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The Destiny of Shaitan

by Laxmi Hariharan (Goodreads Author)

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 42 ratings · 19 reviews

"The Destiny of Shaitan is mind blowing, dark, humourous, and clever. It took me on a powerful journey inwards, which was a surprise as I'm not generally drawn to scifi or fantasy. I love the scene where the planet is covered with water and Yudi rescues Tiina. It's core message is Unity. I believe it will appeal to people across all ages." Sonia Ducie Dip.CSN.AIN, Numerolo...more

Kindle Edition, 1, 274 pages

Published March 17th 2012

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Feb 14, 2013 Raymond Nickford rated it 5 of 5 stars

"This is Java... where she can shut down the chatter in her mind...and in that stillness, touch that place deep inside her which is silent..."
I felt the author was achieving inner stillness in her sharp and sensuous opening description of the lush setting and, already, knew I was in the hands of a writer with whose sensibility I wanted to abide throughout the book - particularly when coupled with the intriguing plot.
In the opening dialogue, brisk and pacey, I liked the idea that Tiina could be '...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Novareylin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Not my normal genre but Laxmi weaves so many things together that even after reading I’m surprised this world and the plot makes sense! The world is great but my favorite part is of course the fight scenes! I just can’t get enough blood and gore but it didn’t go overboard, it fit what was going on. I never felt like Laxmi added it in there just to grab your attention. All of it was very artfully done. Most fight scenes were also pretty short so if you have an aversion to the gore that comes from...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Ravina Andrea Kurian rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have lived and travelled and in India before so this was a fantastic read which covered various components of Indian mythology. Laxmi then crosses this myth with space travel in the form of Shaitan who comes off as a power hungry halfling intent on ruling as many planets as he can.

The writing is almost poetic which makes the battle scenes all the more gripping which made me think of the baptism scene in the Godfather. So much murder, so much violence and blood and yet there was such purity abo...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5Stars

Welcome to a post-apocalyptic India… Yes that’s right! In India!! All the post-apocalyptic books that I have read are based in the west, often making me wonder why no other country, or continent for that matter, ever survive an apocalypse? I mean doesn’t ‘end of the world’ actually mean end of the rest of the world but the west? It seems, Ms.Hariharan heard my musings and wrote a book on it!
Yep, so for a change, welcome to a post-apocalyptic India where instead of zombies, we have reall...more 3.5Stars

Welcome to a post-apocalyptic India… Yes that’s right! In India!! All the post-apocalyptic books that I have read are based in the west, often making me wonder why no other country, or continent for that matter, ever survive an apocalypse? I mean doesn’t ‘end of the world’ actually mean end of the rest of the world but the west? It seems, Ms.Hariharan heard my musings and wrote a book on it!
Yep, so for a change, welcome to a post-apocalyptic India where instead of zombies, we have really angry Gods & Goddesses going on a rampage.

Set in a futuristic dystopian Bombay (present day Mumbai), the storyline follows the lives of three individuals – Yudi, Rai and Tiina (nope, that’s not a typo – her name is actually spelt with double ‘I’).
They are all from different places, I will not disclose their original locations, destined to come together to save not only the Earth but the universe from the power hungry Shaitan. The protagonists soon realize that they are not only fighting against the Shaitan but also against the darkness within themselves. Will they be able to do what it takes in order to defeat this ‘devil’ who is hell bent on destroying anything or anyone in his path to ruling the universe?

The character development is amazing. Each primary character has their own background that they come with and then grow as a person throughout the book. Maybe Rai got a bit neglected on that front, but that’s okay. I liked Yudi and didn’t like Tiina so much. The author has mixed in Indian Mythology quite well specially the ‘curse’ parts. In Indian Mythology, Gods are well known for granting boons with loopholes and cursing – with loopholes too! The plot is interesting and fast paced. The author has managed to create a story that will probably keep you stuck to its pages right until the end. At no point did it seem to be dragging, in fact my only complaint is that the ending came a bit too soon.

Overall this book covers a lot of topics – from mythology to space-travel to teenage drama to family issues. It’s a great YA-post-apocalyptic-dystopian novel that has something to offer to a lot of people.
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Nov 15, 2012 Vidya-BooksAreMagic rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, blog-tour, fantasy

Lord Shiva had long ago cursed Shaitan that he will be dead at the hands of his own son. So, Shaitan picks up his mates, keep them with him for some days and then kills them. In addition to this evil act, Shaitan destroys the planets one by one and bring under his control. There are not many survivors from the destroyed planets.

