The trio of journalist Chandrasekhar, historian Meenakshi Pirzada and intelligence officer Syed Ali Hassan from The Shadow Throne is back in Aroon Raman‘s 3rd novel – Skyfire. After dabbling in historical fiction for his 2nd book – The Treasure of Kafur, Raman is back to writing what he started off with and to a very large extent he doesn’t disappoint.
Read moreLike most people would probably have assumed, I thought that the Kali in the book’s title meant the name of the goddess, as in Kaali, the female goddess of destruction until realisation struck in that it was Kali, the last yuga as per hindu mythology. A funny misconception that, given I have always been told the Mahabaratha signified the end of
Read morehistorical fiction provides an opportunity to make connections with the past. And, this is what The Counterstroke by Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran offers you. It presents a story that took place during a notable period in Indian history. The book takes us to seventeenth century India when Aurangzeb (the Mughal prince) was planning to forge a bloody path to the Mughal throne and Shivaji (a Maratha landholder) had started creating trouble for the Mughal Empire.
Read moreThe Thirteenth Day is the tale of the Great War between the cousins – Pandavas and Kauravas. The title announces what can be expected out of the book. The blurb is crisp and describes the story, arousing the reader’s interest. The cover page gives a sneak peek into the battle field and how it would have been. Mahabharatha is one
Read moreHaving been born and brought up in independent India, most of us have no idea what freedom means. It can only be realised when you are captive and crave for freedom. The protective confines of our home don’t give an idea what it is to not be free. Four Miles to Freedom is the story of a brave Indian fighter
Read moreA latest trend in the Indian book industry is the publication of books based on Indian mythologies. This clearly reflects the contemporary popularisation of such books. This also shows that these ancient stories are still compelling. However, most of the times, readers do not find anything new or different. What they generally find is the same old tale with slight
Read more“Life for a warrior is filled with challenges… ……..The legacy of our family was written with this sword… As long as you hold it; our family’s name will live.” Ancient Warriors dying for honor and love for their country has always made Indians swell up with pride. Women have always showed their potential in various steps of life down the
Read moreWarning: Mild Spoiler Alert Let us assume that you have no idea who Amrapali was and what the various re-tellings of her story have been. Let us assume that you have not seen the movie starring Vyjayanthimala, read Acharya Chatursen’s Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu, seen Hema Malini’s TV series. Lets just take this book as a piece of fiction loosely based
Read moreThe genre of espionage fiction hardly fails to thrill. To say that the first part of The Svastik Trilogy, Baramulla Bomber by Clark Prasad, is just an espionage thriller, would be tantamount to the statement that our country, India, has only natural bounty. It is a must read for anyone who likes reading espionage fiction, with an after taste for scientific
Read moreThe Seventies decade of the Twentieth century started on a very inconsolable note especially for the South Asian countries. There were series of events & agitations in eastern Pakistan that culminated in the Indo-Pak war of 1971 eventually leading to the birth of a new nation called ‘Bangladesh’. The irony of these events is that despite being involving one of the
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2013, Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 and Reading Challenge 2013: First Reads I am sure by now anyone who follows this site knows that if there are books that I will pick up by just the genre then they have to be Indian history and mythology. I first saw Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince on Flipkart.com amidst new
Read morePart of 2013 Reading Challenge: First Reads Title: Return of a King Author: William Dalrymple Publisher: Bloomsburry Publishing Plc ISBN: 978-1-4088-1830-5 Pages: 487 Genre: Non-Fiction Rating: 4.5 of 5 Reviewed for: MySmartPrice The line between fiction and real blurs as one digs more into the real. History exploring is one such real digging and unbelievable are the treasures that pop
Read morePart of South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: The Edge of the Machete Author: Abhisar Sharma Publisher: Westland Publications ISBN: 978-93-81626-67-2 Pages: 333 Genre: Fiction/ Thriller Rating: 3 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com Islamic mendicants centric novels seem to be on the rise with The Edge of the Machete by Abhisar Sharma being the third one, after Red Jihad and Zombiestan,
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Red Jihad Author: Sami Ahmad Khan | inKonversation Publisher: Rupa Publications ISBN: – 978-81-291-1987-2 Pages: 263 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3.75 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com This review is honored to be on Rupa Publication’s official page and the official page of the book. Lives have been held to ransom
Read moreEntry no. #7 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: The Shadow Throne Author: Aroon Raman Publisher: Pan Macmillian ISBN: 978-81-923-9800-6 Pages: 329 Genre: Fiction Rating: 3 of 5 Reviewed for: Pan Macmillian
Read moreEntry no. #3 – Debut Indian Writers Month: October 2012 Part of Debut Indian Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012 Title: Thundergod Author: Rajiv G Menon Publisher: Westland Ltd. ISBN: – Uncorrected Proof Pages: 384 Genre: Fiction Rating: 2.5 of 5 Reviewed for: Blogadda.com
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