A must-read.
Almost one and a half hear back I have read and reviewed "Arthala" by Vivek Kumar. At that time I have read only 3-4 Hindi novels and I found writing of Vivek better than those books I have read. I was thoroughly impressed by the "Arthala" and its complete fantasy world. Today when I have finished the second book in "Sangram Sindu Gatha" - Malhar, I am confident that book can give good competition to Amish Tripathi Meluha's Hindi translation, as no other current Hindi books in this genre are competent enough. I would like to thank Vivek for providing review copy in exchange for an honest review, else I wouldn't have been aware of such a hidden gem. Those who didn't find Hindi novels as good as English must-see/check this book.
Book Blurb
‘मल्हार’ की कहानी ठीक वहीं से प्रारंभ होती है, जहाँ प्रथम भाग की समाप्ति हुई थी। दूसरा भाग असुर देश, मुंद्रा, सौराष्ट्र तथा ऊसर की रोमांचक यात्रा करते हुए आगे बढ़ता है, और कई नई घटनाओं के माध्यम से अर्थला के कल्पनातीत संसार को विस्तारित भी करता जाता है। संग्राम-सिंधु गाथा का यह खंड असुरों के व्यापार, उनकी राजनैतिक स्थिति और आगामी युद्ध में उनकी भूमिका के पीछे के कारणों पर प्रकाश डालेगा। अकल्पित युग की यात्रा जारी है|
The first part Arthala was finished with Vidhan and Dhananjaya successfully obtaining Kundala's from Danava nation (Santhar). From that point, the second part is resumed. Vidhan fainted on the border of Santhar near Danubans patch, from there they were rescued by mysterious Siddhidharak (Super Power). On returning to Arthala Dhananjaya started working on strategies to avoid a clash with Santhar. On the other hand, Dakshan new ruler of Santhar wanted to take control of Bharat Varsha, so he was also working in the line of his goals. These known characters of Arthala makes only 25% of the second part. In Malhar, completely new territory and relations were revealed. Malhar was the part of Kanji Pradesh controlled by Asura clan. Half of the book is written in and around characters that belonged to the Asura nation. This part shows the political and economic situation of the country. The kingdom was in turmoil. It shows how the trading community (mainly two groups) had handled the whole country indirectly. Along with that, this book has also revealed more "Siddhidharak" and created curiosity to know further. The book is finished in such a high tempo that I wish I had read when the next part will be with me.
Coming to writing style, when you are writing a series author has to cultivate multiple characters, plots, and subplots. Without which the series becomes dull. The first part was majorly dedicated to Vidhan but the second shows other important characters as well. There are more than 5-6 subplots and 7-8 important characters in series now. With these complexities, you have multiple fronts to guess what will happen next.
Good points about the book
- Good narration style. Juggling between plots and characters was optimum
- Balanced suspense and thrill
- Proper characterization of newly introduced characters
- The mix of super power, war & political fiction
- A light read for the general age group with easy to follow language usage.
Talking about ratings
- Cover - 4/5
- Characters - 4.5/5
- Concept - 4.5/5
- Overall - 4.5/5
Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads
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