Asur Kanya & Her Route To Unrequited Love by Maneesha Agrawal

I was attracted to the fancy font style of the book "Asur Kanya & Her Route To Unrequited Love" by Maneesha Agrawal. I took a blind call based on a few of the trusted reviewers and got the copy. The book is a fast-paced story fictionally set around early civilization after the great flood. This short read of around 170 pages gave me company for a day or so and I finished this book in 2 sitting last Sunday.

Let me give you a brief of the story. As I just mentioned story is based on historical/mythological events of the great flood. Ira, the daughter of Asura king, is our protagonist. Her father had expected her only daughter to join marital knots with Banasur a promising general of the army. She took time a year to explore the world before marrying Banasur. Ira's adventure led her to the Manava settlement of Manali where she met Manu, the chieftain who played a pivotal role during the great flood. Though Manu was married when he met Ira, Ira was attracted to Manu. What will be the outcome of this wanderlust and how will it affect both Manavas and Asuras is portrayed in the later section of the story. Read the book to know more.

Few good points about the book

• The book is a short and fast-paced read
• Language is smooth and easy to cope up with
• Language is age-appropriate for almost all age groups
• The story is written in and around few characters and encaptures their mindset only.
• Prequel read is beneficial but not mandatory. I read this part directly and faced no issues.

Few points of improvement

• Though the author has done some research on earlier Indian civilizations, the story sounds too much like a fantasy tale than a historical one.
• Though the cover is nicely designed, I have seen people selecting mythology reads based on character-drawn covers, which is missing here.

Overall a 3.5 out of 5.

Book links - Amazon and Goodreads

8 Reasons why a sci-fi lover must read "Rhythm Roger - The Secrets of Electon" by Himanshu Rai

I think during lockdown I saw a post of Himanshu on my timeline mentioning his upcoming book. As Himanshu has published 2-3 books in the romance genre, I presumed it to be a romcom. Later on, I saw an interesting cover reveal post and the title. I was sure that the book would not be a romcom. I kept his handle under notification and then came full cover and the blurb. A sci-fi book for middle grades and above with theme of Telecom Fantasy, a proposition which was unheard of not only in Indian literature but in other geographies as well. I was a bit skeptical initially as previous sci-fi I read by Indian authors were lacking the spark that foreign authors offer. Almost after a month of the release when I was satisfied by reviews from reliable sources I decided to go for the book.

So in brief my reasons for book selection

1) Novel genre 

2) Attractive cover art

3) Blurb

4) Reviews from reliable sources

Coming to the story, our protagonist is Rhythm in the human world and the same person with the name Roger in Electon. Rhythm was living in the human world unknown to the fact that he belonged to a secret world Electon. When he reached the age of 25 he went to Electon and found out that he was the son of Queen Anagol. He was informed that he was the future king of V-slots and Noise & D-slots were their enemies. On the very next day of his arrival, he was included in an assignment that took him to a rollercoaster ride with his teammates. He also explored various technologies and tools used in Electon. I hope I haven't share any spoilers. Read the book to know more.

I can give 8 reasons why middle-graders and sci-fi lover will adore "Rhythm Roger - The Secrets of Electon"

1) Out-of-box conceptualization

2) Good linking with physics, physicists & fantasy

3) Characters built around physics concept used in communication & digital world

4) You will find the time-traveling, multiple timelines and what not

5) Three groups to get you engaged and think who is right and who is wrong

6) Easy language usage ideal for kids

7) Age-appropriate content

8) The artwork was given throughout the book, showing places and characters. It helps the reader to visualize clearly.

There are a few points I found confusing related to time travel, but that's not the author's problem. I always find it difficult to digest why one cannot go back to a time (if one can actually time travel) and change things until he is satisfied with end results. I think the book is good enough to have fans & cult following. If marketed and placed well book is capable to capture large readership. I will congratulate and wish luck to Himanshu for bigger success for the book.

Overall I will give 4.5 out 5 to this good book.

Book links Goodreads and Amazon

Thank God I'm Fired by Sandeep Pawar - Book Review

Go and ask any IT guys what is the toughest part of their job switch period? Well, it is the notice period. That deliberately kept (mostly) non-productive time of their life, which can be used better way, was usually wasted in make documentations, following exit process and sitting ideal as new assignments are not existent. I had served 3 full notice in my life (approximately 6 months of my life). Many guys lose a chance to win extra bucks (joining bonuses & incentives) as they cannot do it without paying penalties in the current job.

Few lucky guys get an offer and the company asks them to leave immediately with full pay. Such lucky guys even get joining bonus from the next company. Well, such cases are rare 1 in 100 resignees (I assume).

The story of "Thank God I'm Fired" is there story of one such lucky guy. The protagonist of the story is Raghav, a software professional with a non-circuit branch. He found himself a misfit in his IT job. He got fired a minute before he could send his resignation. Do read the book to know why he wanted to resign.

The feeling of nostalgia didn't leave me while reading the book. Those noisy cafeterias, tea shop outside offices, long hours in cubical and boring full house meetings, the list is endless. It reminded me of those guys who keep finding startup ideas which he never is going to try for himself. I like motivational lines used in stories at various places. The way Raghav found out his passion and his dedication to giving it a try.

It is a short read with a fast-paced narrative. You may finish this little guy in 1-2 hours.

3.5 for a refreshing read.

Book links - Goodreads, Amazon & Flipkart