AgniBaan: Guardians of the Fire Chamber by S. Venkatesh

The first book of S Venkatesh Was Kaalkoot, which was a nice read. Except for the end, I enjoyed the book and finished in 2-3 sittings. So I had higher hopes with "AgniBaan: Guardians of the Fire Chamber". And I am glad that the author has surpassed all expectations. It wouldn't be an exaggeration if I say Venkatesh has outperformed twice or thrice than Kaalkoot.

The book is written in two parallels. One around 535 CE when around 15-20 months earth atmosphere was covered with dust due to multiple reasons and proved very stressing period for civilizations over the world. And the second parallel is written after the Covid situation where political chaos is going on throughout the world due to multiple reasons. In between this chaos in both parallels we have two strong protagonists as well as two strong antagonists to give us company till we reach the last page. 

The book belongs to the league that of Dan Brown from foreign authors and Ashwin Sanghi from Indian authors. The book shows the depth of research done by Venkatesh. Not just cultural analysis but the author has given vivid details about India's and Egypt's geopolitical situations. He has taken support of numerology and astronomy of ancient times to give us added interest. The book easily glues you to the story, because every place in the book you will get a good combination of fiction with facts. I liked the story and this time I found the ending better planned and written than Kaalkoot. The pace of the story is apt for fast reading, you can read this 350-page story in less than 4 sittings for sure.

Overall a 4.5 out of 5 for this book. And I am putting it in one of the best read of the year and must-read thrillers written in the last decade by Indian authors. 

Book links - Goodreads & Amazon

The Misters Kuru by Trisha Das

When I took "The Misters Kuru" by Trisha Das, I was not aware that it was a sequel. And the author has kept it so independent that till I came to Goodreads for writing a review, I didn't realize it. So for those who haven't read the prequel, not to worry, just plunge yourself into this one.

Let me give you a brief of the story. For Pandavas, life became usual and predictable in the heavens. They were so accustomed to heaven that they didn't realize the passing of many millennia. But one fine day, Arjuna came to know that Kunti, Draupadi & Amba went to the mortal world and decided to stay there till their mortal life ends. He along with his brothers (who self-appointed themself as protectors of women of their family) thought that these women needed protection. He took special permission from Krishna to visit the mortal world for 30 days (just like part one) and reached Delhi. Their journey through the modern world starts and takes us on a trip to the world of laughter & joy. Read the book to know more.

Good points about the book

1. Frank tone of the storytelling. No extraordinaire display of vocabulary

2. Easy to follow pace. Not too slow, not too fast

3. Filled with many satirical situations

4. A good companion if you are taking it to 2-3 days trip

I will give 4 out of 5 to this laughter-filled book.

Book links - Goodreads & Amazon 

The Panipuri Crimes by S B Akshobhya

Many times it happens to me that the book delivers completely different content than what you expected when selecting it. The same thing happened to me when I selected "The Panipuri Crimes", I was expecting short crime stories but what I found was completely surprising.

The protagonist of our story is Sagar. He had the idea of starting an online panipuri business. And so did few guys before him. But there was a danger lurking in dark, targeting people who wanted to digitize panipuri business. Read the book to know more.

The story was smooth and fast-paced. The presentation was new, and the idea was also different. The language usage was also easy. I finished the book in two sittings. The excitement that the author generated in the first half (my first sitting through the book) was not matched at the same level in the second half. Still an enjoyable read. It gave me company on a short trip.

Book links - Amazon & Goodreads

The Gatekeeper's Staff (TJ Young & The Orishas #1) by Antoine Bandele

I was listening to too many serious books that I decided to try one YA or middle-grade fantasy book. It was then I came across "The Gatekeeper's Staff" on Netgalley. I liked the cover and description, on top of that I have listened to one more book by the author, so I applied for the review copy. I got it in exchange for an honest review.

The story is written around boy TJ who belonged to a magician family. Magician in the book is known as diviners. TJ's sister was a child prodigy and was working on a secret project. Though he was from a strong line of magicians, his skill as a magician was nothing but a lucky charm and tingling on the top of his fingers. But the demise of her sister changed everything. He was selected for a camp where wizard kids go for training. Read the book to know more.

