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The Mahabharata Quest #2
The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret
334 B.C.
Alexander the Great begins his conquest of the Persian Empire. But his plans for everlasting glory do not end there and the young king marches towards the Ends of the Earth - the lands of the Indus - on a secret quest. It will lead him to an ancient secret concealed in the myths of the Mahabharata; a secret that is powerful enough to transform him into a god.
Present Day
In Greece, the ancient tomb of a queen is discovered, a tomb that has been an enigma for over 2000 years.In New Delhi, the Intelligence Bureau discovers unexplained corpses in a hidden lab. Vijay Singh and his friends, now members of an elite task force, are sucked into a struggle with a powerful and ruthless enemy. In a deadly race against time, they will need to solve a riddle from antiquity that will lead them to encounter shocking secrets from the past; secrets that will reveal mystifying links between ancient history, the Mahabharata and the ancient enemy with diabolical plans for a future that will hold the world to ransom.
The Quest has just begun.
After the Mahabharata Secret, Christopher C Doyle yet again explores the science behind the enduring mythology of the Mahabharata and brings it alive in a contemporary setting. The result is a gripping story that will keep you hooked right until the last page
Alexander the Great begins his conquest of the Persian Empire. But his plans for everlasting glory do not end there and the young king marches towards the Ends of the Earth - the lands of the Indus - on a secret quest. It will lead him to an ancient secret concealed in the myths of the Mahabharata; a secret that is powerful enough to transform him into a god.
Present Day
In Greece, the ancient tomb of a queen is discovered, a tomb that has been an enigma for over 2000 years.In New Delhi, the Intelligence Bureau discovers unexplained corpses in a hidden lab. Vijay Singh and his friends, now members of an elite task force, are sucked into a struggle with a powerful and ruthless enemy. In a deadly race against time, they will need to solve a riddle from antiquity that will lead them to encounter shocking secrets from the past; secrets that will reveal mystifying links between ancient history, the Mahabharata and the ancient enemy with diabolical plans for a future that will hold the world to ransom.
The Quest has just begun.
After the Mahabharata Secret, Christopher C Doyle yet again explores the science behind the enduring mythology of the Mahabharata and brings it alive in a contemporary setting. The result is a gripping story that will keep you hooked right until the last page
355 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2014
479 people are currently reading
2489 people want to read
About the author
Christopher C. Doyle
15 books424 followersChristopher C. Doyle pursued a career in the corporate world, graduating from St. Stephens College, Delhi with a degree in Economics and studying business management at IIM Calcutta. He now helps companies to grow profitably and sustainably.
He is also a musician and lives his passion for music through his band called Mid Life Crisis which plays classic rock.
He is also a musician and lives his passion for music through his band called Mid Life Crisis which plays classic rock.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews
February 28, 2015
Some people NEVER learn, one of them being your's truly. Despite going through the rather painful experience of reading his previous book, I had foolishly persuaded myself into reading Christopher C. Doyle's next book: the one under review. From the first line, my mind kept throwing danger flashes. Yet, dimwitted that I am, it took me AGES to realise what's wrong! This is NOT a thriller. It's a Hardy Boys' adventure, with guns, goons, retrovirus, and Alexander thrown in. The writing still appears like a heavily watered down version of James Rollins during his off-days. There are puzzles after puzzles, to help the pathetic reader understand all possible nuances of Indian and Greek mythology. And, in the name of merciful God, everyone (past, present and future) keeps journals, jotting down everything that they were supposed to forget/destroy.
NEVER AGAIN!
NEVER AGAIN!
January 6, 2015
To be very honest I am not a huge fan of writing reviews but for Christopher C. Doyle I would like to make an exception. Because a bad book is not unheard of but you need to take extra effort to make something this ridiculous. I will try to write this review in the style the book is presented.
A VERY BAD READ
I Think the author missed the class on chapter titles wherever he learned writing because honestly you can figure out the entire plot by just stringing in the chapter titles. No text needed. I could literally skip pages of text because the ending was given away even in chapters that had major revelations.
EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ...OR IS IT?
The 17 inch MacBook Pro that I am typing in with a white external keyboard sitting in the soft blowing wind of a Fakir VC40S table fan does not reflect on how much research I do. Seriously I thought it would be corrected from the first book but this is a common theme. It is almost like the author is an ambassador for BMW, Nissan, Helicopters, Bags, Face creams..etc. The readers don't want to know how fast a helicopter goes or the muzzle velocities of the different guns used. Second I can understand the amount of research that has gone into the Biological parts but if you want to specify names of proteins at least do it correctly. Plus I also have a problem with the details of the science behind it because some of the science is conveniently disregarded for the sake of the plot which was not necessary as the same could be achieved with a little more research, but I guess since this is fiction you can always counter it by saying "Ah well that's my version" so I guess - excused!
I am surprised this book is compared to Dan Brown's Da vinci code. I am sorry to say but this is a child's version of a SUMMARY of the Da vinci code. The riddles seem forced and in some cases unbelievable. There are too many characters and subplots that confuse the whole narrative and the jumps between these subplots to too frequent and is a mechanic used only to delay an obvious suspense but the plot jumps to an uninteresting subplot making you want to skip it all together and guess what you CAN because of the awesome titles that give away the entire section.
In the end it is a disappointing read, but the author has some good plots if he could work harder on making it a sophisticated and smarter It could turn out into a good trilogy.
A VERY BAD READ
I Think the author missed the class on chapter titles wherever he learned writing because honestly you can figure out the entire plot by just stringing in the chapter titles. No text needed. I could literally skip pages of text because the ending was given away even in chapters that had major revelations.
EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ...OR IS IT?
