Book Review - Satyayoddha Kalki - Eye of Brahma

If you ask me to give 5 best Indian Mythological fiction title that I have read, the Kalki has made it place the moment I read part 1 (Dharmayoddha Kalki: Avatar of Vishnu). So along with Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi, Vikramaditya Gatha by Shatrujeet Nath, Ajaya by Anand Neelakantan, and Sangram Sindhu Gatha by Vivek Kumar, Avatar of Vishnu by Kevin Missal is part of my personal favorite and must-have & must-recommended category book. We waited almost 1 year for this awaited sequel. So here I am discussing book 2 (Satyayoddha Kalki: Eye of Brahma)

Book Blurb

After a defeat at the hands of Lord Kali, Kalki Hari must journey towards the Mahendragiri mountains with his companions to finally become the avatar he is destined to be.

But the road ahead is not without peril . . .

Not only is he trapped by the cannibalistic armies of the Pisach, he is also embroiled in the civil war of the Vanars. And in midst of all this, he meets a face from the legends.

Meanwhile, Manasa, the sister of the late Vasuki, plots to overthrow Lord Kali by bringing a massive war to his kingdom. But Naagpuri, her homeland, has been infiltrated by their sworn enemy, the Suparns. Not only does she need to protect her kingdom from the Suparns, she must also protect her close ones from the league of conspirators at her own home. Who can she really trust? And will she be able to put an end to Lord Kali’s rule?

As the plot thickens and Lord Kali sees his ambition crushed right before his eyes, he comes to know about his race and its history that threatens to destroy the very fabric of this world’s reality.

Kalyug has begun.

Can Kalki become the avatar in time before it finally unfolds?

Will Manasa fight through the internal politics to bring an invasion against Lord Kali?

Can the secret that changes everything change Lord Kali as a person too?

This part started with multiple subplots.

1. Kalki's travel towards Mahendragiri hills - He was accompanied by Kripa &  Padma. As usual tragedy and adventure followed them. They met some ancient tribes.
2. Arjan's Imprisonment - Capture by Kali's force, Arjan was imprisoned & forced to entertained royals by means of the duel. He was mentally harassed by Kali.
3. Kali's sister's attempt to reveal her assistant's true motive & in that process met with a new ally, daughter of Indragrah. She also wanted to help Arjan.
4. Manasa's entry into the Naga Kingdom. She found her country in turmoil of civil war. Her brother's family was assassinated by Suparnas. She needed to overcome this obstacle if she wanted to take revenge on Kali.

Above are just a portion of the first half of the book, "The Coup of Indragrah". The second part "The Dandak Rebellion" has its own subplots. In short, you cannot put down the book before finishing it.

Rarely you will find a story woven with multiple important characters and their part in it. The author has wonderfully portrayed his imaginary world and glued readers to the same. Each story flows so smoothly and merged with another story that you hardly felt ripples. It is very difficult to create so many characters and let them play their part. And if you can do it properly your work will be revered, same is the case here. Wonderful characterization, smooth flow, clear progression, easy to follow language and pack with action mystery what else you would need from a book. A book story worth having cult or fan following.

Ratings

1. Cover - 4/5
2. Concept - 5/5
3. Character - 5/5
4. Overall - 5/5

Book can be found at - Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Check out book review of Kavach of Surya by Surendra Nath

This is the first time we are publishing a review of the same book twice. But with due respect, if I see the mammoth efforts the author has given to bring out the best/most reader preferred book, we are providing another review. Seriously you will find many authors (best selling one) who publish books every 3-6 months, sometimes even with flawed plots. Surendra Nath has actually published a beta book, through beta reviews, he made necessary changes to the book and almost after 2.5 years of hard work, he came up with the actual book.

Book Blurb

Karna could never have lost the final battle to Arjuna had he not given away his Kavach (armour) and Kundal (earrings) that were a gift from his father, Surya. The armour rendered Karna invincible against any foe. 

We are in the 21st century. What if someone can find that armour today? 

Vasu, a resolute man, sets out to retrieve the Kavach-Kundal. To guide him Karna himself turns up from the past. The hunt takes them to the Himalayas in the North, Dwarka in the West, Rameshwaram in the South and Konark in the East. And at each leg, they have to surmount hurdles of catastrophic proportions. 

And Vasu is not the only one interested in this quest. A dubious character gets on Vasu’s trail and casts traps on his path. The young and charming Sahar, a marine archaeologist, joins Vasu to help him in the race. 

