015 and has 128 pages.

Allahabad. A man is Found dead in a public urinal. Naina, a young beautiful divorce lawyer with a troubled past, tells police that she might have killed someone. Pronto. Inspector Abhay Pandey in action. He is a fun and female loving, easy going, skirt chasing, shameless, handsome and intelligent cop. Do you remember Salman Khan of Dabangg? Well that's exactly what he is.

Who was murdered? Did Naina kill anyone? Why is her past troubled? Who is threatening her?

Character of Abhay Pandey is of a typical macho rowdy U.P. cop who loves bowdy language. Naina is the most beautiful, enticingly shapely lawyer who has a partial amnesia and doesn't remember her childhood. The book shows instant chemistry between the two and sex on the third encounter.

The book is full of sexual connotations and implicit or explicit sex overtures. One does not understand whether Abhay's day job is that of a cop or of gigolo. These things take the attention away from the main story. More page space is allocated to amorous activities than the real plot.

There are limited number of characters in the story. Thus the suspects become evident very easily. Experienced readers bring down the list of suspects to four before reaching halfway. Then it's a matter of going through the story to reach the end.

This is a small book. Such a small murder mystery is bound to be short on build up and matter, and so it is. However it is written in film style and I could not help allocating the roles for the film. My cast included Salman, Priyanka, Sonu, Deepshikha and Mohan Agashe.

The book was published this year that is much after film Dabangg. Why did author decide to use the same cop for this story thereby making it unoriginal? It's also not clear why Naina leaves her career in Mumbai to come back to Allahabad? Author seems to have nothing new to offer.

Thankfully it's a small book.

Give it a miss.

Chronicle of a death foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"Chronicle of a death foretold" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez translated from Spanish by Gregory Rabassa. This book is published by Penguin India in 2000 and has 122 pages.

Bayardo San Roman, a mysterious young man weds the beautiful Angela Vicario in a Colombian town. On their wedding night Bayardo discovers that his wife is not a virgin. He takes her back to her parents. Her brothers want to know who is responsible. Angela names Santiago Nasar, a rich and handsome young man. Angela's brothers declare that they will kill Santiago. But Santiago is unaware of this. He starts his day like any other.

Will he know about threat to his life? Will Angela's brothers muster courage to salvage family honour? Will Santiago be killed? Will it reconstitute Angela's life?

It's a strange book. The writing style of author is very different. Story is slow but since it's a small book, you sail through. The whole book centers around the killing of Santiago. All the events of the day are detailed in the book. The atmosphere of the book is mysterious. Characterization is also mysterious. A lot of threads remain untold.

Pablo and Pedro, brothers of Angela, announce their intention to kill Santiago to everyone they meet, in the hope that if someone stops them they will not have to kill Santiago and they will get satisfaction that they had done everything to salvage family honour. However somehow no one stops them and they had to kill Santiago.

Some things have been left unanswered by the author. Is Santiago really responsible for Angela's loss of virginity? What does Bayardo do after he leaves Angela? Why does Angela write letters to Bayardo?

It's different, read for a change.

The Bhairav Putras by Suhail Mathur

"The Bhairav Putras" debut novel of Suhail Mathur. This book is published by Red ink publishers in 2014 and has 343 pages.

The story is set in British occupied India of 1936 in a town called Bhairavgarh, a town famous for temple of Lord Bhairav (a manifestation of Shiva) and brave inhabitants, where British decide to set up cantonment.

A motly crew of Son of a Zamindar, a Carpenter, a Dhobi, a Priest, a stable boy, an Architect, a bomb maker and a couple of Indian British soldiers decides to fight back. They are assisted by four mysterious men calling themselves Vairavar's. Existence of an ancient secret from the times of Samrat Ashok is revealed.

Will the Bhairavwasis succeed? What's in the book of Bhairav (Bhairashokapustak) from the times of Samrat Ashok? Who are Vairawar's?

