Tantra Book Review

Before I got the mail from Bloagadda about tantra being the book up for review, all I knew about it was that there was quite the buzz being created around it. For a newbie writer and his first book, a little promotion is crucial but even then, an animated version of the story is going a little over the top, don’t you think?

I know judging a book by its cover (literally) isn’t right, but sometimes one just gets the feeling of how a certain book will turn out to be and that’s what I feel happened here. My expectations from this book were really low, which as it turns out was a Good thing.

Anyways, as I always do before writing my review, here’s the plot of the said novel, as published on the back cover.

Anu is a leather wearing, no-nonsense professional guardian with a reputation for killing the most dangerous vampires in New York City. But when her enemies murder the one person she truly cared about, all she wants is vengeance. The only clue points to New Delhi, so Anu puts in for a job transfer.

In India, she finds more than she expected. For one thing, her fellow operatives have made a truce with the vampires. For another, it’s way too hot to wear leather.

At first, it seems Anu’s biggest challenge will be evading the nice boys her aunt wants her to marry. But when children start disappearing, she discovers forces older and darker than anything she’s faced before. All of Delhi is in danger, especially the sexy stranger who sets Anu’s pulse racing.

To prepare for the coming battle, Anu must overcome her personal demons and put aside years of training. This time, her most powerful weapon will come from her mind, not her weapons belt.

Now, I don’t have anything against vampires and supernatural elements, but when you decide to combine all the things that have helped sell a book in the past, then we do have a problem my friend!

A dab of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, a hint of Fifty Shades by E L James and also the attempt to bring out a conspiracy theory in the underbelly of Delhi, with the background of black magic, gives you a basic idea of what this book is all about.

Let’s start with our protagonist, Anu Agarwal, a US based Indian Vampire hunter, who is supposedly one of the better ones in her profession and has hunted the most ferocious and dangerous vampires. The first impression here, unlike the other earlier mentioned series, is of an independent, self sufficient, strong and formidable individual. I agree that Anu is physically strong but emotionally, it’s the same saga all over again. Her Character is heartbroken, vengeance seeking and erratic in nature. The decisions and choices, made by her, are juvenile, to say the least, the very least.

The characters, as enjoyable and likeable as they are, leave a lot to the imagination of the reader. Their backgrounds and life stories could have been developed a little more. Also at times the conversations and banter turn monotonous, leaving you wondering why it’s such a slow read.

The author has tried to compose something which will capture our generation’s attention and most probably has achieved in attaining it, considering the reviews that are being written about it. But for me, even though written pretty decently, this book just didn’t do it. I mean the fact that on being given the choice between reading Tantra and studying, I chose my textbooks, says something now, doesn’t it?

The writing style is plain and simple but conversations between the characters shows that the author has tried to imbibe his knowledge of American English and culture even though the story takes place in Delhi. The one thing I really liked about it though was the sense of humour, which kept the book alive for me but also left me wishing for more.

Now even though Anu is a vampire hunter, the vampires are only in the backdrop creating a setting for our protagonist, rather than developing into a full-fledged story.

There are a number of confrontation scenes between Anu and the vampires and the acolytes of Baba Senaka, the antagonist of this book, bringing spice to the narrative.

The author has also managed to put in a little romance here and there for the starry eyed, turning it into a replica, at times, of the books mentioned earlier.

The knowledge about Tantra, the black magic of Indian culture, could have been explained in a better manner. The tales of the past of the various astras seem like something taken from the books of Ashwin Sanghi.

Also, I feel that the ending is rather abrupt and that it could have been better.

The book has left a lot many questions unanswered but that can be accepted since a sequel is hinted at the end.

The plotline of this book suggested a sensible narrative, I mean as sensible as a book based on vampires and the mystical can be, but after reading it, I feel the author got distracted and concocted a mixture of everything and anything which would help the sales of the book.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

The Krishna Key : A Review

As part of the initiative of Blogadda.com Book Review Program, I have become the proud owner of the book, The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi. The rule after receiving the book is to write a review about it within a week of acceptance. So, needless to say, I started reading it as soon as I got it out of the delivery packaging.