Join Vasu and Sahar in this thrilling adventure to know why the armour was all that potent, and if it still exists.

Coming to the story part, the book started with the quick recap of Karna's alter ego then it's focus shifted to the main theme of the story. We all know that Karna lost his celestial armor (Kavach and Kundal) to Indra by deceit. Karna never regretted losing it. We don't know what happened to Kavach and Kundal after that. Our story is based on the finding of these Kavach-Kundal. Our protagonist Vasu wanted to locate this magical parts and use it for the greater good. Vasu ventured out for this treasure hunt with Karna's spirit. Armour belongs to Mahabharata time so Vasu had to find the connection with that era. Cholangitis or Immortals became guiding stones for Vasu in his missing. He met few Cholangitis and learned good things from them. During his search, he found out that he was not the only person looking for Kavach-Kundal. There are few people who knew these facts and wanted Kavach-Kundal for their selfish purpose. Well, Vasu will succeed at the end directly or indirectly but how he will do it is all about the book. Read this book to know more.

The book is written in easy language and medium pace. Treasure hunt parts were written with slow pace & action thriller parts were written with a fast pace. Minor drawbacks that we found in mythological facts and plot in the previous edition are corrected in this part. I was able to turn page after page without getting bored or disinterested even for a moment.

If you compare this review with our previous review, you will find that all/most of the weak point discussed in the beta edition are corrected. I have mentioned the point of cover design which is also changed and the latest cover is eye-catching, sure shot pick for thriller buffs.

Talking about ratings

1. Cover - 4/5
2. Title - 4/5
3. Concept - 4/5
4. Content - 3.5/5
5. Character - 4/5
6. Overall - 4/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness - The Little Book of Stoicism - Book Review

Every year while making resolution of reading activity, we specifically give % of books/pages to be read for different language/genre than our comfort zone. We also give certain % books/slot assigned to foreign authors as variation/diversity brings new ideas/information for us. Till now we have tried biographies, parenting, memoirs, business cases/concepts, even, and semi herbology, but philosophy is the first time for us. Frankly speaking, I was not aware of the word (subject) in detail when I first saw the cover & title. I did Google to get more idea. Description of the word was related to philosophy so I said yes as with just one book I can tick mark non-fiction and foreign author both. So this is how I landed up to this book.

Book Blurb

“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?”

– Epictetus, Stoic philosopher

Where can you find joy? Gain strength? How should we face our fears? Deal with the death of a loved one? And what about those reoccurring depressing thoughts?

While traditional schooling doesn’t address such questions, it’s exactly what ancient schools of philosophy were all about: They taught you how to live. Even though these schools don’t exist anymore, you and I and most people are in as much need of a philosophy that guides us through life as we ever were.

This compelling, highly actionable guide shows you how to deal more effectively with whatever life throws at you and live up to your best self.

A mix of timeless wisdom and empowering advice, The Little Book of Stoicism will point the way to anyone seeking a calm and wise life in a chaotic world.

Another reason why we selected this book was the word "The Little Book" I thought it would be a quick read. But I was proved wrong, just like the time of "Art of War" by Sun Tzu. 

The first part (15-20%) covers the basic idea of what is stoicism. And why one should read this book. Those who are not sure what the book is all about can make a judgment by checking the first chapter. This section covers some ancient (Roman/Greek) preacher (yes because they observed the same values in life). It covers how the concept came into existence and how it evolved and declined during the spread of the Christian religion. Follow by that comes basic concepts explanation of some fundamental stoicism fellowship. Largely divided into two parts, what is good (positive) and bad (negative energy) and how it effect us. The gem of the book is 55 practice of stoicism. I personally liked this part most. Well, I did not agree or cannot observe all these practices, I have listed down few which I liked and would not mind following as well.

• Accept and love whatever happens
• Consider everything borrows from nature
• Negative Visualization - Foreseeing bad stuff. I somehow follow this from a very young age
• Win at what matters
• Blame your expectation
• Othr-ized This is something new I learned from this book
• What do you have to show for your years?
• Pity rather than blame the wrongdoer

These practices actually talk about real-world behavior (rather than plan theory). Many of them are situational practices as well. This part covers around 60% and I think its justified. Without them, the book might be plain philosophy 1.0 class reference book. A good point is you may skip practice if you are not comfortable with it (I skipped a few), they can be read in random order. You may skip earlier chapters and directly take these.