Freedom struggle, resistance to British, an ancient secret that will grant immense power to the holder and mysterious Vairawars is a heady mixture and can make a very interesting story. Suhail has indeed managed to create an interesting story out of it. However I was left with a feeling that more could have been done. It could have been even more thrilling and even more interesting.

The narration is good. Story keeps you interested. However story becomes slow at the trial of revolutionaries. This being the story from old times, the things happen at their own pace.

Suhail has done a good job. As per the book he is still pursuing his BA LLB, so must be young. He has shown great promise in his first book and a good writer is in the making. We can expect more good work from him.

However in some cases author has written about past as if it happened in today's time. For example things happenned at 10.30 pm like train arrival, end of dinner etc but in those days things did not happen so late. Bira hugs his lady love in public, it did not happen publicly in those days. Word terrorist is used in the book which was not prevalent in those days.

Author has used some amusing and witty word play in the book that is delight to read. These remarks are really good. Full marks to Suhail for that. However that word play could only happen in English and revolutionaries and Indiana did not speak English, it's only the book that's written in English.

Epilogue added to the book was entirely unnecessary. Apart from sowing seeds of a sequel, it does not serve any purpose and was avoidable.

Nevertheless it's a good book. Recommend reading.

Mrs Funnybones by Twinkle Khanna

"Mrs Funnybones" by Twinkle Khanna. This book is published by Penguin books India in August 2015 and has 240 pages.

Twinkle Khanna is known as an actress, daughter of Dimple / Rakesh Khanna and wife of Akshay Kumar but not many know about Twinkle, the writer. She writes column in TOI and DNA. Those who know her personally are aware about her habit of cracking jokes.

This book is a collection of twenty six articles. These articles are small things that happen in the life of Mrs Funnybones aka Twinkle. Be it messy children, pesky neighbours, embarrassing mom, arrogant aunt, indifferent husband, unreliable employees, unpredictable mother in law, weird friends, well wishers, domestic help, girlfriend of her son, pets, sisters, brothers and cousins of husband and of mother in law etc. Author has also written about occasions like Valentine's day, annual vacation, Karwa chauth, rakshabandhan, picnics etc. In short people and events that occur in everyone's life.

Twinkle refers herself as Mrs Funnybones, Akshay Kumar is called Man of the house, her son is referred as Prodigal son and their daughter is The baby. She confesses that the characters are based on the real ones but she has added fiction and spice to it. So it's not autobiographical and can be enjoyed without reading between the lines.

Twinkle writes about simple things that give you joy, familial contentment, feeling of being loved, irritate you, upset you or make you insecure. In short things that make a house a home. Each article has random thoughts on a particular subject. Most of them are are written with a timeline like a diary entry of a particular day.

Twinkle has a easy writing style. She writes simplistically, without complicating things. Her writing is witty and hilarious. She has hilariously criticized everyone in her life including herself. Her power of observation is commendable. Her self deprecating jokes are also good. While delivering a hilarious article she also touches base with life's reality, the joys & sorrows that make you stop and think and make you sombre. She has a peculiar self amusing way of looking at life.

The articles are not very old or written long time ago. It has references to Iphone 6, Akshay's role in film Boxer, WhatsApp etc... confirming that they are contemporary and ensuring that the relevance is not lost.

Between the articles she has given snippets of her valuable thoughts on random matters like 'Getting ready for an event', 'Why do women have longer lifespans', 'Neighbours', 'Three things women talk about constantly', 'Three magical Indian things', 'Four people you bump into at Indian funerals' etc.

These are writings of a modern woman about our daily lives. So some of the references are bold for the traditionalists but are reality in today's life.

Chapters are alphabetical (A, B, C etc) and each title starts with that alphabet. Interesting way to title the articles. I learned a new word while reading the book. It's Illeist. I won't tell the meaning, refer dictionary or internet.

It's a simple, light, likable book that connects to your heart. Twinkle has come out with flying colors.

A very good book. Must read.

