Monday, December 16, 2019

A Useful Death by Sriram Chellapilla (Book Review)









Book details 

Title – A Useful Death 
Author –Sriram Chellapilla 
Genre – Fiction
Publisher – Westland

No of pages – 416

This book is available at Amazon & Flipkart


Main characters – Partha, Seema, Harish, Varaprasad, Mohan Krishna
Other characters – Student Union Leaders, Prof. Hussain, etc.

Blurb from the book 

Aspiring actress Priya is dead. It’s a suicide, and rumor has it that Anil, son of a politician and former Telugu-movie superstar Mohan Krishna, drove her to it. Just another film-industry scandal? Or something bigger, much bigger?

Partha, hired by Mohan Krishna’s family to handle the crisis, thinks so. Why won’t such a powerful father defend his son, Partha wonders? Is there an intra-family war? Whose interests are playing out in the media and on social media? Is a political game afoot or is this all connected to Mohan Krishna’s own dubious past? And why are student unions getting involved?

Book Review 
The book opens with the scene of aspiring actress Priya’s suicide (at least it looks like though) but it takes you to enjoy the ride full of twists and turns. The author has taken a lot of effort to make each chapter interesting by giving vivid descriptions of various events. Priya is dead and Partha (Former journalist) is approached by Mohan Krishna’s family to help them solve the mystery of her death as their son is accused of murder. Now, Partha, Seema, and Harish are trying to solve this puzzle with their various tricks. Till the end of this book, you are forced to think who could be the culprit. The author has successfully maintained the curiosity of the murder as you keep questioning yourself about the murderer. 

You doubt the intention of each character from this story like Varaprasad’s sudden disappearance from the crime scene, student union leaders’ strange behavior and reaction towards Priya’s death or whether Partha and his team are genuine enough to unravel the mystery or are they trying to cover up for Mohan Krishna’s family. 

You will be entertained with every new twist in the story as you move on to the next chapter. A crime thriller from an Indian author brings a fresh breath of air in Indian literature! 

The Best Part 
The angle of the story is not something new but it is highly entertaining as the author keeps you hooked with his twists and turns. 
The Not-So-Good Part 
Very lengthy, unnecessary descriptions can be a turn off for readers! 

The Writing Style 
The language is simple and uncomplicated. Any reader can easily connect with the story. 

The Book Cover & the Title 
The title justifies the story. However, the book cover could have been more appealing. 

Rating 
4/5

Recommendable to those who enjoy reading crime thrillers!




Saturday, May 25, 2019

The Peshwa – War of the Deceivers by Author Ram Sivasankaran (Book Review)
















Title – The Peshwa – War of the Deceivers
Author – Ram Sivasankaran
Genre – Fiction
Publisher – Westlandbooks
No of pages – 467

This book is available at Amazon Flipkart Crossword & Snapdeal






Main characters – Bajirao Peshwa, Aadil Shah, Anamik, Rasool, Bangash, Nizaam Ul Mulk, Mastani, Hari

Other Characters – Kashibai, Shripat, Maharaja Chhatrasal, Bhani, and many 

The Blurb

Seven years have passed since Peshwa Bajirao Bhat annihilated the Nizam’s armies at Fort Mandu. The two forces have been engaged in attacks and skirmishes ever since. Acting on the advice of his right-hand man, the mysterious Anaamik Dabhade, the Peshwa now sets about laying a trap to truly ensnare the Mughals, and break their might.

The Empire, of course, has methods of its own. And Nizam Ul Mulk is itching for an opportunity to exact revenge of the formidable Bajirao. With assassins, saboteurs, and criminals infiltrating the Maratha lands, the Mughal Empire scores as many victories in the night as the Peshwa does during the day.
Meanwhile, in the far reaches of the country, set ablaze by the never-ending conflict between these major powers, a Sikh warlord, a Rajput king, and a Bundela princess find themselves increasingly tangled up in the endgame that will determine the very course of history. It is a battle of wits and skill, and the greatest deceiver of them all will prevail.

The Review

If you have read the first installment of the Peshwa series by Ram Sivasankaran, I am damn sure your hopes were high as soon as the second book came out. And voila! What a masterpiece again by Ram Sivasankaran who has killed it with astonishing writing skills. Here’s what I felt while reading this book (at the same time, I am extremely sorry to write this review with extreme delay)

The story continues 7 years later in which Peshwa has defeated Nizam’s armies at Fort Mandu. Peshwa’s several victories have made him extremely popular among his armies as well as his people. By this time, he has proven his capability and invincibility as a soldier and true Maratha patriot. Apparently, everything seems alright in his state on the surface. However, scorpions have already begun their tactics by going underground in the form of riots, fire, and accidents in small villages. Peshwa knew it was scorpions who were trying to spread terror among common people. However, he did not know what to do. On the other hand, all his servicemen suspect Anamik (commonly known as Cobra) behind all this ruckus. Throughout the book, you will realize the real identity of Cobra is intact only to reveal at the end of a few pages of the novel.

This novel is all about unraveling the journey of twisted fates and intriguing mysteries. The author has left no stone unturned to weave this novel by blending with historical facts and his mind-blowing imagination. With his simple yet impactful writing skills, Ram Sivasankaran has created a masterpiece for sure. There are several reasons why should you read this novel:

Solely for entertainment    

If seeing a love story of Bajirao Mastani wasn’t enough for you and has always been curious about Peshwa dynasty, then you should read ‘The Peshwa – War of the Deceivers’.     It is an unputdownable book that you will regret if you don’t read it. The author has peppered the plot with a lot of interesting mysteries and has portrayed all characters so well- you can a whole plot in your mind. No, I am not boasting. I really could imagine each scene while I was reading this book. Bajirao’s intensity for his folks and mind-boggling tactics to win lands has left an indelible mark in our Marathi history. The author simply makes you swoon over this novel by his solid art of depiction when he portrays characters or action-packed sequences.