Overall, ignoring the slow beginning of the book is a great read. I would give

1. Cover - 4/5
2. Content - 4/5
3. Overall - 4/5

Book can be found at Amazon India & Amazon USA

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Author website: www.njlifehacks.com

The Last Avatar - Age of Kalki - Multi-genre Action Packed Thriller - a Must Read

If I am not wrong then we have more than 5 books on Ashoka & his secret cult, we have more than 5 books on Kalki avatar. That doesn't mean we are done with the subject/genre, we keep looking out for more books on those topics. Among the books we have seen, "The Last Avatar - Age of Kalki" by Vishwas Mudagal is the first book we encountered which is an amalgamation of Kalki and Secret cult of Ashoka. So we were bound to get this book. Frankly speaking, leave aside plot, we were thoroughly impressed by just cover art. We belonged to a group of bookworms who still select 70-80% books by its cover and title. So that is the story of how the book landed in our hand.

Book blurb

FROM THE ASHES OF THE WORLD, A HERO MUST RISE

In the not-so-distant future, India has fallen and the world is on the brink of an apocalyptic war. An attack by the terrorist group Invisible Hand has brutally eliminated the Indian Prime Minister and the union cabinet.

As a national emergency is declared, chaos, destruction and terror reign supreme. From the ashes of this falling world, rises an unconventional hero – a vigilante known only as Kalki. Backed by a secret society called The Rudras, Kalki, along with Nushen, the Chinese superhuman spy, must do the impossible to save his country, and the world.

But who is Kalki? A flesh-and-blood crusader with a mysterious past? Or the Messiah the world has been waiting for? The future of human survival depends on a single man. Will he become the living God prophesied as the last avatar of Lord Vishnu, or will he fade away as an outlaw?

Coming to the story part, our protagonists are Neel known as Kalki a shadow warrior, a savior of modern India, and Nushen known as the goddess of China, born as an experiment, hardcore war-machine, genetical superior human. In near future, where advancement was spread in all field, a terrorist group, Invisible Hand, wanted to enslave the whole world under their knees. They had expanded their roots in almost all countries. They possessed some deadly knowledge stolen from an ancient cult and it's scripture. They wanted to capture something called "War Chest of God". The book started with a semi-chaotic situation of global politics. China was being ruled by a maniac & puppet of Invisible hand. Name of the maniac was Jian, who followed the principal of Genghis Khan. Possible threats to his plan were Kalki & Nushen, who ran away from his clutches the moment he came to the ruling position in China. Read the book to know more.

You might think why I am talking about the only antagonist, well I want to give vibes of interest & challenges that protagonist going to face. You can say that I am deliberately hiding the protagonist. :)

Coming to my take on the book

1. Awesome imagination - Be it the technology of drones, nuke shield, Ashtra group or Rudra
2. A sure-shot page-turner - The book is packed with action, thriller & technology
3. Amalgamation of mythology, technology, and war thriller. A unique combination
4. Character building - Be it Kalki (Neel), Nushen or Jian. A proper thought process & psychological support is provided
5. Easy to follow language & straight narration style
6. An ideal pick for 16+
7. The chemistry between Kalki & Nushen. And Neel & Arya

Recommended for readers who explore Indian authors. An action-packed thriller based multi-genre concepts.

Ratings

1. Cover - 5/5
2. Characters - 4.5/5
3. Content - 4.5/5
4. Overall - 4.5/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

A Book Review - Mahakavi Kalidas - Ek Ankahi Katha

After going through a series of countless books, I decided this time to actually checkout something in Hindi. A fresco made in water colour like painting of Kalidas with Vidyotama and Malini behind him and a colophon which sort of gave some perspective over his life and a lot of suspense over his death got me eager and I decided to checkout this book.

