The Secret of the Nagas – Justice Done

Did I say justice done? Well if you are at the beginning of a thriller adventurer narration and you have just reached midway, it is where you start to identifying facts, and the layers in characters. You start having your own images, outline of the end and slowly you lean towards a stage, where you want to know the truth but when you come to know the truth, you are not agreeable or gratifying any more.  It’s the same feeling that I had when I read The Secrets of the nagas.

Writer Amish Tripathi takes our nomad, the tribal Tibetan chief, Shiva, into his next level of choices. As he does, so are you. In each and every layer of the story, the Hindu Mythology, Indian history and geography blend in. So much so that I am forced to question that may be indeed the Gods that we know now are in reality commoners and this is not imaginary.

The mysteries that were dropped in The Immortals of Meluha are explained here. Shiva’s quests eventually grow more and more complex. Readers end living the emotions, fear, and motivations. The Secret of the Nagas was long overdue and highly anticipated sequel, but as the story is blaringly coming to an end, I am having the same mixed feeling as I did when I started reading the magical Harry Potter Series – I don’t like the secrets revealed the stories told and the characters slowly fading, not to exist anymore.

This sequel does not live up to the first book, The Immortals and Meluha, nonetheless it is the fate of any series of books that I have ever read so far. I am a great fan of thriller and adventure books, but those are stories told in a single segment. Hence, a single book records the rise and fall of emotions, the thrill and ultimately the satisfaction of secret being revealed, the quests won and choices made. You cannot expect same from a Saga told through a series of books taken together.

This book has mixed reviews so far in terms of the story narration and the language usage. Without Digging too deep into it, I would say if you have read the first, you won’t be able to live without the second. Nonetheless, don’t expect the same sort of astonishments here.

Immortals of Meluha – Inspiring

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literature

A fast paced story, a story of Lord Shiva from humble beginnings of a Tibetan tribal chief to become the God of all Gods – Mahadev. The story gripped me from the very beginning to the end and kept me wanting for more.

Even if Amish Tripathi has set the story, keeping in view that his characters are as imaginably human as possible, he brilliantly intertwines Hindu beliefs within. This fantasy story opens as a scientific depiction of the myths that we have already heard. For instance, Somras here is actually the fabled Amrit. Besides, there are many and such similar and clever innuendos which you will catch and enjoy putting it together as I did, when I read the story the first time.

If I start describing the brilliance of the writer and his imagination, I would probably end up giving you a large chunk of the story itself. This will be a huge injustice if you have not read the story and reading the review before you read the story.

The story is racy, catchy from the beginning to the end, and this is because of the mysteries that are hidden, because of the characterization done and because you could identify and agree with a lot of overtones and references, if you imagine Mahadev as commoner, who once took the journey and the choices for which he is fabled now. Writer Amish Tripathi actually takes a dig on a hidden assumption in our mind that if two civilization different from one another confront each other, they will be regarding each other evil.

I can only say that when I sat down with The Immortals of Meluha, I made sure I had the second part, The Secret of the Nagas handy. I am eagerly awaiting the third to know what more Amish Tripathi has to offer in terms of his imagination. I want to know more ….

There are theories from my side that I have put in, in my mind and want to make sure that Amish Tripathi surpasses them when he writes. I am sure he will. He is of course as ‘Society’ describes him – “The author taking myth and contemporising it, raising questions about all that we hold true and familiar. The book is (a) marvellous attempt to create fiction from folklore, religion and archaeological facts.” – “The Immortals of Meluha… sees Lord Shiva and his intriguing life with a refreshing perspective… beautifully written creation… Simply unputdownable for any lover of Indian history and mythology.”