The 17 inch MacBook Pro that I am typing in with a white external keyboard sitting in the soft blowing wind of a Fakir VC40S table fan does not reflect on how much research I do. Seriously I thought it would be corrected from the first book but this is a common theme. It is almost like the author is an ambassador for BMW, Nissan, Helicopters, Bags, Face creams..etc. The readers don't want to know how fast a helicopter goes or the muzzle velocities of the different guns used. Second I can understand the amount of research that has gone into the Biological parts but if you want to specify names of proteins at least do it correctly. Plus I also have a problem with the details of the science behind it because some of the science is conveniently disregarded for the sake of the plot which was not necessary as the same could be achieved with a little more research, but I guess since this is fiction you can always counter it by saying "Ah well that's my version" so I guess - excused!
I am surprised this book is compared to Dan Brown's Da vinci code. I am sorry to say but this is a child's version of a SUMMARY of the Da vinci code. The riddles seem forced and in some cases unbelievable. There are too many characters and subplots that confuse the whole narrative and the jumps between these subplots to too frequent and is a mechanic used only to delay an obvious suspense but the plot jumps to an uninteresting subplot making you want to skip it all together and guess what you CAN because of the awesome titles that give away the entire section.
In the end it is a disappointing read, but the author has some good plots if he could work harder on making it a sophisticated and smarter It could turn out into a good trilogy.
April 12, 2020
Thrilling idea binding Mahabharata & Alexander.
Detailed review may follow
Detailed review may follow
October 9, 2015
All books that I read are fascinating ME
Whenever I read a book, I accidentally fell into another WORLD/Memory like Harry Potter pensieve.
I bought this book back 4 to 6 months. But, didn't even open the pack also. Because I already got a queue of unread books to finish. In the mid of 2015, I read some heavy books which consists of minimum 600 pages with small font like Game of Thrones. My mind needs rest (which is not actual rest). In terms of book readers world, I thought to read some fantasy/romance books. So I quickly bought some books, started to read recently.
Now I feel like I should've read this book earlier.
Plot - An ancient tomb was found in Greek which consists of a mysterious cube with ancient inscribed verse by an archaeologist "Alice". A killing chase started there.When the killer "Cooper" blocks all the way, Alice has nowhere to go except her ex-boyfriend Vijay(Our Hero, elite task force agent) in India. She flew to India. So did the Cooper.
In India IB head "Imran" found an burned down medical facility with mysterious killing. That medical facility is owned by an US company (which sponsored Alice's project in Greek). Imran doubted the company and started enquiring with the help of Vijay's fiancée "Radha"(Nuclear Scientist and task force agent) b/w both of them are eliminated by our super strong Cooper.
Now, Vijay and his friends were compelled to solve the mystery behind the cube which unravels the shocking truth behind Alexander's invasion of India.
This book is like watching a very faaaaaast moving Hollywood movie and ends with a hell of unanswered questions. Now couldn't waiting for the sequel (As author promised, it will be released on Feb'16).
Unlike some other novels, the fights are professional. Main Villain COOPER certainly did an amazing job (Clasps).
Some medical things were explained in this book which is still a MYSTERY to me (Couldn't help it. I should've read my most hated subject biology well in my school days).
There is one main gap in this book, hope the Author(Christopher Doyle) will fill it in the sequels. Before starting every chapter, there was a heading which collapses the thriller behind that chapter. Even in the critical situation, there was a heading. Chris please don't do it in the sequels.
By Overall, its a worth entertaining read.
Now I'm confused to choose my next read (Since I've a huge stock of unread books).
Whenever I read a book, I accidentally fell into another WORLD/Memory like Harry Potter pensieve.
I bought this book back 4 to 6 months. But, didn't even open the pack also. Because I already got a queue of unread books to finish. In the mid of 2015, I read some heavy books which consists of minimum 600 pages with small font like Game of Thrones. My mind needs rest (which is not actual rest). In terms of book readers world, I thought to read some fantasy/romance books. So I quickly bought some books, started to read recently.
Now I feel like I should've read this book earlier.
Plot - An ancient tomb was found in Greek which consists of a mysterious cube with ancient inscribed verse by an archaeologist "Alice". A killing chase started there.When the killer "Cooper" blocks all the way, Alice has nowhere to go except her ex-boyfriend Vijay(Our Hero, elite task force agent) in India. She flew to India. So did the Cooper.
In India IB head "Imran" found an burned down medical facility with mysterious killing. That medical facility is owned by an US company (which sponsored Alice's project in Greek). Imran doubted the company and started enquiring with the help of Vijay's fiancée "Radha"(Nuclear Scientist and task force agent) b/w both of them are eliminated by our super strong Cooper.
Now, Vijay and his friends were compelled to solve the mystery behind the cube which unravels the shocking truth behind Alexander's invasion of India.
This book is like watching a very faaaaaast moving Hollywood movie and ends with a hell of unanswered questions. Now couldn't waiting for the sequel (As author promised, it will be released on Feb'16).
Unlike some other novels, the fights are professional. Main Villain COOPER certainly did an amazing job (Clasps).
Some medical things were explained in this book which is still a MYSTERY to me (Couldn't help it. I should've read my most hated subject biology well in my school days).
There is one main gap in this book, hope the Author(Christopher Doyle) will fill it in the sequels. Before starting every chapter, there was a heading which collapses the thriller behind that chapter. Even in the critical situation, there was a heading. Chris please don't do it in the sequels.
By Overall, its a worth entertaining read.
Now I'm confused to choose my next read (Since I've a huge stock of unread books).
December 15, 2014
A pretty engrossing read which follows a standard thriller premise which has now been overdone by many authors, thanks to Dan Brown's success.
This is part 1 of a multi-part series. While I am not too sure if I'd want to read the whole series as such, I'd want some answers to a few questions in this book. There's definitely quite a bit of research that's gone into writing this and that surely deserves some commendation.
This is part 1 of a multi-part series. While I am not too sure if I'd want to read the whole series as such, I'd want some answers to a few questions in this book. There's definitely quite a bit of research that's gone into writing this and that surely deserves some commendation.