Tiina, Yudi and Rai - the survivors of Shaitan's destructive acts - are the ones chosen to bring down Shaitan. They each have their own fears and tragedies to face before...more Lord Shiva had long ago cursed Shaitan that he will be dead at the hands of his own son. So, Shaitan picks up his mates, keep them with him for some days and then kills them. In addition to this evil act, Shaitan destroys the planets one by one and bring under his control. There are not many survivors from the destroyed planets.

Tiina, Yudi and Rai - the survivors of Shaitan's destructive acts - are the ones chosen to bring down Shaitan. They each have their own fears and tragedies to face before they finally meet the Evil himself.

When I first heard that this book is based on Indian mythology, I thought this is going to be exciting, because, being an Indian myself, I know my land's myths quite well and naturally, was interested to read a fictional story based on that. The main characters were from different backgrounds and I enjoyed the flash backs of their pasts, which was well described and well thought out. I, especially, enjoyed reading about the character of Yudi (aka Yudishtra). Although there are many scenes where one could really appreciate the author's imagination (like the depiction of Shaitan's cruelty towards Thalia), there are many flaws that overshadow these good things and make the novel less enjoyable, in my opinion.

This book's first downfall is its bad start. The author could lose her audience just in those first few chapters, because most people buy books after reading the sample first chapter in Amazon. The first chapter is so difficult to understand and at one stage, became just boring. Secondly, the author has tried to give a post-apocalyptic Indian mythology based novel, but failed in doing so. Because except for the Shiva's curse and Shaitan's home land part, I didn't notice much myth-based details there. This is going to be tough on non-Indian readers, for they will expect some information about Indian mythology or at the least some major God stuff. I would expect it, if I read some Roman mythology based novel.

Another flaw is its lack of thrill or adventure. Even when I was reading a action scene, it doesn't give me any excitement or even a bit of tension of who is going to win. Last and major thing: Although the author has quite a good imagination, the writing doesn't impress or appeal to me. With improved delivery of words and some thrilling sequences added, this novel could have been a hit.

Good effort, but that doesn't necessarily mean a success. Maybe next time!(less)

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Jul 11, 2012 Misty Rayburn rated it 5 of 5 stars

I got this book when it was free in April and I just read it for a review spot I have on Laxmi Hariharan’s book tour. The Destiny of Shaitan is exactly why I love having an e-reader! This is a book that I probably would have missed had I not had one. Filled with pop culture references and Hindu mythology, this is unlike any science fiction / fantasy novel I’ve ever read. This book has it all! Gods, mermaids, lion people, flying silver surf boards. I didn’t see any unicorns but I’m sure they exis...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Destiny of Shaitan is a wonderful book by Laxmi Hariharan. I was impressed with the magic of the story, which centers on Tiina, Rai and Yudi, Tiina's former lover. They are half-lives, beautiful human-alien hybrids, who only live for half the lives of a humans. At the Half Lives Academy run by the mysterious, elemental-seer Mimir, these three are chosen to bring down the reign of Shaitan, son of war god, whose stole the powerful artifact, the Istmus. He uses its power to destroy the beauty o...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Beth Erwin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Epic fantasy is one of my favorite genres. While I was initially excited by the idea of reading a fantasy book based on India / Indian myth, the book was a bit of a disappointment.

I had a difficult time reading; the characters didn't draw me in - didn't seem like people I cared about particularly, and that didn't get better as I continued on. Although I could follow along fairly easily, the story skipped around a good bit which can be difficult for a YA reader.

I enjoyed the author's style, but...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Ritesh rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, science-fiction

The Destiny of Shaitan, or TDOS in short is the first science fiction and fantasy combination I have read which builds on Indian mythology. This, by itself is a big draw for me. However, I’ll try to not let my review be coloured by this fact too much. Also, like most fantasy stories, this one too is a fight between good and evil.

The story of TDOS is set in the year 3000 and beyond, where the solar system as we know it has been restructured. There are a few new planets which have come into the pi...more The Destiny of Shaitan, or TDOS in short is the first science fiction and fantasy combination I have read which builds on Indian mythology. This, by itself is a big draw for me. However, I’ll try to not let my review be coloured by this fact too much. Also, like most fantasy stories, this one too is a fight between good and evil.

