Bhaskaryya Deka's Blog, page 3

There’s more to mankind than recklessness. Review of ‘The Prophecy of Trivine’

“God created man in his own image;

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.”

-GENESIS 1:27

Let me start with the things that I like about this book.

Suspense: I liked the way the authors have managed to maintain suspense in the scenes. Their writing style, augmented by the way they built up suspense to keep the reader hanging at the end of each chapter, is quite commendable.
Story: The story is different, a good different I mean. At least much better than the cliché that I have read in the last few months. Although, some parts in the middle section reminded me a bit of some previous science fictions, but still, the idea otherwise, felt authentic and unique.
Writing: The novel is studded with some very good pieces of writing, simple though. Besides, the best thing is that the writers kept the story going on, in spite of the vivid descriptions. That’s something, I think, most writers struggle with, or more often, something they forget to do.

“The night fell down. The flames grew up… Every now and then a young flame would erupt from the midst of the bonfire and score a new height in its own realm. And higher and higher the flame grew, without any fear or regret. The fear established herself against the darkness and waged a war against the night. A war whose outcome was pre-decided against her. But still she fought. For she was so young and so aggressive.

But so was the night.”

This novel is the story of three men, whose destinies seem to be entwined with each other more than they realize. The story runs smoothly, starting off with Phil, a college student, escaping from police, who has been falsely accused of being a terrorist. And then moves on to the story of Siv, a scientist in the woods, trying to make the most important discovery so far. And then finally to Arty, the character I loved the most, the mysterious one, the artist. The best thing about the book is the characters; they are believable, and the dialogues were quite nice and realistic too.

The beginning of the story was good, and thrilling. And the story was carried on well.  Maybe it was because of the rising anticipation that the ending seemed so stale to me. Also, the effect that the authors seemed trying to induce at the end introducing Arty’s story didn’t happen. The details seemed forced, and unnecessary. Perhaps, dropping the bomb at the end wasn’t so wise, without giving a hint along the whole story.And the book needed another round of detailed editing.

 

Authors: Srivatsan Sridharan, Pulkit Gupta, Tnahsin Garg.

Publisher: Good Times Books,

ISBN: 9380619707.

No. of Pages: 264.

Genre: Science Fiction.

Rating: 3/5.

 

 

REVIEW OF AJAYA: ROLL OF THE DICE

The story of the Mahabharata has been told over and over again, the Kauravas have been cursed, while the Pandavas glorified. This fact, this viewpoint, has been instilled so early in us that it doesn’t even occur to us to question the sanctity of the information. To question that there maybe two sides of the story.

With great maturity Anand Neelakantan brings out the untold story. The story begins with Bhimsa in the palace of Gandhara, and progresses in a slow albeit relishing pace. As the book goes on, you would be left aghast at how much things can change changing the narration of the story. The once worshiped Pandavas, the cherished ones, appear no more than narrow-minded and mean in this book. Bhima, who has gained sympathy for being attacked by Duryodhana, appears more as a bully. The book is full of revelations like this- one after another, and then another, till you question yourselves who really are the Devas that we worship. Are they the same who have always believed in the caste system, that some of us are not meant to be touched?

The story is wonderfully done, and the facts were spot on, and to collect them I am sure was one of the most arduous thing for the author. The writing too, I found much better than his previous book. The descriptions were vivid, ignoring a few times when it became a bit stale.

Heroes become villains, and villains turn to heroes. A captivating plot. Wonderful read.

Author: Anand Neelakantan.

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing.

ISBN 13: 9789381576038

Genre: Fiction.

Rating: 4/5

 

Book Review of ‘The Other Side….Dare To Visit Alone?’

The book is a collection of thirteen stories written in a simple yet gripping fashion. A brave attempt it is.  And I would say, Faraaz Kazi and Vivek Banerjee have done justice to the world of the unknown.

Though I myself am a non-believer, yet I found it to be a fun read. The author has efficiently managed to build up suspense, keep the reader hanging and then has nicely dropped the twists at the end of each story. The cover page and the title of the story tells the reader to expect a scary read, yet I had a hard time predicting the ending.

I, especially liked ‘The Lady in a Pub’, ‘Unfulfilled Desires’ and ‘The Long weekend’. Some of the best short stories I have read recently.

Now, about the writing I would say that for most of the part, I liked it. The descriptions were vivid, and a good flow augmented it, making it thrilling.

“Everyone who loves bikes is a friend of mine.”