August 6, 2019
The second blockbuster in the trilogy. The legend of Samudra manthan is given a completely different twist in the novel. One can discern the huge amount of research that has gone behind this plot which is a great combination of ancient legends, factual history and world of viruses. Fascinating read.
June 25, 2019
Why did I bother? I had a feeling yet I ignored it and went in.
I should just give up on reading any book which even has the word Mahabharata. They always end being so boring that I swear off reading the next book in the series.
Not gonna read the sequel or the prequel. Decided. Change my mind, I think not!
I should just give up on reading any book which even has the word Mahabharata. They always end being so boring that I swear off reading the next book in the series.
Not gonna read the sequel or the prequel. Decided. Change my mind, I think not!
January 3, 2015
A nice NEXT BOOK to Mahabharata Secret.
Just like the last book i was able to get through this book very fast . The book has very simple language and the flow is not too complicated either .
You can see hints of Da Vinci codes here and there and this one too is inspired by the great Da Vinci Code.
But it does better than the other copycats.
The story line is good and the explanations are so close to being true that you end up believing them.
The main leads are again Vijay , Colin and Radha with lots of sidekicks. The main negative is again the ORDER.
This time the story starts from Greece where an excavation is ongoing and an Artifact is discovered. Alice (Vijays ex-GF) ends up in India with the artifact.
The roller coaster ride starts which sees Vijay going to Afghanistan , Radha held captive and Imran getting Bombed (He survives like an Indian movie hero)
The way the verses from Mahabharata are explained in context of current science is nice and i was almost believing it . The Science of the Gods Secret was little unconvincing till the author clarified it.
Over all a good pacy read, I would have liked a little shorter version as i thought the book had some parts which could have been removed, and also some more mystery . For me the Mysteries were revealed too fast and abruptly.
but still i am waiting for the next 2 books in the series.
A whopping 4/5 from me
deVil D
Just like the last book i was able to get through this book very fast . The book has very simple language and the flow is not too complicated either .
You can see hints of Da Vinci codes here and there and this one too is inspired by the great Da Vinci Code.
But it does better than the other copycats.
The story line is good and the explanations are so close to being true that you end up believing them.
The main leads are again Vijay , Colin and Radha with lots of sidekicks. The main negative is again the ORDER.
This time the story starts from Greece where an excavation is ongoing and an Artifact is discovered. Alice (Vijays ex-GF) ends up in India with the artifact.
The roller coaster ride starts which sees Vijay going to Afghanistan , Radha held captive and Imran getting Bombed (He survives like an Indian movie hero)
The way the verses from Mahabharata are explained in context of current science is nice and i was almost believing it . The Science of the Gods Secret was little unconvincing till the author clarified it.
Over all a good pacy read, I would have liked a little shorter version as i thought the book had some parts which could have been removed, and also some more mystery . For me the Mysteries were revealed too fast and abruptly.
but still i am waiting for the next 2 books in the series.
A whopping 4/5 from me
deVil D
April 17, 2019
এর আগেই বইটার তুলনায় এই বইটা বেশি ভালো লেগেছে। তাও লেখকের অতিরিক্ত অপ্রয়োজনীয় কথাগুলো দুই বইয়ের মধ্যেই ছিল এবং সেটা খুবই বিরক্তিকর লেগেছে। এজন্যেই এক তারা কর্তন। আর এই বইয়ের অনেক রহস্যই পরের বইয়ের জন্যে রেখে দেয়া হয়েছে। আশা করছি পরের বই আমাকে হতাশ করবে না।
April 8, 2022
সিরিজের দ্বিতীয় বই হিসেবে পরিপূর্ণভাবেই প্রথম বই এর প্লটকে টেনে নিয়ে গিয়েছেন লেখক। গল্পের মিলও অনেক। মহাভারতের আরেকটা কনসেপ্টকে ব্যবহার করেই পুরো গল্পটা লেখা।
গল্পের সংক্ষেপটা বলে নেই। গ্রীসে মহাবীর আলেকজান্ডারের মা অলিম্পিয়াসের কবর আবিষ্কার করে আমেরিকান প্রত্নতত্ত্ব দল। আবিষ্কারের সাথে সাথেই সবাইকে মেরে ফেলা হয় আর ধ্বংস করে দেয়া হয় কবরটি। কিন্তু বেচে যায় এলিস। শুধু বেচে থেকেই বিপদ না বাড়িয়ে সাথে থাকা প্রাচীন এক কিউব নিয়ে পালিয়ে যায় এলিস। গিয়ে হাজির হয় ভারতবর্ষে তার প্রাক্তন প্রেমিক বিজয়ের কাছে। কিউবের উপর প্রাচীন সংস্কৃত শ্লোক দেখে খুব অবাক হওয়া বিজয় এক গুপ্ত থাকা রহস্যের সন্ধানে নেমে যায়। কিন্তু শত্রুপক্ষের কেলানি খেতে খেতে জান জেরবার হতে থাকে বিজয় গং এর।
এ উপন্যাসের সবকিছু আগেরটার মতই। খালি রহস্যটা আলাদা। আর এবার বিজয় আর তার টিম আগের মত সফল হয় না। বইয়ের শেষে লেখা ছিল টু বি কন্টিনিউড। কিন্তু পরেরটার একই রকম লেখা হলে পড়া হবে না সেটা এখনি বলতে পারি।
বি দ্র : জীববিজ্ঞান, বিশেষ করে ভাইরাস আর ব্যাকটেরিয়া নিয়া বিশাল জ্ঞানগর্ভ আলোচনা আছে।
গল্পের সংক্ষেপটা বলে নেই। গ্রীসে মহাবীর আলেকজান্ডারের মা অলিম্পিয়াসের কবর আবিষ্কার করে আমেরিকান প্রত্নতত্ত্ব দল। আবিষ্কারের সাথে সাথেই সবাইকে মেরে ফেলা হয় আর ধ্বংস করে দেয়া হয় কবরটি। কিন্তু বেচে যায় এলিস। শুধু বেচে থেকেই বিপদ না বাড়িয়ে সাথে থাকা প্রাচীন এক কিউব নিয়ে পালিয়ে যায় এলিস। গিয়ে হাজির হয় ভারতবর্ষে তার প্রাক্তন প্রেমিক বিজয়ের কাছে। কিউবের উপর প্রাচীন সংস্কৃত শ্লোক দেখে খুব অবাক হওয়া বিজয় এক গুপ্ত থাকা রহস্যের সন্ধানে নেমে যায়। কিন্তু শত্রুপক্ষের কেলানি খেতে খেতে জান জেরবার হতে থাকে বিজয় গং এর।
এ উপন্যাসের সবকিছু আগেরটার মতই। খালি রহস্যটা আলাদা। আর এবার বিজয় আর তার টিম আগের মত সফল হয় না। বইয়ের শেষে লেখা ছিল টু বি কন্টিনিউড। কিন্তু পরেরটার একই রকম লেখা হলে পড়া হবে না সেটা এখনি বলতে পারি।