Book Blurb

महाकवि कालिदास एक ऐसा नाम, एक ऐसा व्यक्तित्व है, जिनके बारे में सारा विश्व सदियों से जानने-समझने के लिए उत्सुक रहा है। समय-समय पर विद्वानों द्वारा उनके महाकाव्य, उनका जन्म काल, उनके जन्म स्थान एवं उनके व्यक्तित्व के बारे में चिंतन, मनन एवं लेखन किया है। जिस तरह सागर के गहराई में छुपे मोतियों को हर मनुष्य पाना चाहता है, उसी प्रकार महान व्यक्ति के व्यक्तित्व एवं जीवनी जानने की लालसा हर मनुष्य के मन में ज्वार-भाटा की तरह हिलकोरें खाती रहती है। महाकवि कालिदास की जीवनी जानने से पहले उनके जन्म काल एवं जन्म स्थान संबंधित रहस्य का पर्दा उठना अत्यन्त आवश्यक है। विद्वानों द्वारा चिंतन मनन करने के उपरान्त उन्हें अलग-अलग प्रांतों एवं अलग-अलग काल का बताया है। मैंने अपने तीन वर्षों के परिश्रम एवं प्रयास के उपरांत अनेकानेक साक्ष्य के अनुरूप उन्हें गुप्तकाल का एवं मिथिला देशवासी प्रमाणित किया है। मैंने साक्ष्य कल्पना एवं अपने अनुभूतियों के माध्यम से उनकी पूरी जीवनी को उनके व्यक्तित्व के अनुकूल एवं अनुरूप अपनी लेखनी में व्यक्त करने का प्रयास किया है। उनका जन्म-स्थान, जन्म-काल, बाल्य-सखा, माता-पिता, गुरूजन, उनकी मूर्खता विद्योत्तमा संग विवाह, उनका अपमानित होना, माँ काली का वरदान, महाकवि का सम्मान,राजनीति इत्यादि। साथ ही उनके जीवन से जुड़े पात्रों की ममता, स्नेह, आर्शीवाद प्रेम, अहंकार, ईर्ष्या, त्याग, क्रोध इत्यादि ने उनके जीवन में किस प्रकार उथल-पुथल मचा दी, इस पुस्तक में वर्णित है। और आरम्भ से अंत तक वो कौन थी जो दूध में जल की तरह थी और उन्हीं के हाथों महाकवि की हत्या? कब? कहाँ? कैसे? क्यों?

“Mahakavi Kalidas...” is a documentary-cum-biography of one of the greatest poets of India, Kalidas. This books is sort of a cinematic summary of his life, his major works, his achievements and ultimately his untimely death.

The initial part of the book focuses on Kalidas’s birth place. The author researched into Kalidas and others to arrive at a conclusion about his birth and life. The next part focusses on scripts from his major works and a brief history behind them. To some extent, we are able to catch the richness of Kalidas’s creation and marvel at the ease with which the author lays it out for us to enjoy. The next major part of the book is his visual biography which narrates Kalidas’s story using creative liberty to set a good plot and give us a mesmerizing inside-look of this life.

The book’s initial part is written in second person perspective and the biography is written in third person narrative. Kalidas’s journey from his days as the dim-witted Matrugupt to the blessed, talented and famous poet and king is portrayed superbly and is kept in focus for most part of this book. Every character is given sufficient detail in the story. The author successfully captures the beauty and mind-set of Vidyotama and Malini and their every emotion ranging from grief, arrogance, penance, love, suffering is penned superbly.  Hemchandra as a repenting and supportive friend is given proper portrayal. King Kumardas’s attachment to Kalidas is depicted superbly. Other characters such as Varruchi, King Viramaditya have been given sufficient space and depiction. 

Personally, I loved the use of original works from Meghdoot, Raghuvansh and Abhigyan Shakuntalam.  I felt the initial focus on his birthplace felt like a drag, but once the story starts the pace sets and plot moves seamlessly. 

In all, Madhu Jha delivers an engaging work that is rich in research and content

Overall Verdict:- A treat for Kalidas fans

My overall rating would be 4/5

Book can be found at Amazon & Flipkart

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

A Book Review - The Curse - A Dystopian Thriller by Randeep Wadehra

I found the details about this book in the mail by TheBookClub. They were conducting book tour for "The Curse - A Dystopian Thriller" by Randeep Wadehra, and that made me check the book in depth. Well, I didn't find many reviews as the book was recently released, but the description was eye-catching. Though genre, dystopia, and blurb were looking out of sync, I decided to take a chance. And finally, here I am discussing it. (Though I am 1-2  weeks late by the schedule, I think it's better late than never)

Book Blurb

Through peace, it’s justice we seek!

The hunter will meet the fate of the hunted

And the mighty will serve the meek!

Twenty years ago, a corrupt President, a greedy industrialist, and a sycophant policeman uprooted the tribal people from their own land and burned their houses. Twenty years later, the Republic of Bodh is in danger from a similar evil troika.

The curse uttered by a frail tribal woman during the carnage twenty years ago has inspired Jwaala, the only female leader in the senate, to reform the Republic of Bodh.