The story of TDOS is set in the year 3000 and beyond, where the solar system as we know it has been restructured. There are a few new planets which have come into the picture, and all the planets in the solar system are now habitable with species of all kinds. Earth is still considered to be the mother planet, and humans have mated with the sentient beings of other planets to create genetically mixed Halfings. This is the story of four of these Halflings, and how they impact the future of the universe.

This might be an epic story, but the beauty of the book is in the characters. There are four main characters, and a number of side characters in the book. Each of the four main characters’ lives is explored over a period of time. A sequence of events brings them together, and then tears them apart. Each of these characters’ lives is defined by their painful loss of a loved one. This loss is what pushes them to the brink from which they are able to come back. They all go through life alone, not knowing true love. I am amazed by how the author is able to bring out perfectly how these defining moments tie the entire story together. Just for this perfection, I would recommend this book.

Among the characters, I really liked Tiina and Rai’s characters. However, I could not really stand Yudi’s character. He is extremely selfish and does not care about anyone but himself. Shaitan comes across as more human than I expected. He has his own flaws, which, in the end result in his downfall. All the characters grow immensely during the story, which I think is a standard feature in most YA novels.

The author explores a number of issues, some of which are a staple in YA novels. Friendship, love, hate and betrayal are all part of the story. They permeate every aspect of the relationships between the characters. One interesting thing was that the author decided to make one of the characters gay. This however does not impact the story one bit. I don’t know the reasoning behind the decision for this, but it is something which I find unique and nice.

There are a couple of things which made it difficult for me to enjoy the story as much as I could have. The author has written a part of the book in present tense, and another part in past tense. The past tense makes sense when the author is narrating the history of each character, but I did not find this consistent. There were sentences in past tense even when we are at a point in the story which is happening right now, in the present. These kinds of tense changes, sometimes within the same paragraph, threw me off. I really believe that better editing and consistency would have helped me enjoy the book a lot more.

There is a huge build up to the entire showdown with Shaitan. And there is a lot of action towards the end of the book. These are both really well executed. But, when it comes to a one-on-one fight, it ends without so much as a whimper. This results in all those expectations of an epic battle to be dashed. I think that part of the book could be better than what it is at present.

Overall, this is a great start to the series, and I am really looking forward to reading the second installment. I would recommend the Destiny of Shaitan to anyone who likes the fantasy and/or SF genre.(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Anne Chaconas rated it 3 of 5 stars

I should probably begin with a disclosure: Epic fantasy is not my favorite genre. It’s not my least favorite genre but, given a choice, I would probably pick something closer to snooty literary fiction or a little magical realism (Are you there, Gabriel García Marquez? It’s me, Anne). However, I was intrigued by the description of this book, particularly the “Indian mythology” and “futuristic Bombay” bits, so I decided to give it a shot.

The Destiny of Shaitan is an interesting book. It has the g...more I should probably begin with a disclosure: Epic fantasy is not my favorite genre. It’s not my least favorite genre but, given a choice, I would probably pick something closer to snooty literary fiction or a little magical realism (Are you there, Gabriel García Marquez? It’s me, Anne). However, I was intrigued by the description of this book, particularly the “Indian mythology” and “futuristic Bombay” bits, so I decided to give it a shot.

The Destiny of Shaitan is an interesting book. It has the good ol’ “save the world” theme; however, it has a few other thematic undercurrents crisscrossing it that make it more than your standard YA fantasy epic. It’s a coming-of-age, learning-from-your-mistakes, growing-up-quick-fast-and-in-a-hurry, united-we-stand-divided-we-fall story more than anything else, and that’s what makes it a very strong read.

I enjoyed the character development in the story. I particularly liked the way two of the three main characters, Yudi and Tiina, grew together–literally–as the story progressed. I felt that the development of the third primary protagonist, Rai, was a little stunted in comparison to the other two, but still added something of a Robin to their Batman. Rai’s slight blend into the background was probably due to the [TINY SPOILER ALERT] romantic struggles of the other two, but he did enhance their love story, so he had that going for him.

What I appreciated most of all in the story was the injection of Indian mythology. I’ve been a sucker for these kinds of tales since grade school, and it was nice to see Shiva et al making an appearance again, as well as some other mythological creatures that I wasn’t familiar with as part of Indian lore. I learned something, and that’s always appreciated. I did feel that the novel tries to sell itself a little too much on the “futuristic Bombay” angle–there wasn’t that much that took place in Bombay, and certainly not enough to merit a mention in the summary.