বি দ্র : জীববিজ্ঞান, বিশেষ করে ভাইরাস আর ব্যাকটেরিয়া নিয়া বিশাল জ্ঞানগর্ভ আলোচনা আছে।
March 8, 2016
Although I bought this book many months back, but didn't read it. But when I started it, I simply couldn't stop reading and imagining the adventure. Its simply AMAZING!!! Just like the first book THE MAHABHARATA SECRET, the story of the book is gripping, giving you the thrill of experiencing a lifetime adventure of stumbling upon ancient knowledge and treasure of Mahabharata times and chased by death and torture licking your heels at every step. This book explores Alexander's campaign to Indus Valley and his secret mission in disguise of conquering more of the unconquered and mysteriously powerful land beyond Persia. In parts, especially present times of chasing terrorists with intention of spreading bio-terrorism worldwide and subsequent revelation of the real intentions of the order, I did felt some parts were stretched more than necessary, for eg., the explanations regarding retro viruses, DNA replication etc. But the scientific angle explained regarding the myth of Samudramanthan or Churning of the Ocean of Milk was very intriguing.
Unlike the first book, this book ends in a cliff-hanger. Eagerly awaiting for the next book in the series.
Unlike the first book, this book ends in a cliff-hanger. Eagerly awaiting for the next book in the series.
July 15, 2017
I probably gave it a star more than I should have, but it's great that someone's out there writing historical fiction with an Indian motif. This work seems a lot more rushed than the author's earlier work, the Mahabharat Secret. Maybe there was a looming deadline. The baseline of the plot is thin, wafer thin; the riddles play hardly a role and the base premise while scientifically possible is left hanging in mid-air. I wasn't sure, and I still am not, about what the villains of the piece intend to do with the secret once they've accomplished their mission.What exactly is their plan?
Perhaps the author him/herself feels this and sounds a little apologetic about the novel in the postscript, while promising that the second part of the saga (yes, the story doesn't end in this one) will be much better. I can only hope!
However it is still nice that someone has moved beyond the bible for historical fiction and publishers are ready to publish books like this one, In a world where Dan Brown wannabes a dime a dozen, at least someone is looking to unique, untouched stores of stories for plots and storylines.
Perhaps the author him/herself feels this and sounds a little apologetic about the novel in the postscript, while promising that the second part of the saga (yes, the story doesn't end in this one) will be much better. I can only hope!
However it is still nice that someone has moved beyond the bible for historical fiction and publishers are ready to publish books like this one, In a world where Dan Brown wannabes a dime a dozen, at least someone is looking to unique, untouched stores of stories for plots and storylines.
August 6, 2015
This one is the first in a series of god-knows-how-many books and the author has kept the story hanging quite nicely. The verses and the process of unravelling the clues do not hold the reader. The action is quite good. As the author has assured that all the questions & loose-ends of this book will be suitably taken care of in the subsequent ones, there is not much to comment about, as of now.
I expect a much better sequel with more plausible puzzle-solving SOON, before I forget what happened in this book!
I expect a much better sequel with more plausible puzzle-solving SOON, before I forget what happened in this book!
May 29, 2018
This book talks about an alternative interpretation of legend of "Samundramanthan" with loads of microbiology lessons to such an extent that it should be marked with pointer that for enjoying this book, you should be Biology Majors / Minors. I mean the author has done research in field of basic biology and genomes and just like that he vomits this information on the reader of the book. This happened many a time in the book and i was on the verge of leaving this books at that time only.
I want to suggest the author that if they want to base their Fiction around biology or genomes, they should at least provide footnotes to the pages where they explained everything in the end of the book for the benefits of readers.
I want to suggest the author that if they want to base their Fiction around biology or genomes, they should at least provide footnotes to the pages where they explained everything in the end of the book for the benefits of readers.
July 4, 2023
The book was an exceptional mix of mythology and science with a a large dose of mystry and suspence, and I absolutely LOVE it. This book bring back childhood memories of reading Enid Blyton and filles me up to my neck in nostalgia. The writing style is also good and is quite simillar to a lot of indian authors, however the plot is one of a kind. I genuinely enjoyed the book and finished it in one sitting as it kept me engrossed for well over 3 hours, making me some-what forget my schoolwork. I absolute love the book and the perfect way to describe it would be a tale that took me down my Indian roots and mixed the mythology with reality and science.
March 20, 2025
It was all good. The story was carefully connected with the Hindu Mythology and History. Details are also very good. The story somewhat in between goes here and there, off the track but overall, worth reading.
