There is a
current trend to blend ancient Indian history and religious events with
fiction. Few to mention are Scion of Ikshvaku, The Seal of Surya, Ajaya, The
Curse of Brahma, The Mahabharata Secret etc. This book, "The Curse of Surya"
clearly stands out of all those for the very reason that it takes a peculiar
(and hence unexpected) piece from Krishna's life related to Shyamantaka and
presents it to its readers in a form blended with a thriller. Shyamantaka is
usually a known jewel to all the people of India, especially, the Hindus. But,
the details they know are very limited (the term they includes me too) - it ends at
the fight between Krishna and Jāmbhavān, Krishna taking Shyamantaka and
Jāmbhavān gifting Krishna his daughter Jāmbhavati.
Interwoven with
connecting the events of a reporter, an investigator, and a smuggler to the
precious gem, this book is exemplary in this category of books. The depiction
of various historical happenings you see in this book speaks volumes on the
amount of research that Dev Prasad has done. The way the author connects the
northern part of the nation to the west is amazing (Mathura to Dwarka). I had
to really search in Google Maps to understand the demography explained in this
book on Dwarka, Okha, Bet Dwarka, Pancha Teerth etc., I also had to use Google
to understand Vajranābha and his relation to Krishna and Dwarka to understand
the connection better. The language used in this book is a fine example of how
best one can narrate the set of historical events in the current scenario when
combining with fiction. Everyone will like the humor sprinkled throughout the
book. Frankly, it is not really easy to introduce subtle humor in a serious
book like this. Two things I would like to call out. "I will have a black coffee with lots of milk and sugar" and
when SP Shenoy gets disturbed by a late night call from SP Nisha, he says "I guess I am destined to take orders from
women."
There are few
questions that will naturally arise in any reader's mind that could have been
explained or connected better: who really
changed the Krishna idol in the box to AK47, how the old man Blanchard reached the old dusty library and Nisha
trusting him first, how can anyone go on
without having any food for so long (I understand it is quite normal in
fiction, but the tedious explorations that David & Sangeeta undertakes
(like scuba diving) need quite some energy!),
what is Kathoria's real role etc. Further, from my limited knowledge,
Sanskrit is one beautiful and peculiar language that maintains the meaning
unchanged, even if the words are shuffled. So, I don't really understand the
need for rearranging the words in the final set of clues at the Shankhodara
Teerth Temple (based on numbers). Also, a normal reader might experience a
slowdown when he reads that the second search based on the first set of clues
results in another knot to be untied.
The next set of
events will ensure the book continues to keep you interested and surprised.
Being a techie, I especially like the final part where the author connects the
set of events with tsunami (the highlight here is that there is a lot of
technical explanations for tsunami). Overall, a well-conceived, superbly
narrated fiction that lives up to and beyond what it promises on the back side
of the book "Fast-paced and gripping, The Curse
of Surya will keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat while you unravel
one of the biggest mysteries in 5000 years."
Sure, these 300
pages are going to keep you seated on the edge, entertained until you finish
it, as they did to me.
Landmark: http://www.landmarkonthenet.com/the-curse-of-surya-by-anonymous-books-9788184006223-30228728/
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are strictly
personal and not influenced by any other person.
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