To start with I’ll post the book cover summary. I mean, what’s better to give you an idea about the book than the original summary which was published for this purpose only, right?

Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age—the Kaliyug.

In modern times, a poor little rich boy grows up believing that he is that final avatar.

Only, he is a serial killer.

In this heart-stopping tale, the arrival of a murderer who executes his gruesome and brilliantly thought-out schemes in the name of God is the first clue to a sinister conspiracy to expose an ancient secret—Krishna’s priceless legacy to mankind.

Historian Ravi Mohan Saini must breathlessly dash from the submerged remains of Dwarka and the mysterious lingam of Somnath to the icy heights of Mount Kailash, in a quest to discover the cryptic location of Krishna’s most prized possession. From the sand-washed ruins of Kalibangan to a Vrindavan temple destroyed by Aurangzeb, Saini must also delve into antiquity to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice.

I have been an ardent fan of Ashwin Sanghi after reading Chanakya’s Chant, I mean as enthusiastic a person can be after reading the only 2 books available.  

As most readers would know, Ashwin Sanghi is known as the Indian Dan Brown or Dan Brown of India, due to the similarities between their writing styles and thorough research, also the story line or plot of their books seems similar at times.

Coming back to the review of this book, the plot is intriguing but to some extent only.

When I first came to know about the “new release”, I was really excited and maybe that’s one of reasons why I feel disappointed by this book.

I had expected a lot from this book hoping to find some conspiracy theories and untold tales about Lord Krishna. But this book turns out to be slightly less than what I had imagined it to be.

Same as Chanakya’s Chant, here also, the author is narrating two tales, one of the past that is of Lord Krishna and the other one of present times of the historian Ravi Mohan Saini, our protagonist. But unlike the previous novel, here the past story is not as detailed or as interesting, at least to me, partly because of the fact that I know the Mahabharata pretty well, also I felt that for a person who doesn’t know much about the Indian history will have to do some research about it, to understand the underlying plot better.

However, I have to acknowledge the hard work that the Author must have put into the book. From Mahabharata to the Vedas to the different Indian civilizations, he has thoroughly researched everything. I had no idea about a lot of things that were mentioned in the book and I was intrigued enough to actually look them up. It has been really very well researched and includes many a surprise for the uninitiated. It also has a series of references for you to cross-check.

Also, one of the negative points about this book is, for those readers who have or will read it as a guide to history or some kind of unsolved mystery of ancient past, that we cannot differentiate which part is real and which fictional. True or False. Fact or Myth. By the end of the book, you’ll be utterly confused and after reading it, will have to do your own thorough research, I know I did.

With a few exceptions of very clichéd dialogues and intentional use of American terms, his language is definitely a plus point of the book.

If the author had imagined that the revelation of the antagonist will be a bolt from the blue, then he was seriously mistaken. Anyone who has read a few good thrillers or watched some nice suspense movies will be able to guess the real antagonist in almost the beginning of the book just like I did.

Also, sometimes the “facts” about lord Krishna have been duplicated, as in the same stuff has been repeated over and over again.

Towards the end, I felt like the story is deviated from what it was supposed to be with a not-so-exciting end.

I found the ending rather abrupt, sudden and a bit of an anti-climax. It is not what one expected, beginning with thriller and ending on a philosophical note.  

A satisfactory read as it introduces you to delightful and strange aspects of our history that will send you scurrying to do a Google search. In those parts, the book is elevated to a true class book.

I cannot say any more positive or negative aspects as it will reveal too much about the story.

It is a good read for a journey or on a leisurely afternoon.

It is decidedly not his best work though, it definitely could have been much better.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Darkly Dreaming Dexter : My Review

I was really sceptical about reading this book because like a lot of people, even I had seen the show before I knew about the original Dexter Series. But I was surprised how much I liked this book and what an addictive character Dexter is.

In a way I am glad I watched the show before because it gave me an opportunity to judge the performance of Michael C. Hall and I am glad to say that I have a new found respect for the actor. His performance in the show is simply remarkable.

Although that might have something to do with the fact that I really like Michael C. Hall and his face and voice were very much in my head the whole time, instead of the character as described by the author Jeff Lindsay.

To start with I want to post the book cover summary. What better to give you an idea about the book than the original summary which was published for this purpose only, right?

Meet Dexter, a polite wolf in sheep’s clothing . . . a monster who cringes at the site of blood . . . a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likable: he only kills bad people.

Dexter Morgan isn’t exactly the kind of man you’d bring home to Mom. Though he’s playful and has a wonderfully ironic sense of humour, Dexter’s one character flaw (his proclivity for murder) can be off-putting. But at heart Dexter is the perfect gentleman, supportive of his sister, Deb, a Miami cop, and interested only in doing away with people who really deserve his special visit. Dex is quite good-looking but totally indifferent to (and, frankly, a bit puzzled by) the attentions paid to him by women. Despite the fact that he can’t stand the sight of blood, he works as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami police department, a job that allows him to keep tabs on the latest crimes and keep an eye open for his next quarry.

Dexter’s well-organized life is suddenly disrupted when a second, much more visible serial killer appears in Miami. Dex is intrigued, even delighted, by the fact that the other killer appears to have a style reminiscent of his own. Yet he can’t help but feel that the mysterious new arrival is not merely invading his turf, but reaching out to him as well. This new killer seems to be doing more than copying Dexter—he seems to be saying, “Come out and play.” Dexter’s secret life makes for a lonely existence . . . even a lovable monster can be intrigued by the prospect of finding a friend.

The story, as you can see, is about a Serial Killer.  Dexter Morgan.

Mind you, Dexter's the good guy in this story!

Dexter is fluent in sarcasm and subtle wit which makes it an interesting read.

This book is definitely not a typical "serial killer vs. police" novel. The protagonist, Dexter Morgan, works with the Miami P.D. analyzing blood splatter at crime scenes, and as a result he becomes involved in the city-wide search for a serial killer victimizing area prostitutes. The twist, of course, is that Dexter is a serial killer himself. Not the serial killer currently being hunted by the police, but a serial killer, nonetheless.

In general, I stay away from novels about serial killers and anything that could be filed under "True Crime", mainly because of the level of human cruelty and gore that is usually involved. That being said, I doubt it's possible to write a book about a serial killer, let alone a book about two serial killers, without some descriptions of grotesque violence. However the author does keep the descriptions to a minimum and doesn't indulge in unnecessary descriptions of gore just for the shock effect.

The problem with your typical crime book is the lack of characterisation. There's plenty of that in here, in fact, it's all about the characters. There's still a plot, though, and a mystery, which you can figure out somewhat before Dexter does (partly because I already knew but I think even for readers who haven’t seen the show, it should be easy to figure out), but it all hinges on the characters.

In many ways, mysteries rely on deeply human motivations, passions, emotions, etc., which the author has deliberately removed from Dexter. What delights me about this book is how the author still manages to fit Dexter into that paradigm without giving Dexter a sudden fit of human compassion. The rules are the rules from the beginning to the end, and there's no wavering.

It seems really necessary somehow, to me, to compare the book with the show. So here it goes. The first season of the show follows Darkly Dreaming Dexter very closely, with some exceptions. I was thrilled with how much they expended Inspector Angel Batista's role on the show, because he's one of my favourite characters, it was quite a shock to see how little he was in the book. The epilogue of Darkly Dreaming Dexter, although seemed too rushed, but is sufficiently different enough from the show that I'm pretty hyped up to find out where book 2 takes things.

Although the additions and changes the show makes to the plot are only positive. The book's reveal of the Ice Truck Killer and the use of Dexter's dark dreams to find him toe the believability line.

I will search out the other "Dexter" books by Jeff Lindsay, not because they are amazing examples of police procedurals, but because Dexter Morgan is one of the most unique characters I've ever come across.

I would recommend it to those people who enjoys the morbid side of life or who enjoyed the TV show.

Not for the faint hearted, or the easily offended people. Or probably just about everyone else. So now I will go back to pretending I am horrified by this book...