September 29, 2025
well written....fiction wrapped around historical/architectural/geographical facts being my favourite genre...
wish it could dive more deeper in details and give references like william Dalrymple, amitav ghosh presents.
wish it could dive more deeper in details and give references like william Dalrymple, amitav ghosh presents.
April 18, 2017
Loved the way author has described details. Indian mythology and hidden secrets are always fascinating.
August 22, 2017
A very gripping book!
Perfect blend of mythological facts and science. Will not let you put it down until end.
Perfect blend of mythological facts and science. Will not let you put it down until end.
July 1, 2019
A good one from Christopher c doyle. The story will take you on a suspense and thriller ride and then slowly unfolds the mystery. The way he has correlated hindu mythology with Alexander's quest is fascinating. Will recommend for thriller lovers.
May 4, 2020
Definitely not intriguing as his previous books. Skipped a lot of scientific terms in between because it either made too much sense or none at all.
The linkage too Mahabharata is amusing! And who doesn’t like stories with some facts to it. Surprisingly the ending was realistic. Not always Vijay wins. I might read the next one as well.
There are some answers I want to know too.
The linkage too Mahabharata is amusing! And who doesn’t like stories with some facts to it. Surprisingly the ending was realistic. Not always Vijay wins. I might read the next one as well.
There are some answers I want to know too.
July 31, 2016
The author, who started his career in the corporate world as a top notch business executive running businesses across the country, also has a passion for writing science fiction. His books have a peculiar blend of science with ancient historic events that evolve into a gripping page turner with sequels.
Storyline:
Vijay Singh, a prolific, intelligent US returned MIT student, is part of an Indo-American Task Force, that has been formed to explore the dangerous mission of a secret society called The Order, which has its origin in India thousands of years ago. He one day is suddenly visited by his ex-girlfriend Alice, a student of Archaeology and expert in Hellenistic (Greek) history. She narrowly escapes a murder hunt by some unknown professional killers after having discovered an ancient cube and artifacts, during the excavation of the tomb of Queen Olympias, in Greece, connected to her son Alexander’s, expedition to the East, to conquer the world. Coincidently, Vijay’s fiancée, Radha and her Indian Intelligence Bureau friend Imran, accidentally discover a secret, illegal genetic testing facility in New Delhi. This lab is later found to be controlled by the same secret members of the Order, involved in testing the effects of a dangerous bacteria and retrovirus on innocent people to make a drug that can cure all diseases and proclaim Immortality to humanity. Through this drug the Order wants to control the entire humanity, wiping off powerful Governments, across the world. The twist of the tale is that this particular bacteria and virus were found in the ‘mummy’ of Alexander centuries ago, who is said to have been infected after his consumption of a mysterious liquid in an ancient cave near the banks of Indus. This liquid is interpreted as the sweet nectar ‘amrita’, also called as secret of Eastern Gods, mentioned as that obtained through “Sagarmanthan” or “Churn of the Ocean” in the verses of ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. It is said to imbibe immortality to anyone who consumes it. But, unfortunately, Alexander could not benefit from this ‘amrit’ since he hasn’t consumed the right potion containing the retrovirus mixture. The members of the Order, kidnap Radha and force Vijay, an expert in solving riddles and clues, to follow a tedious path in present day Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, leading to several ancient caves containing this Amrit and the right mixture of the bacteria and retrovirus. Finally they gain access to the same and escape with the original samples of Amrit to test for viability, leaving Vijay and his team mates in the dark. To be continued in the next sequel.
Pros: A hair-raising thriller churned with scientific facts behind the great fairy tale of SagarManthan, mentioned in the Indian epic Mahabharata. The linkage of the tale to Alexander’s motive to conquer the rest of the world after defeating Darius of Persia, is really fabulous. The author must be appreciated for his extensive research on the facts behind this great secret. The description of the human genome and the various permutations and combinations of how genetic structure could have been re-engineered thousands of years ago with the help of such bacteria and retroviruses, leaves the reader awe-struck. In fact there all chances that the reader forgets about the fiction behind the story and would have been compelled to accept the logic explained as the real fact and not as a myth. The stark realities of how science was used by our ancestors when there were no considerable equipment related to finding microscopic organisms, have been strikingly elicited. A must read book by mythological fiction lovers. Bet that they shall remember the story for a long long period in their lives.
Cons: The excessive usage of medical jargon on genetics, could be difficult to understand to many non-biology students. Though there is a perfect sync between the story of Alexander’s conquest of the Eastern world and greatest Indian mythological fantasy story of Sagarmanthan mentioned in Mahabharata, there should have been some more emphasis on the Indian side. The story should have been completed in this book itself for better effects.
My rating is 4 out of 5
Storyline:
Vijay Singh, a prolific, intelligent US returned MIT student, is part of an Indo-American Task Force, that has been formed to explore the dangerous mission of a secret society called The Order, which has its origin in India thousands of years ago. He one day is suddenly visited by his ex-girlfriend Alice, a student of Archaeology and expert in Hellenistic (Greek) history. She narrowly escapes a murder hunt by some unknown professional killers after having discovered an ancient cube and artifacts, during the excavation of the tomb of Queen Olympias, in Greece, connected to her son Alexander’s, expedition to the East, to conquer the world. Coincidently, Vijay’s fiancée, Radha and her Indian Intelligence Bureau friend Imran, accidentally discover a secret, illegal genetic testing facility in New Delhi. This lab is later found to be controlled by the same secret members of the Order, involved in testing the effects of a dangerous bacteria and retrovirus on innocent people to make a drug that can cure all diseases and proclaim Immortality to humanity. Through this drug the Order wants to control the entire humanity, wiping off powerful Governments, across the world. The twist of the tale is that this particular bacteria and virus were found in the ‘mummy’ of Alexander centuries ago, who is said to have been infected after his consumption of a mysterious liquid in an ancient cave near the banks of Indus. This liquid is interpreted as the sweet nectar ‘amrita’, also called as secret of Eastern Gods, mentioned as that obtained through “Sagarmanthan” or “Churn of the Ocean” in the verses of ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. It is said to imbibe immortality to anyone who consumes it. But, unfortunately, Alexander could not benefit from this ‘amrit’ since he hasn’t consumed the right potion containing the retrovirus mixture. The members of the Order, kidnap Radha and force Vijay, an expert in solving riddles and clues, to follow a tedious path in present day Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, leading to several ancient caves containing this Amrit and the right mixture of the bacteria and retrovirus. Finally they gain access to the same and escape with the original samples of Amrit to test for viability, leaving Vijay and his team mates in the dark. To be continued in the next sequel.