At one point, the story becomes intensely interesting that you won’t even want to go to the loo or take a popcorn break. It is like watching a movie on Netflix or something where you have an option to pause but you don’t want to. The chapter number 27 titled, ‘No Ghosts but the Ones We Made’ is extremely spellbinding as if you’re seated in a multiplex and a very mysterious scene is happening right in front of your eyes.

Mysteries after mysteries

Don’t we enjoy a mysterious sequence that seems never-ending and grip-tightening? We love the thrill. It’s that novel that will keep your bind with mysteries after mysteries. The identity of the younger brother of Bajiroa Peshwa, Chimaji Appa Bhat, doesn’t get unfold until you reach to the epilogue of this book. Then again, you have an exciting episode titled ‘The Second Son’ wherein the planning and plotting between Venkoji, Maharaja of Tanjavur and Pandit Kashiraj and many other revelations followed by their conversations will excite you further.

Characters

A true writer knows how characters play an important role in story building. The author wins full marks in depicting each character as you could imagine each role getting developed in front of your eyes. Be it Rasool, Aadil, Mastani, Bajirao or Chimaji, you’ll enjoy a surreal ride of these historical characters. In school days, we all know how history used to be a boring subject but turn a few historical pages into fiction and you’ll want to read more of it.

The Book cover and the title

The book cover and the title both are apt given the story theme. The author’s name is enough that you’ll pick up and read this book.
Undoubtedly, this is one of the best historical fictions that I’ve ever written and I absolutely recommend this book to all of you.

About the author


The author Ram Sivasankaran, was born in Madras, India, but has spent most of his life abroad – largely in the Middle East and the United States of America.
Ram makes his debut with a historical novel, The Peshwa (The Lion & the Stallion), portrays the timeless character, Bajirao Bhat, Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy.

To know more about the author, visit https://twitter.com/ramsivasankaran


Missed reading the review of The Peshwa: The Lion & the Stallion, click here: First Part of The Peshwa 

Saturday, February 16, 2019

The Watchmaker and Time (Book Review)












Title – The Watchmaker and Time
Author – Devang Kanavia
Genre – Fiction
Publisher – Embassy Books
No of pages – 115




The book is available at Amazon




The Blurb
Pedro’s love for watches was born out of a strange incident in his childhood. Over the years he has become one of the most renowned watch designers in the world also holding the title, ‘the Maestro of Time’. One fine day, he gets challenged by his granddaughter on the fundamentals of Time. Unable to answer her innocent questions, he realizes that all his life he had been creating watches but had failed to understand what Time was all about. He gets on to an interesting journey in search of answers. The journey unfolds with the puzzles of his past guiding him ahead as one after the other his beliefs start getting shattered. Will the puzzles of his past ever let him get to the future? Will he ever find out the true essence of Time? Join this watchmaker in his enriching and thought-provoking journey in search of time.

Book Review

There are lots of mysteries in this world and the mystery about time is the theme of this book. Although I would have loved to get entangled in the web of mysteries this one I have surely not enjoyed.

The story is about an old watchmaker named Pedro. Since childhood, he was very much fascinated about watches which soon became his profession. He was famous in his city for his exquisite watches and his business has been flourishing ever since he has started. However, he has been seeking answers about the eternity watch which was given to him by the old man whom he met in Stonehenge. He has made so many watches in his life but he is unable to solve the mystery of this eternity watch. He tried to reopen and study the mechanism of the watch but all his efforts were vain.

He couldn’t get directions and he soon started feeling helpless. He thought that he would never solve the mystery of endlessly ticking of the eternity watch. But his granddaughter kept him asking questions that gave him a direction. It gave him zest to find the truth behind his mysterious dreams, about the old man and the watch.

The story keeps revolves around the eternity watch. The story’s beginning and an end also were as eternal as the watch. Even though the concept was intriguing but it failed to capture my attention. I couldn’t understand the purpose behind the plot.

The writing is extremely plain and simple. The concept was about ‘time’ and one if could see at the different concepts of time as time reflects many emotions of life, the author could have done it better by using descriptive and narrative writing.

I was lost in the concept as I couldn’t understand what exactly the author wanted to convey to his readers.

Time can indicate many things. Time is life. Time is money and time is a true reflection of our life. The author tried to end the novel by an unexpected twist but when I read the chapter wherein Pedro goes back to the same place when he was a child, I already knew the end of the novel.

Overall, the theme was great but the author failed to give justice to it. The plot was pacing with lots of loopholes.

The book cover and the title
The title of the book is very direct. It’s a no-brainer title and the book cover doesn’t make that enticing as well.

My rating 3/5
For the efforts taken by the author, I give 3 stars to this book.    

About the author
Devang Kanavia is a passionate stroyteller who ventured into the world of writing with his firstr book, Best Sellers: Because Everything is About Selling. A notable speaker and leadership coach, Devang is a versatile author with a perfect blend of science and philosophy. In The Watchmaker and Time, he explores one of the most enigmatic subjects, Tome and weaves a delightful and thought-provoking tale unravelling the mystery of time.

To know more, visit: Facebook

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