“But he also said that he believed in ghosts!” Shikha replied and they both bursts into peals of laughter. Their laughter pierced the still of the night.

The young man who liked to walk in the rain looked up. He took a step towards the laughter, stopped and then walked away into the darkness towards the cemetery.”

But, in a few stories, I felt the writing to be a bit blunt. And some stories were clichéd too, in spite of the twist the authors have incorporated to make them different. Like ‘The Fateful Night’ and ‘The Mystery Lake’. But I guess, this can be overlooked considering the shine of brilliance that we get to witness in the rest of the stories.

The stories are:

That Fateful Night
The Long Weekend.
The Man Who Did Not Fear.
Strangers In The Night.
The Muse Comes Calling.
The Lady In The Pub. [Best]
A Mother’s Love.
Red Bangles.
The Mark Of The Beast.
The Mystery Lake
Possession.
Unfulfilled Desires.
Dream Girl.

All in all, a good read it is. Thirteen stories that would make you wish that you read more in this genre

Publisher: Mahaveer Publishers.

Author: Faraaz Kazi, Vivek Banerjee.

ISBN: 9789350880760.

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5

This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program. To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com

Cover…

So, here’s the first look at the cover. A big thanks to Sunil Kaushik for such a great cover. Hope you like it

 

To be released this May….

 

The Unwanted Shadow…

“There are a few things that even the best of best human beings crave-revenge and redemption. Lucky for me, both meant the same thing.

-The Unwanted Shadow.

It is quiet as I write this, the corridors are empty, and bored though I am, I think it is the right time to write before the hustle starts again. It has been quite a day at my end- classes, classes and more classes. But the knowledge soothes me that the day after tomorrow, I would be able to shed off all the tiredness that has been growing since Monday. Well yes, I am tired to death. So much to do- editing, classes, books to review and assignments, how can I forget them.

But of course, there are two sides of a coin. Promotions of the novel has just begun a couple of days before and I am thrilled watching it all. I am very hopeful and looking forward to the rush and excitement of it. The story begins in my hometown, a small town in eastern India, where a boy with ordinary means dreams to escape the shackles that tie him to a life of paucity.  A dark tale of love, loss, betrayal……and redemption, the story is studded with twists and turns, and more importantly is attributed with a narration that came most naturally to me. And this fact makes me happy.

I hope you will like it.

The cover page will be unveiled tomorrow. Do stay connected. Need your love and support

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Review of ‘Fireflies’

The story is about a boy, Ennis Whelan, a gifted creature whose strangeness would become increasingly discernible to his family as he grows up.

Dr. Owen Whelan and his wife Sarah, both Irish immigrants, have been living the American dream, as well as raising seven bright and expressive children. Their youngest Ennis, however, has since birth, been a bit of a mystery. Ennis was always small, meek and frightfully odd but there is so much more to him than anyone could have imagined. His sister Teagan grows increasingly suspicious of his behaviour but their mother dismisses her claims, until the day he starts healing people. When Ennis ultimately reveals the gift of sight, he questions his father about visions of his past, including his voyage to America in 1844. Owen prayed he’d never have to share those tragic memories but he will share them, when he realizes he has no choice. Ennis’ life may depend on it.

Ms. Bartletts’s writing has sincere austerity, and the story infused with a certain innocence, makes the book quite appealing. I particularly adored the relationships, the family ties, the way author has managed to present these relationships in almost a sacred sense. It was natural, with a classical touch. A very good read, the book would leave you with a feeling to comfort and ease.

Author: P.S.Bartlett.

Genre: Fiction

Pages:292.

Publisher: GMTA Publishing,

ISBN-10: 0615754287

ISBN-13: 978-0615754284

Review of ‘Colours of Life’

Blurb: Rishi is a fun – loving, happy – go – lucky guy with no particular ambition. The professional college changes many things. He gets into all those habits which are perceived negatively by society. He goes so deep into those activities that it starts affecting not only his health but also his studies. During the course he is also acquiring the skill sets which may be useful to him in future. In his bad times he needed the support of his family, friends and girlfriend. The question is …..Does Rishi come out of all that? Does he find any support from family and friends? Does he find the girl of his dream? Does he really learn anything in all those years of highs and lows? Life is going to teach many lessons to him…

 

It is quoted that with good writing even a bad story can be made presentable and compelling. When I went through the blurb, I prayed for the book to be one of them, but was left rather disappointed. It was a short and mechanical read. After a few pages, I decided to quit any remainder of anticipation with which I commenced my read, and turned pages after pages with increasing monotony. I found the writing to be insipid. It was plain, direct, and devoid of any animation to engage the reader. And the dialogues too were written in a very amateurish way, and lacked realism.