Private L.A. by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan

"Private L.A." by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan. This book is published by Random house in 2014 and has 512 pages. This is sixth book in Private series and third starring Jack Morgan.

A killer calling himself 'No prisoners' murders four persons on a beach. A Hollywood writer-director-actor and his actress wife, working on their dream project, go missing with their three adopted children. Jack Morgan and his firm Private is pressed in action. 'No prisoner' gang conducts more killings and demands money. Jack's twin brother tries to usurp his agency with an underworld character. Orphan children of celebrity couple are released.

Will LA administration give in to 'No prisoner' demands? Where is the celebrity couple? Where does the money trail lead? Why is there an assassination attempt on Jack Morgan? Will Private succeed?

The story is not fluid. The pace is uneven. Is it because the two writers could not gel? Although there is nothing apparently wrong in the story or narration, something is amiss. Two stories of No prisoner and celebrity couple run in parallel. Readers wait and wait Anna wait for them to converge but they remain separate like oil and water in a mixture. Why did author's tell two different stories in one book?

Celebrity couple who has adopted 3 children and who are involved in charity for orphans is definitely based on a real life Hollywood couple.

No prisoner gang members call each other as Mr. Cobb, Mr. Nickerson etc.. When you work together, have gone through hardships with each other and watch each other's back it's expected that you are on first name basis.

Justeen's dilemma at what she has done is unclear. Love between her and Jack that would never come to fruition is intriguing.

Epilogue appears stretched. Reduced length of book might have made it more effective.

This book is not as good as 'Private India', a book co written by James Patterson with Ashwin Sanghi.

Give it a miss.

Assassins by Mukul Deva

"Assassins" by Mukul Deva. This book is published by Forge books in 2015 and has 416 pages. This is Book 2 of Ravinder Gill series. Book 1 was titled 'The dust will never settle' in India and 'Weapon of vengeance' in USA.

Ravinder Gill had resigned and is trying to come to terms with his life & his daughter's death at his hands. Sisters of Benazir (SOB), a terrorist organization lead by Fatima (Benzir's niece), has contracted assassinations of Pervaiz Masharrat (Dictator of Pakistan at the time of Benzir's assassination) and Abid Zardosi (Benzir's husband), in India, to Leon Binder as they were masterminds of Benazir's murder.

Binder happenes to be a very close friend of Sir Edward Kingsley (Director of MI6) and Ravinder Gill during their college days. Gill accepts to lead the taskforce to prevent the assassinations on Indian soil. Can he stop Binder or will he be humiliated again? What's in the past? What score has remained unsettled? What happens to SOB?

Entire story takes place in six days. There are twenty odd chapters in each day. Some of the chapters are only a page long and some only a few lines long. It's an intelligent chapterization.

Although story is good some things keep nagging the seasoned readers. Thus the story becomes semi engaging. It's unbelievable that a hardened assassin, chief of a terrorist organization and a terrorist mole in Indian intelligence talk freely over unsecured phones using real names (I had same observation on author's previous books as well) and that an assassin meets his employer in person in open. Use of WhatsApp and Dropbox for exchanging sensitive information is also baffling. This is recklessness. The assassin spelling his name backward for his most important identity is laughable.

Generally the protagonists in thrillers are depicted as impeccable superhumans. Here Mukul had given them touches that are more like common humans (e.g. The assassin has a stomach upset, he sleeps in unsecured location due to exhaustion, Gill is ill at ease with computers etc.). Gill, the assassin and the mole all forget to do something vital every now and then that allows the story to go on.

Vishal is shown as an orphan who does not know his parents, then how come he has got a cousin? Looks like an avoidable error.

Pakistani characters are based on real life figures. Author has altered the names only slightly making it apparent, even for a naive reader. Benzir's assassination is described in great detail.

A new thing is a terrorist organization (SOB - Pun intended?) run by women, a sisterhood. However it's not clear why head of such an organization behaves in amateurish way. Binder accepting the assignment despite knowing of the leak and despite having a bad feeling about it is also inexplicable. A professional assassin who has 36 hits to his credit suddenly throws all caution to the wind for the sake of revenge, not convincing.

Ravinder Gill thrillers seem to be a personal matter for Gill. In first book it was his daughter and in this it's his one time best friend. His past haunts him and gives him nightmares. It makes him more human. He also loses his close family member in each book. At this rate, the series can not go beyond three books.

Why is the book titled Assassins? Not clear. Probably a more appropriate title would have been Assassinations!

An OK book, not a must read.

The Normans: From raiders to kings by Lars Brownworth

"The Normans: From raiders to kings" by Lars Brownworth. This book is published by Crux publishing in 2014 and has 254 pages. It's a historical nonfiction.

Towards end of 9th century Viking raiders (known as Norsemen) from Scandinavia were regularly raiding and foraging Frankish kingdom and England. Vikings were known as fearless, brute, cruel, semi civilized, pirates and invaders who worshipped Odin.

In 911 AD, Frankish king Charles offered large land in Northern France to Viking Lord Rollo, to reduce Viking raids. Thus the Norman state was founded with Normandy as it's capital. Rollo embraced Christianity and adopted to French way of life to make himself acceptable to the local population. He was a staunch supporter of Pope.

Rollo's line continued - William, Richard, Richard II, Richard III & Robert who expanded the territory governed by Normans. Robert's son William-the-conquerer, eventually became King of England and his line ruled England.

The narration then moves to the Italian adventures of Normans. Another William, a minor Lord became a Duke by expanding his empire in Southern Italy. It was furthered by his son Roger Guiscard who marched in Byzantine empire and was close to victory when he had to return to Rome because King of Germany attacked the Pope. Upon his death Bohemund, his son was deprived of inheritance. He seized the chance to join crusaders against Constantinople and carved out a state for himself but lost a lot to a misjudged war and the state remained a principality and was longest serving, though weak, Norman state.

Robert Guiscard's brother, Roger of Sicily, is known for his conquests of Muslim Sicily. He brought entire Sicily under his rule by defeating or subjugating Arab and Berber rulers and was known for tolerance towards other religions. His son Roger II conquered Southern Italy in addition to Sicily and was crowned King by the then Pope. He was the first one to apply common man's law to the warlords and barons. He was succeeded by his son William-the-bad who won many battles by not fighting them, his son was William-the-worst. He was succeeded by a man called the Monkey king and later by Frederick II, who lead and won the fifth crusade and was titled King of Jerusalem.

All this history of Normans spans about 200 years and is full of wars, truce, rebellion, pillage, looting, rapes, assassinations, exiles, excommunication, marriage alliances, politics, religious politics and ambitions. They were supporters of trade which brought prosperity. Except for Frederick II, none are mentioned to have provided patronage to art and science. They simply meant business of war.

Normans were fearless warriors and they won a number of wars despite being numerically inferior, some when they were ridiculously inferior. These victories created psychological terror in the minds of their opponents. Their knights were known as legendary fighters second to none.

Their virtue was that they preferred to blend with local populace rather than trying to impose their identity, thus making themselves easily acceptable. Their rule extended from north sea to north Africa.

From being raiders to becoming kings was a spectacular feat achieved by Normans in less than a century. Credit goes to their valor, foresight and exploitation of European politics. (German monarchy, English monarchy, Pope, Byzantine empire of Greeks, Turks and African Muslims)

Read it if you are interested in Norman history, even if you are not a history student. If you are not interested in history, better read wikipedia.

The bootlegger by Clive Cussler

"The bootlegger" by Clive Cussler & Justin Scott. This book is published by Berkeley books in 2015 and has 435 pages. This is 7th book of Isaac Bell series.

It's 1920s America. Alcohol prohibition is in effect. Black market of alcohol is striving. Bootleggers are minting money. Joe Van Dorn is shot while chasing one of the bootleggers at sea. Isaac Bell takes charge of the Van Dorn detective agency temporarily to find out that Bootleggers have bribed and compromised some of the agency staff.

Who are the bootleggers? Why is Van Dorn after them? What will Isaac Bell find? Is there more to it than what meets the eyes?

The smuggling of alcohol from international waters using high speed small crafts, it's dilution and sale in black market, corruption & violence that comes with it are depicted in great detail. It was a thriving business in America in 1920s. People made millions in this business while spinning off other illegal businesses.

I was curious to know why a Clive Cussler thriller is based on prohibition and bootleggers. Certainly it doesn't have enough spice for a thriller. After reading it becomes clear that bootlegging is only tip of the iceberg and there is a more sinister plot. Here the Comintern, Russian communist propaganda arm for international operations, has stepped into bootlegging in order to mask the real agenda and finance it.

The story is fast paced. It involves daredevil adventures of Isaac Bell. In this book he pilots flying boat, high speed water craft and flying yacht. There is a beautiful lady on the wrong side who likes Isaac. There is a battle of wits, daredevilry, skills and agenda between Bell and the Bootlegger.

The story is fast. The book keeps you interested till the end. It's a high tech thriller of that period. Finally Isaac saves the day.

For a change locomotives and railroads do not play an important role in this Isaac Bell thriller.

If you like Cussler and Bell adventures, read it.

Zadwata (झाडवाटा) by Anand Yadav (आनंद यादव)

"Zadwata (झाडवाटा)" a Marathi (मराठी) book by Anand Yadav (आनंद यादव). This book is published by Mehta publishing house. This edition was published in 2013 (First edition 2000) and has 140 pages. I read the book through Grantha Tumchya Dari (ग्रंथ तुमच्या दारी) scheme of Kusumagraj Pratishthan (कुसुमाग्रज प्रतिष्ठान). This book is a collection of 14 short stories.

'Eka dagdi gharacha itihas (एका दगडी घराचा इतिहास)' is the story of only two storied house in the village and how it's occupants amassed wealth and what happens later.
'Bakdyawarche jag (बाकड्यावरचे जग)' is not really a story. It's the thought process of a traveler who looks at various scenes from the bus he is traveling in.
'Nar (नर)' is the story of a male and his attempts to find a mate, a female (मादी). But not human, who's he?
'Nave walan (नवे वळण)' is portrait of a village that undergoes changes due to the prosperity and its side effects brought by the new sugar factory from the eyes of a school teacher.
In 'Anghul (आंघूळ)' Bhau works as labourer. He is very tired and wants to bathe with hot water in one winter. There are numerous obstacles that make the bath more and more alluring. Can he take bath?
'Haat (हात)' is the story of a body builder who has lost both his arms in an accident thereby making him dependent for life. What does he want to do with his non existent arms?
'Pot (पोट)' is the story of Dattu Sawkar who was once a very rich merchant and has now list everything after a paralysis stroke and works as a labourer.
In 'Jeevan (जीवन)' all the bank staff is looking forward to one and half day of weekend when news arrives that mother of the bank manager is dead. What about the weekend plans?
In 'Eka gaditil prawasi (एका गाडीतील प्रवासी)' author, who has lost his job and is traveling to Pune in a bus observes his co passengers.
In 'Duty (ड्यूटी)' Banda, a village police, who supports education of two nieces doesn't have money to pay for their school fees. Is there a God sent opportunity?
In 'Badli (बदली)' Mane guruji, a primary teacher in a village, is summoned to bring 30 persons to a sterilization camp. He could find none. What would be the price?
'Palvi ani paangal (पालवी आणि पानगळ)' is the story of Datta, who ran away from all his responsibilities and family 25 years ago. He comes back to his village. What does he find?
'Dushkalanantarcha paus (दुष्काळानंतरचा पाऊस)' is the story of varied reactions to rain after a draught of three years. But not all reactions are happy, why?
'Zadanchi raanwat (झाडांची रानवाट)' is the regret of Darumma, an old farmer, who worries that none of his progeny wants to look after the farm. He worries what will happen after his death?

