Ashwatthama Vs Parshuram: The immortal force by Gunjan Porwal

​"Ashwatthama Vs Parshuram: The immortal force" by Gunjan Porwal - Immortal mytho-fantasy!. 

This book is published in 2021 by Gunjan Porwal and has 450 pages. 

Time of WW II. Hitler’s General Voss is trying to conduct an experiment in abandoned salt mines off Breslau. An experiment that will create a Wunderwaffe that will change the outcome of war. Present day Prof. Raghav has made a break through about stabilizing worn holes. A duo of scientists are under pressure from investors. A werewolf (नरवृक) has abducted one immortal. Another immortal has left the company of his kind. There is an enemy who is attacking the immortals. ACP Megha Lonkar is following a human trafficking case. RAW agent Shruti is tracking case of nuclear material being smuggled in India. 

It’s a fantasy, series in mythology, spiced up by the seven chiranjeevi (immortals). There is the good story, fast pace, action packed, with enough twists and turns and topping off with time travel. Especially the time travel story is fantastic. Readers remain engrossed. 

The Ramayana sub plot is also very well executed. Coupled with various paradoxes related to time travel, it gives the readers goosebumps. 

There are consistency errors in this book. In one chapter Parshuram sees a symbol tattooed on deadman’s arm. In another it’s mentioned as a symbol that Parshuram sees on the notification screen of mobile of the dead man. In one location Markandeya is called Parshuram.  ‘Kasa ahes?’ a question addressing a female as male.  Avoidable. Kripacharya sends SMS on 31st July in first chapter but in the last chapter he denies it and author writes someone else sent the message on 1st Aug. 

Although book is titled Ashwatthama Vs Parshuram, in reality it’s a misnomer. That’s not the story. 

The book ends with a unveiling of an object that would lead to another adventure. Looks like Gunjan is going to convert this venture into series with immortals. 

Why did I read this book? Curious title. 

What I didn't like? Misnomer. 

What did I like? Concept. 

Recommend reading. 

The obsession by Preeti Shenoy

​"The obsession" by Preeti Shenoy - Quick!

This ebook is published by Westland in 2017. It’s a single short story.

Arrival of a beautiful, curvy girl with waist length hair in library in Norwich, UK, causes a storm of emotions in one of the employee. She reminds him of his ex-girlfriend. 

Why is the employee stirred? What will he do?

The story is short and simple.  It also has the customary twist at the end that makes it dark. The problem is that it’s too short. By the time it picks up, it’s over. Author huffs and puffs to accommodate it in limited number of words. Author could have accorded herself the luxury of a few dozen more lines to make it more impactful. 

Why did I read this book? Author.

What did I like? Set-up.

What I didn't like? Length, predictable. 

Read if you are looking for a very quick read while standing in a short queue. 

Ikigai: giving everyday meaning and joy by Yukari Mitsuhashi

​"Ikigai: giving everyday meaning and joy" by Yukari Mitsuhashi - Understand what it is!

This book is published by Kyle books in 2018 and has 112 pages. 

Ikigai is a Japanese concept. It is made of iki (life) and gai (value or worth); meaning value of life or happiness of life. Life here is not lifetime but day to day life. Your Ikigai can be work, hobby, loved ones, company of friends, coffee with spouse; it can be anything. Ikigai is the action we take in pursuit of happiness. 

Paying attention to detail on what is right in front of us is important. A person can have more than one Ikigai at any given time and Ikigai can change with time. With Ikigai in mind, you will know what to prioritize. 

Job crafting is the art of crafting and designing your job instead of passively taking the job given to you. Make small changes at your work that satisfy you. 

Doing work that affects the wellbeing of others motivates employees. 

Author has dedicated a chapter for interviews of 6 persons who have found their Ikigai. They have Ikigai ranging from aspiring for beautiful world, connect different worlds, helping people achieve their goal, setup goals and achieve them, work, gaining deeper understanding of something. Roka Yakima says “Ikigai is something you do even if no one has asked you to, simply because you want to”. They all say their Ikigai hasn’t changed and it has helped them make difficult decisions.

This book explores the concept of Ikigai and provides few examples of Ikigai. This concept doesn’t have a direct translation in English. It needs to be understood. Ikigai is so deeply rooted in Japanese culture that it’s not taught. It comes with life. Author provides numerous quotes and references, majority of them, surprisingly, western. So how to find ones Ikigai? Author has given list of question to ask yourself to find your Ikigai. A pattern is expected to emerge from answers to the questions. The pattern will help a person find his/her Ikigai.

Why did I read this book? Aditi’s interest in Ikigai. 

What did I like? Simplicity. 

What I didn't like? Not going into the depth. 

Read to understand Ikigai.

Zero day by S. Hussain Zaidi

​"Zero day" by S. Hussain Zaidi - Cyber terrorism! 

This book is published by Harpercollins India  in 2022 and has 224 pages. This is Book 3 of 'Shahanwaz Mirza-Vikrant Singh series'. 