But the same curse has turned Saaya, once an innocent victim of the massacre, into a relentless killing machine with a mission to prey on the predators.

Even when the Republic spirals into a storm of scandals, the greedy and corrupt President Chaupat is torn between his lust for a dancer and his unrequited passion for his wife Kaamini.

Will Saaya succeed in his mission or will Chaupat thwart his efforts?

Will Jwaala, orphaned in a violent attack, be able to turn the curse for the greedy into a blessing for the poor? Will she succeed to save the Republic from another ensuing bloodshed?

The Curse is a gritty political thriller about people who have lost much to greed but want to transform their nation. 

As per blurb, the book was more of a political thriller. So words like corruption, politics confused me. Once I started reading the book, I got cleared. Though the author has used today's India's burning issues in the plot, he had shown them as a part of an imaginary country. A country where the system was in complete jeopardy, where corruption had reached to its roots, where money and power spoke and ruled with ironclad. Amidst that system, rose a savior (for common people) known as Saaya. His ways were extreme, and he claimed that the need of the hour was violence. Then there was a greedy ruling couple (Kind and Queen) and his minister (the most corrupted one). Read the book to know more.

Though the language used is in control, I would recommend that 16+ should read the book. The story is fueled with emotions, it shows how personal gain of few is fulfilled by sacrificing thousands. Saaya in many terms shows those ignored people who needed proper attention. The story is a bit dark and bold, you will find less number of such content, especially in Indian literature. One should read this book if he or she would like to understand human behavior and political dramas.

I would give 4 out of 5 stars to this bold story of love, lust, and greed.

Book can be found at Amazon India & Amazon USA

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads

Book Review - The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma

We always give chance to review the book by other than our team members. In past, we have given chance to more than 5 people and 2 of them are our core member now. So last month when one of my colleagues asked me to give him some good books, I gave him 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma only on one condition that he will provide the review for the same. Well, we both got benefited from this. Se here is the review written by my colleague Raviraj Shah.

Book Blurb

Part manifesto for mastery, part playbook for genius-grade productivity and part companion for a life lived beautifully, the 5 am club is a work that will transform your life. Forever.

Legendary leadership and elite performance expert Robin Sharma introduced The 5 AM Club concept over twenty years ago, based on a revolutionary morning routine that has helped his clients maximize their productivity, activate their best health and bulletproof their serenity in this age of overwhelming complexity.

Now, in this life-changing book, handcrafted by the author over a rigorous four year period, you will discover the early-rising habit that has helped so many accomplish epic results while upgrading their happiness, helpfulness and feelings of aliveness.

Through an enchanting—and often amusing—story about two struggling strangers who meet an eccentric tycoon who becomes their secret mentor, The 5 AM Club will walk you through:

■ How great geniuses, business titans and the world’s wisest people start their mornings to produce astonishing achievements

■ A little-known formula you can use instantly to wake up early feeling inspired, focused and flooded with a fiery drive to get the most out of each day 

■ A step-by-step method to protect the quietest hours of daybreak so you have time for exercise, self-renewal and personal growth

■ A neuroscience-based practice proven to help make it easy to rise while most people are sleeping, giving you precious time for yourself to think, express your creativity and begin the day peacefully instead of being rushed

■ “Insider-only” tactics to defend your gifts, talents and dreams against digital distraction and trivial diversions so you enjoy fortune, influence and a magnificent impact on the world

I admire the writer for attempting a new concept of sharing motivation idea in a fiction way to get readers interested in it. The author has shared a beautiful concept to develop inner power to get external achievements. It also shares how should we develop our inner power by following daily rituals. 5 AM club doesn't only share the benefits of waking up early but it shares how powerful it impacts on our rest day activities. The book helps to develop the habit of rising early and also shares what we should do after waking up. The writer has focused on the importance of phycology, emotions, physical strength and spirituality. He has shared the method of developing it and use it to achieve all our desires.

The concept is beautiful the writer could have avoided fiction story or could have given less focus on it. Many times content deviated from its core point. There were places where the writer got into over-detailing which lost the main point of motivation. It also seems the material could be reduced if the writer could balance the main topic and story. 

I feel one should read the book at least once. If the reader find book heavy, they can avoid starting chapters and jump to later chapters to get the core idea of the book.

I will give 4 out 5 stars to Robin Sharma's 5 A.M. Club.

Book can be found at Amazon India, Flipkart & Amazon USA

Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads