Book Review: Jambudvipa

Historical fiction is one of the genres that has developed at speed because of the talented writers and their writing efforts. With the right flavor of mythology, the work becomes a reading experience that the readers enjoy from the moment they lay their hands on the book. Every work is a magnum opus in itself and has a thorough potential to keep readers attracted and engrossed in the narrative from cover to cover. Arpit Bharat’s debut work, “Jambudvipa: The drift of Bodhidharma,” is an example that be quoted to be never forgotten in this regard. Bharat’s work is a product of the author’s thorough research and ability to mould historical content in the frame of fiction and present it to the readers gracefully and fascinatingly.

As “Jambudvipa” begins, the readers can find the traces of history and the events that have influenced human civilization and what bears the fragment of history effortlessly. On this canvas, Bharat develops characters that are blended with characteristics of both fiction and reality, and the frequent narrative shifts make sure that they stand out as individual personalities. Every event described leaves lasting impressions on the readers’ minds, and the presence of an omniscient narrator also brushes up the readers' facts. Through his debut work, Bharat gives a potent introduction of his skills as a writer and as his ability to form fictional content out of facts and information available to him.

The readers who are interested in reading fictional work with a blend of history and mythology can pick Bharat’s “Jambudvipa” without any second thoughts and be assured of the promising writer that he would be even for his future work. Along with a well-constructed plot that develops at its own pace, the readers are also likely to find the impressive growth of the character of Vasantsena and also witness how she is a clear example of a round character. With frequent references to characters created in other mythological books, Bharat’s work stands next to the greats who already are the spearheads of this genre in literary writing.

Book Review: The Demons of Jaitraya

Indian mythology and epics are rich with diversity and many loopholes for artists to create marvels and write works that would spark the readers' interest right from their titles. “The Demons of Jaitraya” by Shubira Prasad is an example that can be mentioned here. As intense as the title, equally exceptional is the book cover. The readers are instantly attracted to the book and are prompted to read it at once.

Prasad constructs a world that is an offspring of the post-Ramayan war scenario. The characters are shown to live their lives in the present day, and with a touch of destiny, they acquire their destined roles when the time calls for it. The readers get engrossed in “The Demons of Jaitraya” the moment they begin reading the prologue. Prasad’s style is characteristic of the dreaminess of the plot and making the readers more and more enthusiastic. It also has an air of divinity that pervades the atmosphere of the book from the first page itself. She resorts to frequent shifts of narratives and swings the dialogues between the first and third person as per the requirement of the text. This frequent change of narratives also shifts the positions of the readers where at one time they are directly involved in the action, and the next moment, they are distant.

“The Demons of Jaitraya” is likely to appeal instantly to people who are fond of mythological reading and also those who intend to venture into this booming genre of Indian literary writing. Prasad creates a unique space for herself due to the language that she uses and the patience with which she builds the fabric of the book. She takes time in building up the characters and also share minute details that would otherwise slip from the observation of the readers. The lives of people, how things change for the better, how these changes bring out the necessary changes in human beings, and how time chisels the hidden qualities of human beings would be some of the basic observations of the readers. Apart from this, another observable characteristic of the work is the naming of the chapters. Prasad keeps the titles short and crisp, and even if they say everything, there is a lot hidden to be unveiled. It also shows the research and homework the author did before giving words to her thoughts. The readers are likely to remain engaged throughout the book and would only want to keep coming back to reread the book. 

Book Review: Unmarry Me

Human emotions have always been a complex realm of exploration and explaining for even specialists in the field. Many writers have attempted to give words to the most complex feelings, and in the process, they created marvels that can never be forgotten. “Unmarry Me” by Vani Kabir is a book perhaps one of its kind, which focuses on life being merely a combination of black and white and everything else oscillating somewhere in between it. The cover of the book is an accurate introduction to this thought.

As simple as the title sounds, equally complicated are the different states of mind that the author has explored in the book. Somewhere in between writing poetry, she creates a poetic style of her own, which sometimes takes the shape of prose or merely a few lines. This book is like a counseling session that presents challenging situations every person may have gone through and can instantly relate to. To solidify her thoughts about strength and courage, the author uses illustrations that only depict that nothing is unconquerable; the only requirement is of the desire and intention to make better things happen. Many people are unable to give words or express the emotional states they have. This book can be beneficial to them and can counsel them through the healing process. Hence, there is no need to recommend “Unmarry Me” to any particular category of readers. Even readers of non-fiction can try reading this book due to the honesty it shows and dares to show the reality on the face of it.

Book Review: Magical Mythology

Indian epics and myths have such a richness that artists find loopholes here and there to explore their creative abilities and artistic talents, which leads to the creation of a whole new foundation based on the basic structure. One such marvel of creation of Stuti Gupta’s book “Magical Mythology: Fascinating Stories of Epic Characters.” Although the author’s intention may have been to create a universe that was meant for children, it has a thorough potential of involving adults and grown-up readers with the same zeal.

Along with engaging stories that set the imagination of a reader to fire, the author has dexterously used ample illustrations, and at the end of the stories, there is a one liner which can be called, ‘moral of the story.’ Gupta’s work comes after 2 of her other books, and here, she displays the maturity in handling the content that ensures that the work to become popular among all readers.

Book Review: Midnight Writers

When “Tottel’s Miscellany” was published, no one could have thought the form it would take after more than 450 years of its publication. Yet, as times have changed, the universality of human expression has not changed and continues to be reflected in the modern work of “Midnight Writers: A Collection of the Finest Poetry, ” which is edited and compiled by Muskan Srivastava. This anthology has given young writers a platform to showcase their talents and abilities of crafting works that give a powerful description of the many things that go on in a person’s mind.