Something interesting happened while I was reading the book, which I feel is worth mentioning. Initially, I was aggravated by the main characters’ reactions to things: they were so melodramatic, almost staged. Every emotion was heightened, every action was life-or-death. They seemed to go from ecstatic to devastated in the blink of an eye. Love-hate-love-hate-tears-laughter-love. My mind was spinning. I started to compose this review in my head, blasting the author’s immature portrayal of her characters–and then I realized something: These characters are in their mid-teens. They’re sixteen, seventeen years old. I’m most decidedly not sixteen or seventeen. Not even close. However, when I was sixteen years old, I distinctly remember acting melodramatic. Everything had a flourish. Everything was oh-so-awful or oh-so-amazing. Hormones are raging. You fly from one emotion to another so fast you get whiplash. It was with this knowledge that I realized: Rather than condemnation, the author should be praised for an incredibly accurate portrayal of teenage interaction. Tiina, Yudi, and Rai act exactly their age. That might not be terribly believable to adults, but it will be extremely relatable to teens (who are, after all, the target market for Destiny).

My only real complaint (and this is one I have often, which leads me to believe that I’m just that kind of reader) is that the denouement was too short. The resolution to the story was too fast. I like things to draw out a little; I like my battles lengthy, my psychological realizations extended (and heartrending, if possible). To me, it ended too fast, and then we were in the wrap-up too quickly. It didn’t give my mind time to adjust.

As a side note: There is definitely some raunchy content in the story. Not steamy enough to make me give it an “R” rating, but it’s definitely PG-13. It was a nice addition for the grown-ups, though.

Final conclusion: I enjoyed it. Hariharan has a pleasant, lyrical way to her prose, and her descriptions are highly detailed, which I appreciate. Not my genre, but I would read the second (and, likely, third) book in the series. And that about says it all.(less)

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Apr 19, 2012 Laura rated it 1 of 5 stars

I did not like this at all. The storyline is very convoluted, and the fantasy world is poorly thought-out, in my opinion, with new crazy elements being introduced every paragraph and no cohesiveness. I thought the characters were inconsistent, and the book really could have used some editing. The grammatical errors and lack of punctuation made the plot, and the dialogue especially, very hard to follow. The main ideas could have made for an interesting story, but the execution was boring and conf...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Ray Briggs rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very interesting book. At the beginning of the book I had almost decided that the author had ripped off some names and characters from other books I had read. As the story developed each character grew in diversity to my earlier preconceptions and set me on the correct path. The explanations at the end of the book of Indian culture provided an even greater understanding of the purpose of the storyline. I believe this book is more youth related than I expected. The use of the name Shaitan in the...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Elnora Romness rated it 3 of 5 stars

To see my full review, copy/paste the following link into your browser. Not my favorite book ever, but not my least favorite by any stretch of the imagination:

http://ogcmat.blogspot.com/2012/07/de...

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Jul 30, 2012 Ashanti rated it 5 of 5 stars

Imaginative and captivating. Laxmi Hariharan is one to watch and I look forward to more of her work, with anticipation.

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Apr 21, 2012 Erika Szabo rated it 4 of 5 stars

its a great, kind of "spiritual scifi" story, I liked how the main characters overcome the challenges thrown their way.

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Jul 28, 2012 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Love it! Gorgeous and poetic.

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Apr 13, 2012 Trish Bodine rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was a good book, although there were a few typos.

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Nov 23, 2012 Barbara G.Tarn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-friends, genre-fiction

Although I'm not a YA lover and I sometimes got lost in the points of view, I enjoyed the ride. I loved the originality of setting, and the mix of sword and science fiction - the solar system, other planets, wormholes, spaceships, but still swords as weapons. I look forward to reading more about those people. Even the villain was well rounded and one might felt sorry for him! :)

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Dec 20, 2012 Andrew Weaver rated it 4 of 5 stars

Laxmi clearly has a vivid imagination demonstrated by an amazing story – you do have to concentrate as this book has a very busy plotline running through it, but it nevertheless remains fun and interesting throughout, and I certainly enjoyed it.

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About Laxmi Hariharan

A proud Londoner, and a Bombayite at heart, Laxmi Hariharan, was born in India. She has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong and is now based in London. Indian mythology inspires her work. When not writing, this chai-swigging technophile enjoys long walks in the woods, growing eye-catching flowers and indulging her inner geek. Laxmi has written for various publications including The Times of India, Th...more

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