Pros: A hair-raising thriller churned with scientific facts behind the great fairy tale of SagarManthan, mentioned in the Indian epic Mahabharata. The linkage of the tale to Alexander’s motive to conquer the rest of the world after defeating Darius of Persia, is really fabulous. The author must be appreciated for his extensive research on the facts behind this great secret. The description of the human genome and the various permutations and combinations of how genetic structure could have been re-engineered thousands of years ago with the help of such bacteria and retroviruses, leaves the reader awe-struck. In fact there all chances that the reader forgets about the fiction behind the story and would have been compelled to accept the logic explained as the real fact and not as a myth. The stark realities of how science was used by our ancestors when there were no considerable equipment related to finding microscopic organisms, have been strikingly elicited. A must read book by mythological fiction lovers. Bet that they shall remember the story for a long long period in their lives.
Cons: The excessive usage of medical jargon on genetics, could be difficult to understand to many non-biology students. Though there is a perfect sync between the story of Alexander’s conquest of the Eastern world and greatest Indian mythological fantasy story of Sagarmanthan mentioned in Mahabharata, there should have been some more emphasis on the Indian side. The story should have been completed in this book itself for better effects.
My rating is 4 out of 5
December 15, 2015
This book is a sequel to the Mahabharatha's secret, which itself wasn't all that good in my opinion. But i still went ahead and read this because i got it for free from my cousin.
In short, all i can say is that it's not a book, it's a Bollywood film script.
You have the heroes with nada a shade of grey in them, you have your villains, guns a blazing and chuckling at the end of every other line and basically feeling ok about experimenting on humans and calling them specimen. Even though the woman isn't damsel in distress and is apparently a scientist,she does stupidest things like getting into a strangers' car in middle of night without even seeing their id, this despite the fact that she knows she is dealing with terrorists. You have the (trying to be) funny guy, who seems to be an American for no reason at all, and you have an ex to spice things up. The IB people behave like the CID from sony tv , stating the obvious. You can almost hear ACP Pradhyuman saying- Kuch toh gadbad hai. And a dash of a hollywood movie- an African American guy (mentioned everytime he comes on page) called Patterson who works in US intelligence. Then its the usual Dan Brown story with an Indian twist except Dan Brown's stories , narration and insertion of random facts are better. If u rarely read English fiction or even rarely read books, You might like it. If you are pro, or even hav read Dan Brown's books, this is gonna be a disappointment.
Now, the longer version.
First THE GOOD:
1. It's well researched, thats for sure. He does use highly complex words and biology jargon, half of which you don't understand, and the other half of it , u don't care about, but you can definitely see that a lot of time has gone into it.
2. the story keeps you from closing the book, most of the time at least
That's it
THE BAD:
1. If you are a person who physically cringes on noticing a grammatical mistake, drop the book and walk off. It looks like the publishers paid the editors only to enhance harmless words and not to correct the god awful sentences. There is a lot of repetition of same words, Once, I noticed they used the word ' urgent' twice in same sentence (which contained 8 words).
2. logical loopholes. If there's one thing i would do after being chased by terrorists and investigating into some of them was check the id of a person who arrives at my door in the middle of the night. But the protagonist apparently doesn't which leads to the death of that very character...or does it? Do i care? No, so moving on.
The people from mysterious order mention they need to keep a low profile, yet blow up stuff and kill people every chance they get. Even when there's an easier way out.
3. Character depth, of which there isn't much. Colin could have Vijay's lines, Alice could have Radha's. The writer probably does know this, that is why he explicitly mentions things which usually we our selves should be able to conclude after reading the book.
Ex' Colin says he is the analytical and vijay is the research head of their team.
what we perceive: Colin is the humourous side kick and Vijay has a knack at googling
Vijay says Radha loves unconditionally and Colin says she is possessive.
What we perceive: Radha is a feminine character necessary for the plot.
Frankly, you wont even notice if she is a man instead of woman. All she does is restate the things thats already being narrated and add an emotion in there, like ticking off the things she should feel.
Overall the plot seems a little over the top, Read it only if u have lot of time at hand and no good book. I'm signing of to read The Da vinci code one more time, which i probably should have done instead of reading this book.
2 stars only for reasearch.
In short, all i can say is that it's not a book, it's a Bollywood film script.
You have the heroes with nada a shade of grey in them, you have your villains, guns a blazing and chuckling at the end of every other line and basically feeling ok about experimenting on humans and calling them specimen. Even though the woman isn't damsel in distress and is apparently a scientist,she does stupidest things like getting into a strangers' car in middle of night without even seeing their id, this despite the fact that she knows she is dealing with terrorists. You have the (trying to be) funny guy, who seems to be an American for no reason at all, and you have an ex to spice things up. The IB people behave like the CID from sony tv , stating the obvious. You can almost hear ACP Pradhyuman saying- Kuch toh gadbad hai. And a dash of a hollywood movie- an African American guy (mentioned everytime he comes on page) called Patterson who works in US intelligence. Then its the usual Dan Brown story with an Indian twist except Dan Brown's stories , narration and insertion of random facts are better. If u rarely read English fiction or even rarely read books, You might like it. If you are pro, or even hav read Dan Brown's books, this is gonna be a disappointment.
Now, the longer version.
First THE GOOD:
1. It's well researched, thats for sure. He does use highly complex words and biology jargon, half of which you don't understand, and the other half of it , u don't care about, but you can definitely see that a lot of time has gone into it.
2. the story keeps you from closing the book, most of the time at least
That's it
THE BAD:
1. If you are a person who physically cringes on noticing a grammatical mistake, drop the book and walk off. It looks like the publishers paid the editors only to enhance harmless words and not to correct the god awful sentences. There is a lot of repetition of same words, Once, I noticed they used the word ' urgent' twice in same sentence (which contained 8 words).
2. logical loopholes. If there's one thing i would do after being chased by terrorists and investigating into some of them was check the id of a person who arrives at my door in the middle of the night. But the protagonist apparently doesn't which leads to the death of that very character...or does it? Do i care? No, so moving on.
The people from mysterious order mention they need to keep a low profile, yet blow up stuff and kill people every chance they get. Even when there's an easier way out.
3. Character depth, of which there isn't much. Colin could have Vijay's lines, Alice could have Radha's. The writer probably does know this, that is why he explicitly mentions things which usually we our selves should be able to conclude after reading the book.
Ex' Colin says he is the analytical and vijay is the research head of their team.
what we perceive: Colin is the humourous side kick and Vijay has a knack at googling
Vijay says Radha loves unconditionally and Colin says she is possessive.
What we perceive: Radha is a feminine character necessary for the plot.
Frankly, you wont even notice if she is a man instead of woman. All she does is restate the things thats already being narrated and add an emotion in there, like ticking off the things she should feel.
Overall the plot seems a little over the top, Read it only if u have lot of time at hand and no good book. I'm signing of to read The Da vinci code one more time, which i probably should have done instead of reading this book.
2 stars only for reasearch.
July 2, 2017
We all know not to judge a book by its cover. Well, i saw the cover and decided to give this book a try. And boy what a huge mistake. Chetan bhagat feels like tolkien compared to Christoper Doyle. Where do i even begin ? The writing is deplorable, the language is shallow, the plot is impetuous, paltry characters,. The author tried to introduce some medical jargon to explain the 'science' , with little Alexander and mahabharatha thrown here and there, and some cheap tactics at the end of each chapter to make it feel like a historical/sci- fi action thriller fiction but i am sorry, this books fails pathetically on all levels. And there is a sequel to this book. Seriously !!! I am giving 2 stars purely for the effort the author has taken in writing and researching for this book. But as a reader i will not recommend this book even to my worst enemy.
January 2, 2015
This haphazard non-review has been languishing in my drafts for weeks past the deadline. I apologize for that. When The Mahabharata Quest arrived for review, I found myself skimming through the cover blurb and the author introduction. The acknowledgments begin, "This book owes its existence to many people without whom it would never have been written," and the clumsy redundancy made me smile. The writer's bio boasts of mentors of the likes of Heinlein, Asimov, Tolkien and Wells. Way to build up expectations!
The Mahabharata Quest is confusingly and predictably the first of a series. The lead characters of The Mahabharata Secret do return, Colin and Imraan and Vijay Singh, of course, and others. I think the author has done a good job of reintroducing the characters and back story without making it confusing for someone who directly reads this book. Even the new characters, like Alice, are interesting once you get to know them. An issue that I had with the first book persists, the dialogue is clumsily unrealistic and no person in the book has a distinctive voice. Colin might as well be from Delhi. A lot of the book is told, not shown, and this flaw is most obvious in its characters. They all behave the same, to an extent, and say much the same things.
I like the riddles and clues and how the group solves them, even those that aren't well articulated. It's historical fiction, and if there's one thing historical fiction thrives on, it's research. I've always felt that a well researched novel is one that manages to blend the information into the story. Information dumps are most distasteful. Less is more, right? The Mahabharata Quest suffers from pompous show-off-ery, and the author doesn't seem to get enough of basking in the glory of all the effort he's put into the book. A glossary or section of references would have been nice. But all the maps are just an unnecessary distraction.
The blurb promises thrills and it does deliver on that front. It kept me hooked, and I surprised myself by how willing I was to ignore the awkward phrasing and read further, eager to find out what happened next. So, believe me when I say, I could have ignored the aforementioned annoyances and the fact that the ending was a little anticlimactic, had it not been for the unresolved threads. Leaving loose strands of story to be tied together in the sequel is the worst form of manipulation to ensure future readers. It's just lazy.
Remember back when writing a book was a big deal? Now, we regularly find authors making money churning out books in incorrigible patterns. This is not to imply that said books are badly written. I do think that The Mahabharata Quest is a good book. I read its predecessor, The Mahabharata Secret, only weeks ago. It was recommended to me by a friend, and in times of the sort of boredom that precedes college exams, it made an exciting read. To occasional readers, The Mahabharata Quest - The Alexander Secret will surely be the gripping story that it promises to be. But let's just call the author India's Dan Brown, because I can't for the life of me name one thing that made this book distinctly more memorable than all the books out there or significantly different from his first. So it's not a bad book, but the fact that I can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to should say something.
The Mahabharata Quest is confusingly and predictably the first of a series. The lead characters of The Mahabharata Secret do return, Colin and Imraan and Vijay Singh, of course, and others. I think the author has done a good job of reintroducing the characters and back story without making it confusing for someone who directly reads this book. Even the new characters, like Alice, are interesting once you get to know them. An issue that I had with the first book persists, the dialogue is clumsily unrealistic and no person in the book has a distinctive voice. Colin might as well be from Delhi. A lot of the book is told, not shown, and this flaw is most obvious in its characters. They all behave the same, to an extent, and say much the same things.