A DDoS attack shuts down all Mumbai signals and brings city to stand still. Hacker calls himself Muntazim. Maharashtra ATS Chief Shahanwaz Ali Mirza and Cyber crime chief and Mirza’s protégé Vikrant Singh are on the case. They are one up against the hacker. Another cyber attack. This time railway signals. A Pakistani terrorist has infiltrated the border. 

Can Mirza-Vikrant deny the hacker what he covets most? What does the hacker want? Who is he? Which country is behind this? What’s the zero day?

It’s a game of cat and mouse. A game of wits. A game of nerves. A game of moves and counter moves. It’s Mirza against the hacker. There is politics, services rivalry, terrorism, espionage, and there are back stories. 

The story is good. Cyber terrorism is the in thing. But the book can’t be based in Cyber world alone. So there is also action, real action. There is HumInt. But the pace of the story is uneven. On occasion it slows down. Characters of Shaina and Vijayan fade away suddenly. The climax comes a little too fast and the ploy of climax is also a little naive. 

Zero day vulnerability is when enemy finds a vulnerability in your system, since there are zero days between discovery of vulnerability and its exploitation. Hence the title. But it’s a misnomer. 

Why did I read this book? Author

What I didn't like? Misnomer title. 

What did I like? Overall effect. 

Recommend reading. 

Rebellion by Shatrujeet Nath

​"Rebellion" by Shatrujeet Nath -Unexciting!

This book is published by Jaico in 2022 and has 408 pages. This is Book 1 of  'Warlord of Ayodhya' series. 

Kaikeyi extracted promise from Dashrath. Ram was ordered to 14 years of vanvas. Sita and Lakshman accompanied him. Bharat became reluctant king. Bharat is surrounded by multiple dangers. There is a Rakshasa attack. Raya Nagnajeet of Gandhara is moving against river kingdoms led by Kekaya. Raja Lavanyasurya of Madhupura has a plan of his own and has held Ayodhya at ransom owing to his favorable geographic location. Lankadhipati has sent Sorceress Simhika disguised as a weaver. Sudhanva is hatching a conspiracy. Dileepa, a Dandapala, is investigating for Bharat but is being targeted. People are disappearing. Bharat decides to do Agnimanasa against the advice of sages. 

What is Kaikeyi’s reaction? Why is Sudhanva conspiring? What does Simhika want? Why are people disappearing? What’s the endgame of Lavanyasurya? Why is magic depleting?

Author has imagined an interesting concept. Magic should be in the air for anyone to use it. Magic is replenished by homa of Rishis. Rakshasa try to destroy homa to deplete magic. It’s interesting. Magic is not something you create by mantra but something you use. It’s finite and needs replenishing. I loved the concept. 

Bharat is surrounded by problems. He doesn’t have allies and trusted men by his side. He is looked at as an usurper and a weak king. Bharat has an uphill task to change this perception and protect Kosala. 

Biggest drawback of this book is the story. The story is weak. It’s very slow. First half of the book is uninteresting. Second half of the book generates some interest, introduces various problems and sets the stage for second book. It's the curiosity, rather than the story, that keeps reader interested. 

It took me more than a month to read this book. That’s too much by my standards. It’s simply because the book doesn’t excite you, it doesn’t wake the ’what next’ inside you, you are not eager to know what happens next. There is a shock at the end of the book, but it isn’t unexpected. 

Now that the ground work is done and stage is set, hopefully second book will be more interesting and enticing. 

This book is definitely not in the league of other Shatrujeet Nath books. 

Book 2 ‘Resurrection’ is going to be published soon. 

Why did I read this book? Author. 

What did I like? Concept of magic.

What I didn't like? Story. 

Read only if you are going to read the series, hoping that author will stand up to his reputation in next book.

Pyre by Perumal Murugan

​"Pyre" by Perumal Murugan- A poignant story!

This book is published by Penguin Random House India in 2017 and has 216 pages. Original Tamil book is translated into English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan. 

Kumaresan and Saroja elope and get married. Kumaresan brings Saroja to his village where his mother, Marai, creates a drama. 

How will the villagers react? How will the relatives of Kumaresan react? How will Saroja’s father and brother react? Will she be accepted?

It’s a story set in old times. Cast of Saroja is a prominent consideration. Author depicts the social implications of marriage with a girl from other cast without trying to justify the reactions and actions. It’s not a ‘happening’ story, it doesn’t have a fast pace but it still manages to keep the reader riveted. 

It’s a poignant story where love takes back seat over perceived family honor, village dynamics and cast equations. It’s rich in characters. Kumaresan, a modern youth who loves Saroja despite cast but also values relationships with relatives. Saroja, a city girl who leaves everything for love. Marai, Kumaresan’s mother and a bitter woman who blames others for putting her through rigors of life and difficulties.

Although the entire story is cast based, author mentions cast of neither Kumaresan, not Saroja. Why important is that they belong to different casts. 

End of story is on expected lines but it’s chilling. The very end of story leaves the audience to draw their own conclusions about how it finally ends. 

Why did I read this book? Author. Good feedback. 

What I didn't like? Umm….

What did I like? Simplicity. 

Recommend reading.