All the stories have rural background and use rural Marathi. Of these stories I liked Bakdyawarche jag, Dushkalanantarcha paus and Duty.

In a number of stories author has used non living things like bunglow, house, road and village as characters in the stories. It's a USP of the book.

Two of the stories are not really stories but articles about changes, progress and the impact on human lives. And they are very well written.

OK book. Not a must read.

Manto - Selected stories translated by Aatish Taseer

"Manto - Selected stories" translated by Aatish Taseer. This book is published by Random house India in 2012 and has 200 pages. This is a collection of ten short stories.

Manto was born in Punjab, made his career in Bombay as script writer, is considered best short story writer of Indian subcontinent, was controversial and was tried for obscenity. He moved to Lahore after partition, a decision which he later regretted. Translator Aatish Taseer is son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and Pakistani politician Salman Taseer.

In 'Ten Rupees' Sarita, a 15 year old care free girl is sent for prostitution by her mother. She spends a day with three Hyderabad youth in Bombay. What happens?
'Blouse' is story of Momin, a servant on the edge of puberty, and the unknown strange feelings generated within him when he sees his young mistress sew and try on a new blouse.
'Khol do' is the story of Sirajuddin who's young and beautiful daughter was left behind in Amritsar during partition and found.
'Khaled Miyan' is the story of Mumtaz, a doting father of Khaled, who is afraid that Khaled will die before turning one. He is paranoid. Will Khaled Miyan die?
'My name is Radha' is the story of Neelam, an actress, who is infatuated with the handsome and well behaved hero.
'Ram Khilavan' is the Dhobi of Manto and indebted to his wife for saving his life. During partition riots, drunk Ram Khilavan attacks Manto. What will happen next?
'Licence' is the story of Nesti, beautiful wife of a coachman who dies shortly after marriage. Nesti decides to drive the coach herself. Can she?
In 'The mice of Shah Daulah' Salima gives up her first born to Shah Daulah for blessing her with children but can never forget her first born. By luck she meets him. What next?
In 'For freedom' Gulam Ali and Nigar are active in independence struggle and enamoured. Babaji (A character based on Gandhiji) announced their marriage and has very high expectations from them. Can they live up to it?
'Smell' is story of Ranjit who had bedded many girls. He can not forget a working class girl and her earthly smell even after marriage.

Of these stories I liked 'Khol Do' and 'License' the most. These stories awaken a feeling in the reader that makes him think of the stories long after.

Three of the stories have author as a character and are narrated in first person. Seven stories have implied, overt or covert sex or sexuality in them. Such stories made Manto controversial more than 60-70 years ago. All the stories are pre independence stories but the period is only a few years before independence.

All the stories have the smell of earth. They are precise and to the point. Manto unhesitatingly puts his point across without floral wordings or delving too much in the background information. Thus all the stories are really short. Sometimes there is a sudden end to the stories that is less comprehensible.

Credit should also go to Aatish Tasir, the translator, for bringing these Urdu stories to the non-Urdu readers.

Good book. Read it to get introduced to Manto.

Kamadeva: The God of desire by Anuja Chandramouli

"Kamadeva: The God of desire" by Anuja Chandramouli. This book is published by Rupa publications India in 2014 and has 328 pages.

Kamadeva is the God born from Lord Brahma's desires and was assigned the department of desire, love and sex. He was  the most beautiful male in three universes. His consort Rati was most beautiful female.

In his attempt to help Deva's, he tried to hasten the union of Shiv and Parvati. Shiva opened his third eye and burned Kamadeva to ashes. What happens next? Can he be revived? Will he be?

The book is divided into two parts. First part is of Kamadeva and Rati with his sidekicks, their adventures and misadventures, curses and pranks, booze, love and sex, his friendship with Indra and Vasant, Kama and Rati's love. Finally his death by Shiva's third eye.