I like the riddles and clues and how the group solves them, even those that aren't well articulated. It's historical fiction, and if there's one thing historical fiction thrives on, it's research. I've always felt that a well researched novel is one that manages to blend the information into the story. Information dumps are most distasteful. Less is more, right? The Mahabharata Quest suffers from pompous show-off-ery, and the author doesn't seem to get enough of basking in the glory of all the effort he's put into the book. A glossary or section of references would have been nice. But all the maps are just an unnecessary distraction.
The blurb promises thrills and it does deliver on that front. It kept me hooked, and I surprised myself by how willing I was to ignore the awkward phrasing and read further, eager to find out what happened next. So, believe me when I say, I could have ignored the aforementioned annoyances and the fact that the ending was a little anticlimactic, had it not been for the unresolved threads. Leaving loose strands of story to be tied together in the sequel is the worst form of manipulation to ensure future readers. It's just lazy.
Remember back when writing a book was a big deal? Now, we regularly find authors making money churning out books in incorrigible patterns. This is not to imply that said books are badly written. I do think that The Mahabharata Quest is a good book. I read its predecessor, The Mahabharata Secret, only weeks ago. It was recommended to me by a friend, and in times of the sort of boredom that precedes college exams, it made an exciting read. To occasional readers, The Mahabharata Quest - The Alexander Secret will surely be the gripping story that it promises to be. But let's just call the author India's Dan Brown, because I can't for the life of me name one thing that made this book distinctly more memorable than all the books out there or significantly different from his first. So it's not a bad book, but the fact that I can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to should say something.
April 16, 2015
‘The Alexander Secret’ by Christopher Doyle is the next book in his series of ‘The Mahabharata Quest’. After huge success of ‘The Mahabharata Secret’, this title has also won heart of readers and has earned love of readers. Just as previous one this one is also enthralling. There are very few works for which you would skip your meals, sleep and other daily chores. ‘The Alexander Secret’ is one of them.
With same characters from previous book in the series, Christopher continues exploring history and the mysteries revolving around the epics. Addition of Alice, Van Klueck, Dr. Saxena and few some more characters, the novel voyages through different countries. The best factor I found in Christopher’s novels is the portrayal of incidents. The narrative style is so wonderful that you would find yourself running with Alice, grinning with Colin, crying with Dr. Shukla over death loved ones. This novel contains many medical terms and thanks to glossary at the end of book, I had no need to google it. Yet, I felt that reduction of these terms could intensify the novel as to a non-medical person, it would be little bit boring to read much of the description.
At the end of novel, Christopher has already presented hint of his upcoming novel. Eagerly waiting for the third novel in series.
My overall rating for this work is 3.5/5.
With same characters from previous book in the series, Christopher continues exploring history and the mysteries revolving around the epics. Addition of Alice, Van Klueck, Dr. Saxena and few some more characters, the novel voyages through different countries. The best factor I found in Christopher’s novels is the portrayal of incidents. The narrative style is so wonderful that you would find yourself running with Alice, grinning with Colin, crying with Dr. Shukla over death loved ones. This novel contains many medical terms and thanks to glossary at the end of book, I had no need to google it. Yet, I felt that reduction of these terms could intensify the novel as to a non-medical person, it would be little bit boring to read much of the description.
At the end of novel, Christopher has already presented hint of his upcoming novel. Eagerly waiting for the third novel in series.
My overall rating for this work is 3.5/5.
April 23, 2016
I really tried to read this book till the end. I tried my best, but I just couldn't go beyond page no.173 of this dismal attempt at thriller composition.
Most of the book is wasted in people chatting around a table. I mean, its a thriller for crying out loud! Where is the action?? The author has been so lazy with this book...
The characters are conveniently having professions needed to solve the riddle. All of them are very neatly alloted qualifications which make it butter smooth for investigating.
All the information is very nicely provided in journals. No need to make the actors move much. Just relax and read. Lord!!
It is all talk talk talk! How boring can ut get!!
I really wish this author aborts any ambition of becoming a thriller writer. He is a lazy writer with lazy characters. How I wish I never picked up this book.
Most of the book is wasted in people chatting around a table. I mean, its a thriller for crying out loud! Where is the action?? The author has been so lazy with this book...
The characters are conveniently having professions needed to solve the riddle. All of them are very neatly alloted qualifications which make it butter smooth for investigating.
All the information is very nicely provided in journals. No need to make the actors move much. Just relax and read. Lord!!
It is all talk talk talk! How boring can ut get!!
I really wish this author aborts any ambition of becoming a thriller writer. He is a lazy writer with lazy characters. How I wish I never picked up this book.
September 11, 2023
I don't remember if I have read the first book in this series, but I must have because this is giving me serious deja Vu.
I listened to the audiobook version in Hindi on Audible. I have an eye infection that is troubling me. The only thing I can do all do is listen to books. (I can read and write in small intervals and I'm using one of those to write this review.)
This would have been a total waste of my time, money and energy if I had bought the book and read it myself. Now you wonder why I gave it one star. It's because the audiobook put me to sleep in under ten minutes when I was having difficulty otherwise. 5/10 recommend if u want to be knocked out without a tranquilizer or a metal chair to the face.
I listened to the audiobook version in Hindi on Audible. I have an eye infection that is troubling me. The only thing I can do all do is listen to books. (I can read and write in small intervals and I'm using one of those to write this review.)
This would have been a total waste of my time, money and energy if I had bought the book and read it myself. Now you wonder why I gave it one star. It's because the audiobook put me to sleep in under ten minutes when I was having difficulty otherwise. 5/10 recommend if u want to be knocked out without a tranquilizer or a metal chair to the face.
December 6, 2015
When it comes to this particular author, I loved his debut book but for me this one fells a bit flat on my expectations. It started off pretty dynamic but the middle part was depressing, though the end had some great twists to cover up the overall reading experience. Recommended read from my behalf but personally (only because I had great expectations), felt a bit disappointed.
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