When I started the book and heard words like Orisha, Diviner, Ashe I thought the author has taken ideas from Tomi Adeyemi. But later on, I searched on the internet and found that Orisha is mythology and no one has their claim on it. The book is a good mixture of fantasy, mythology, a mystery to give you good company. I will wait for the sequel.

The book deserves a good 4.25 out of 5.

I-Tigress: A letter to humans: A Tribute to Fighting Mothers

I had read 2 books by Syd K before I took I-Tigress. Those who have read the author have taken the best traits from his first book and built his next book based on that. His brilliance in writing stories with animal POV was remarkable. And I am happy that instead of writing about a completely new domain, he went ahead in animal territory again. Last time he wrote about the most respected animal of the jungle, an elephant. And this time he brought out the most feared animal of the jungle, a tiger. 

The book talks about the story from the POV of a tigress, which is very closely followed by a real-time tigress. The story starts with the birth of the tigress to her death. Each stage of the tiger's life their upbringing, their survival as adolescents, their constant battle for dominance of their area, etc. I don't want to spoil readers' experiences.

My observations about the book

1) The book is not just written with Tigress POV, the author has invented vocabulary for the animal kingdom used by tigress

2) You will feel like watching discovery episodes on tiger's life while reading the book

3) Easy language usage makes a smooth experience

4) A read for all above 12 years old

5) Shows harsh realities that affect wildlife due to human interventions

This book deserves 4.5 out of 5.

Book links - Goodreads & Amazon

Rukmini: Krishna's Wife by Saiswaroopa Iyer

I have read all books of Sai Swaroopa except Unsung Valour. Her books are smooth in narration but filled with women-centric heroism. I know I should have read Rukmini - Krishna's Wife earlier but unexpected health issues in the family delayed it. Well, no regrets, I finished the book during my summer vacation and I got really good company for two days. When I took the first dive into the book, I read around 90 pages in one and a half hours. It took me two more sittings to finish this book. 

The content is divided into 4 parts. Those who have read and researched deeply about Mahabharata might be aware of the story around Rukmini, the first and one of the eight principal wives of Krishna. So for them, this book is like "Rise and Fall" of mighty Yadava & Dwarka along with Mahabharata from Rukmini's point of view. 

We all pray Krishna for his role for mankind and his efforts to establish Dharma, especially his support for Pandavas. But rarely do we think that if Krishna was always available to these parties, what about his kingdom and family. Have we ever thought about what happened to Dwarika when Krishna was in the East with Arjuna for their conquest? Do we know how many times other kingdoms have attacked Dwarika when brothers were away? It was the role of Rukmini, she went through many of these struggles on Krishna's behalf. Read the book to know more.

My observations

1. The books has projected couple as more historical characters than mythological
2. Easy language usage and straight narration makes the book a fluid read
3. Touching the emotional and responsible side of Rukmini
4. Less imagination more facts.
5. Strict adherence to the storyline

A lovable short read one which can be finished in few sittings.

Links - Goodreads & Amazon

DEATH IN COLABA BAY: A Colonial Bombay Mystery by Ambika Subramanian

I love Dan Brown books but haven't read one in recent times. I adore Ashwin Sanghi but have listened to his latest release instead of reading, one of the main reasons is length. You need to read almost 400-600 pages long book to enjoy a mystery thriller written for mature age reader. I have tried many short thrillers but rarely I found something as interesting as "Death In Colaba Bay: A Colonial Bombay Mystery" by Ambika Subramanian. 

This 140+ page books can be your best companion due to following reason

1. It will take you to the historical era of the late 1890s.
2. It will give you a story based on historic Bombay culture and city 
3. Story filled with twists and turns
4. Not a shallow crime sequences but a well-planned theme

The Sherlock Holmes of our story are Tara and Arun. Tara is a young widow who wanted to help young girls pursue education in modern schools. But recent kidnappings of young girls from school posed a huge threat. Whereas Arun found something similar in recent cases which reminded him of a few previous incidents/crimes. Things became more challenging and problematic when one of the kidnapped girls was found dead. And just like other murder mysteries race against time started ticking.

The story writing is smooth and fast-paced. You will get a good grip within 15 minutes of staring at the book and then it will become un-put-able. Languages usage is simple and can cater larger reading audience. You can read this book in 2-3 sittings. My concerns are:

• Less importance on strong character building
• Lesser exploration of cultural era

Overall 4 out 5 to this book.

Book links - Goodreads & Amazon