Second part is story of Pradyumna, son of Krishna who was Kama reborn, his abduction when infant and attempted murder by Shambara, his upbringing by Shambara's wife Mayawati, his fulfilling the prophecy and marrying Mayawati who was Rati reborn,  his life and eventual death with the Yadu clan.

Apart from the fact that Pradyumna and Maya were Kama and Rati reborn, these two stories have nothing in common. These two stories can even be considered two separate books.

The stories are good. Story telling style of Anuja is different. Really speaking very little is known about Kamadeva in mythology apart from his department, sugarcane bow, flower arrows and death by Shiva. Creating a big novel out of what little is known is not an easy feat. Author has done a decent job of it but even she had to take refuge of Pradyumna's story to make it sizable. In reality Pradyumna's story is more happening than Kamadeva's story.

Sometimes you wonder how much time the Gods spent in carnal pleasures and procreation while they were not aiding humanity or not playing politics.

I was not impressed by the cover of book. It could and should have been more beautiful, considering that it's the story of most beautiful male known.

Read it for a change.

Murder in Amaravati by Sharath Komarraju

"Murder in Amaravati" by Sharath Komarraju. This book is published by Amaryllis in 2012 and has 209 pages. This book was longlisted for Commonwealth book prize 2013.

The village hostess (prostitute), Padmavati, is murdered. Body found in Kali temple by priest Krishna Shastri. Head constable, Venkata Reddy, investigates. There are various characters. Sarpanch Seetaraamaiah, his young son Kishore and crippled daughter Indira. Satyam the postmaster and his wife Lakshmi. Shekhar a man who is wasted below waist and his wife Vaishnavi, a drunkard Sanga, Shastri's wife Annapurna etc..

Who killed Padmavati? What will come out of investigation apart from murderer? Who is the murderer? Why was the murderer committed?

The characterization is good. The village atmosphere, it's intricacies, affairs and enmity is depicted very well. Idea of a constable and priest playing detective is also innovative. Murder of prostitute kicks a scandals in a small village.

Story keeps you interested till the very end. The timeline, alibies, confirming the statements from other witnesses etc. shows influence of Agatha Christie.

When I purchased the book I thought it's a murder mystery in God Indra's Amaravati. However it turned out to be a village in Andhra which was the capital of Satvahana kings, once upon a time. So rather than a mythological mystery, it turned out to be a modern day mystery.

There are some avoidable errors in the book e.g. When the Kali mandir was built by Seetaraamaiah much later, how did his mother, Jagdamba, prayed at Kali temple?

I guessed the killer halfway through the book but as the book converged it appears that I had missed the mark but then I was again proved right in epilogue.

If you like murder mysteries, read it. If you want to venture into murder mysteries then this is not the book to start with.

Thousand faces of night by Geetha Hariharan

"Thousand faces of night" by Geetha Hariharan. This book is published by Penguin books in 1992 and has 139 pages.  This book won 1993 Commonwealth writers prize for best first book. It was given to me by my father.

Devi comes from an orthodox Tamil family. While studying in USA she befriends Dan, a fellow black student. Though it's more than just friendship, Devi does not accept his marriage proposal, returns to India and arranged marries Mahesh.

The book is a portrait of Devi, her mother Sita and housekeeper of her husband's house Mayamma. All three ladies had potential but were suppressed in one way or other after marriage.

Devi is influenced by her grandmother. She does not really know what she wants in life. Doesn't know what will bring her joy and in her pursuit of it makes one wrong decision after another. It's incomprehensible why she becomes a meek housewife from a foreign educated independent youngster. Does she get what she wants eventually?

Sita is passionate about everything. She longs for perfection in everything. Order is second nature to her. She shapes career of her husband and childhood of her daughter (Devi) impeccably. Does she get what she wants eventually?

Mayamma has an happy marriage with abusive husband and mother in law who ill treats her. She sees everything that happens in master's house. She watches occupants and their problems and watches the events unfold while doing her daily chores mechanically and remembering the past. Does she get what she wants eventually?