“Midnight Writers” features poets who display a variety of emotions and states of turmoil that a human goes through, and even if the majority of poets are young, they still display their talents which would only blossom into better and better writings as they continue to write in the future. From the soothing sight of the cover to the last pages of activities set, the collection comes across as a work having the potential to give a relaxing experience to the mind.

In the collection of 81 poems, “Dusk To Dawn,” by Priya Kulkarni, “The Waves and I” by Sehaf Haq, “Unrequited Love,” “Divorce” by Laiba Sohail, “Adoration” by Kristina Kerber, “Graveyard to Heaven” by Ruchika Sharma, “The Unknown Path” by Deeksha Raina are just a handful of poems that can only give a brief idea to what the collection has in store for the readers. There are numerous other poems that explore a variety of content and strike the right chord with the emotions of the readers every now and then. In their attempt of exploration, the poems share the reality on the face of it. Such verses include “Cry” by Kunika Rawlani, “I Wish To Create a Monster” by Christian Scully, “Women” by Madhurya Kommuri, “The Woman” by Deeksha Raina and many others.

True of its title, “Midnight Writers” is about the musings and thoughts that could only occur when a person is in a pensive mode in a time when there silence all around, or “far from the madding crowd” as Thomas Gray would call it. Srivastava has chosen the poems and placed them one after the other with care and attention to details. This makes the work of a fine quality and gives it the potential to give a good reading experience to poetry lovers. The simplicity of language and the crispness of thoughts are the other salient features of the collection. The volume is likely to find instant favor and interest of the readers who like reading meditative poetry born out of deep, reflective, and raw thoughts.

Book Review: The Facade

The literary genres of mystery and thriller are perhaps the only two genres that can give a rush of a variety of emotions in the readers at the same time. They can not help but feel multiple emotions at the same and also have nail-biting moments that would not just give them chills but also keep them rooted and fixed to the books they read. One such anthology replete with such experiences and powerful content is “The Facade,” edited and compiled by Rashi Aggarwal. The title is short, crisp, and precisely describes the content that is to follow.

The anthology features young, talented, and promising writers who showcase their potential to become literary giants in the coming times. Their style of writing and narration takes the readers’ minds on a spin, and they are unable to keep their hands off the book even for a moment. The authors opt to keep the stories short, but even in limited space, they pack all possible ideas to involve the readers are close as they can. 

The anthology features 19 stories but they are more than enough to raise the imagination of the readers to higher levels when almost every story is left on a note of suspense with deliberately left loose threads here and there. This is one of the features that adds to the charm of “The Facade,” and introduces the readers to the different sides and stories of life that may have otherwise been left unsaid. Some stories like the three parts of “Turning of Abigail Frost” by Shel Henderson make sure that the readers find themselves biting their nails and being lost in wonderland trying to understand the baffling situations they are put into. Other such powerful tales include “The Façade” by Rashi Aggarwal, “The Last Move” by Suraj Singh Sisodia, “Cheating” by Dr. Anurag Awasthi and many others. The editor has carefully chosen the stories and placed them one after the other with prudence. Readers who are fond of works giving them chills down their spines should take “The Facade,” for reading.

Book Review: The Forgotten Sagas

History, mythology, and fantasy are the genres in literary writing that can never lose favor among writers or readers. The present time is where everyone shares a rich history of myths, legends, and events that shaped the fragment of today. As there was not a much-written record of many things in the earlier days, it becomes everyone’s duty to protect that heritage and preserve it for future generations. A team of young writers does this effort in this direction in Trisha Saxena’s edited and complied anthology, “The Forgotten Sagas: Tales of Verses of Aeons.”

The title has been chosen very wisely as from here that the readers are prepared to read and know many facts, myths, and legendary tales that otherwise they may be unaware of. Saxena places the contributions of the young writers in a skillful manner. By the time the readers complete the first few presentations of the first section, they are in the grip of the text as a whole and cannot keep “The Forgotten Sagas” away. Stories like “Nacheli- The Bare Truth” by Manoj Vaz, “Limitless” by Aruna Parandhama, “The Kingdom of Sheraghati” by Prajwal Shukla, and others lay the foundation stone of the series of sagas that may have been forgotten over time, but due to the efforts of the young writers, they may rise from the ashes like a phoenix only to remain in the memory of the readers. Other than these, “The Forgotten Sagas” features a lot of work not just in prose but has the presence of poetic works here and there. All of them have uniqueness and style of their own, but to name a few that the readers would hold on to include “Greek Mystique” by Udita Pendse, “The Unsent Letters” by Dia Mehta, Belle by Rhea Sethi, and many others. Other vital works in this regard that are worth mentioning include “The One” by Arjun Naik, “The Unfolded Myth” by Afreen Fatima, “The Lost Lessons” by Swadha Agrawal, and others. The readers would have their personal favorites as they read through. 

“The Forgotten Sagas” is one of the few books that can be re-read by readers time and again, whether in the form of a bedtime story or a tea-time partner. Every prose or poetic piece is a universe in itself and makes the readers want to know more about what the writers are writing about. They may have heard of them here and there, but the author’s contributions may help them join the dots of unknown facts. The cherry on the top is the language and the narrative technique that has been used. This makes it easier for the readers to understand the text, remain entertained and interested at the same time. The readers are likely to find a lot of captivating and striking content that will hold the readers’ attention and make them aware of the hidden facts and stories, which may be the life and blood of the places and towns they have not visited.