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing

Publication year: 2013

ISBN 13:  9789383562015

ISBN 10: 9383562013

Number of Pages: 107

Stars: 2/5 

Review of ‘Marry Go Round’

The author, Saadiqa Peerbhoy, has kind of made us aware with the title what we can expect from the novel, and as I carried on with the reading, I found the story to be just that. Stereotyped. The story is about a determined mother using balant emotional blackmail into a marriage with the right sort of desi girl; a reluctant groom with a live-in girlfriend following him all the way to India; a bride on rebound from a disastrous liason with a married man; skeletons raring in old family cupboards; an aunt on the vengeance trial- and we have a heady cocktail of an arranged wedding that morphs into a love marriage with quite the wrong possible girl….with a tactical help from a long-dead ancestor.

Now about the story, the plot is old. Some of the scenes absolutely made no sense, like a  guy being hooked to a girl named Sana for so long ; he is so smitten with her that he even fights with his mother for her (which dramatically gives her a heart attack!) and suddenly while waiting in the hospital, he meets a pretty doctor and decides that she is the girl of his dreams. But even then, I liked  the way the author has described the scenes, keeping them entertaining and filled with humor, making you laugh because of the simplicity of it all.

About the writing, it was good. Very distinguished indeed. I particularly liked the usage of her regional language. The lightness and the dark humor attached to her writing is also very entertaining.

A light and a good read, it would make you smile.

Publisher:  Leadstart Publishing

Pages: 224

Published in: 2013.

ISBN: 9789382473268

Stars: 3.5/5

The Unwanted Shadow.

Gene Flower has once said, “Writing is easy:  All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead”…haha…..I have always liked this one. It’s kind of happened with me too,  but the feeling (after one and a half year of writing, proofreading, editing and re-editing) about how the book is presently shaping up is absolutely worth it.

Thanks to the whole team of Half Baked Beans for their support. It is turning out to be  a great learning experience working with you

So friends, here is the first teaser of my second book (To be out next year )

A thriller, the book covers the story of a boy from Mangaldai, who subsequently moves to Delhi to complete his education. After all, this is what he has always planned to do, to take a leap towards his big dreams. And for once he finds new life to be absolutely lovely, like he has often pictured it would be.

But this phase doesn’t last long. His life is soon shattered to pieces when his first relationship meets a tragic end. A sadness like he had never felt before overwhelms him, keeping him wide awake at nights. But it is just the beginning, beginning to a terrible chain of events that would lead him to a deadly confrontation with his own dark past.

Will Mohan be able to overcome his own dark past? Will he ever get solace? Or will his innocence be lost in the intense color of blood.

The book would take you from the crowded market of Bheberghat to the majestic city, Delhi.

In the book- introspection, love, and lots and lots of thrill!!

Hope that when the book is out, you would enjoy reading it just as much as i have enjoyed writing it.

Please subscribe to the blog for further updates. Thank you for reading and have a good day

Review of ‘A Salesman’s Lessons’

DESCRIPTION:

What is the ground reality for a Salesman? Do the various laws, theories, hypotheses, anecdotes and sayings of science, mathematics, literature, engineering, management, history in fact, everything that we painstakingly read and absorb in order to gain our college degrees before we start working, equip us for field situations when we actually go into the all too real world of Sales? Can we really use the academic learning we struggled with and paid so much for, to sell better? Are there certain factors (which do not appear in the pages of any college or business school text), that are crucial to success in Sales? In an engaging narrative based on his own 15 years in the field, the Author explores the answers to just these questions. The book is light reading and fun but the lessons it contains are both down to earth and serious. This is not a self help book to make you a Sales champion, but if you do pick up a few tips along the way, then that is a double whammy!

REVIEW:

As the title suggests, the book is all about getting better sales and how to work towards it. The author here has efficiently used all kinds of theories from almost every field to prove his point. The thing that I liked most about the book is that here the author cultivates all his experience as a salesman and uses it to come to his conclusions, which makes this book simple yet quite interesting. And because of it, while reading the book you get convinced of his theories. Also,about his narration, it was simple and logical, and the way he gradually moves from explaining it in normal sense to explaining it in salesmen’s terms is quite appreciable.

All in all, a good read it is.

 

 

Author: C.R.Jena

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing.

Genre: Non-Fiction.

Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 9789381576441

ISBN-10: 9381576440

Stars: 4/5