Devi is continuously on the run. First from America, then from Dan, then from her mother, then from her house, then from her husband and then from Gopal in search of something that she does not know. It's a search for something that she wants to do. She has to confront her own problems and demons, make her own choices, only then her wandering will come to an end.

Writing style of this book is very different. Author has not tried to bring order to the narrative. It's loosely knit and appears like 'order in chaos'. She is not bothered about going back and forth in time, leaving the subject and jumping to another, leaving the scene unconcluded, mixing fact with stories, at times telling two unrelated things together etc. Thus the writing resembles the working of mind, here one moment and there the other. At times it even borders on drivel. It's a mix of first person & third person narrative.

It's a bold writing style. Writing your first book in this fashion takes guts and she has received the prize for it. It was good to read this very different book.

It's different. Read it for a change.

Hilal (हिलाल) by Rajan Khan ( राजन खान )

"Hilal (हिलाल)" a Marathi (मराठी) book by Rajan Khan ( राजन खान ). This book is published by Majestic prakashan (मॅजेस्टिक प्रकाशन) in 1999 and has 224 pages. I read the book through Grantha Tumchya Dari (ग्रंथ तुमच्या दारी) scheme of Kusumagraj Pratishthan (कुसुमाग्रज प्रतिष्ठान). This book is a collection of 8 short stories.

'Bangi (बांगी)' is the story of a very old bangi (a man designated to give azan or call for namaz in a mosque). This old man can not help remembering his youth and his past when he is on death bed.

'Mannat (मन्नत)' is the story of Rahimat chachi, a Muslim lady who desperately wants to marry off her daughters, getting past marriageable age, and her prayers (mannat) to various pirs (पीर) and babas.

'Sawal (सवाल)' is the story of what happens when a fakir (फकीर) threatens to die by injuring himself unless the village, facing severe draught, pays him 101 rupees.

In 'Eid (ईद)' Ashabee somehow manages to make the ends meet with 8 children and a good for nothing drunkard husband to feed. She wants to celebrate Eid. On the eve of eid there is a burglary. What happens next?

In 'Murid (मुरीद)' a jinde wali (जिंदे वली) comes to stay in Haji Pir's house. The wali hates women, but a young and beautiful girl sins by mistakenly appearing before him. She wants to become his Murid (disciple). Can she? Will wali accept her?

In 'Piwlat lugde malkat pishwi (पिवळट लुगडं मळकट पिशवी)' a small boy waits everyday for his mother to return and does not understand why his grandmother curses her and why his father beats him when drunk.

'Ibadat (ईबादत)' is the story of Buddhemiya, a desire less (स्थितप्रज्ञ) mujawar (मुजावर) of a dargah, who has a unique way of waking Muslims during the month of Ramzan. Why does he lack desire or any feeling?

'Alama (अलमा)' an old lady's son, Daval, is behaving strangely and doesn't speak. He is said to be cursed (झपाटलेला) by a pir (पीर). She takes him to Dargah of Khakshavali (खाकशावली) using all her savings. Will he be cured?

What is the USP of this book? Well all the stories are of Muslim people in Maharashtra. All the references, characters and background is Muslim. Given that there is not much Muslim literature in Marathi, this book comes as a welcome change. Though author has depicted Muslim world, it's not a communal book. The same or similar stories could have happened in any other religion in India.

Speciality of these stories is that they touch your heart. You feel empathy for the characters. Your heart goes out for them. They move you. They are all stories of poor Muslim people who are affected by poverty and religion. All, except one, have sad ending. Author has also emphasized the way poor people are deceived using the name of God by the God men.

All the eight stories are good, but I liked Eid, Murid and Alma the most.

All these stories were previously published in various Diwali magazines. This book is a reprint of the stories. It's a good idea to publish collection as a book because magazines have a short shelf life and the stories could be forgotten with time if not preserved as a book.

Don't miss it. A must read.