Don’t remember when was the last time I got so hooked on to any book that I took all-nighter efforts to finish a fiction series. Shiva Trilogy is indeed one of those which got glued me to it like crazy. And thank God, I did not read these two books separately. I had missed to read the first one when it was released. So, when there was buzz about ‘The Secrets of the Nagas’ getting released, that’s when I actually picked up ‘The Immortals of Meluha’. Otherwise had I read these two titles separately, can’t imagine the restlessness that I had to go through about ‘what happened to Sati’.
Set in 1900 BC, ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ is the first book of Shiva Trilogy series written by Amish Tripathi. What we modern Indians call the Indus Valley Civilization, the inhabitants of that period called it the land of Meluha a near perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived. This once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati, is slowly drying to extinction. They also face devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis. To make matters worse, the Chandravanshis appear to have allied with the Nagas, an ostracized and sinister race of deformed humans with astonishing martial skills! Amidst all this chaos, here appears a Tibetian immigrant who as per legends will be their savior, their God – the Neelkanth. But is this immigrant ‘SHIVA’ a normal human being prepared to handle the same? This book is the story of SHIVA, an ordinary man whose karma actually made him MAHADEV – God of Gods.
What I liked about the book:
- The Presentation. It’s actually a mythological story but presented as fiction with its own share of thriller, romance and action. I mean the way author has presented this story is absolutely commendable!
- The characterizations – from Shiva to Parvati to Brihaspati everybody has been sketched out in a unique way. Though we are aware of these characters but this book gives lots of interesting information about them that actually personifies them as real flesh and blood human beings.
- The details, I absolutely loved the knowledge it provides on our old civilizations and ancient India. Not everything is fiction, lots actually hold true as per our history and mythology.
- The theme, which makes you believe that one can become God only by actions and nothing else. The whole concept of “Har Har Mahadev” which reinforces that there is a God in everyone.
- Last but the most important one – the plot! It’s racy, engaging, page-turner, fascinating and totally gripping till the end.
What I didn’t like about the book:
- Actually nothing strongly negative about this book except the language that too only at some places. Maybe at places I found Shiva’s language to be too casual but then you know it might be because of the fact that somewhere in our brain Shiva is ingrained as God, so called Bhagwaan Shivji and that’s why his casual approach in some situations like his initial encounters with Sati might seem bit odd . It’s more to do with perception I think 🙂
Overall, a very interesting and must-must-must read book. It’s not in news unnecessarily; it deserves to be a bestseller. I will be back with my views on second book of this series in my next post. Till then, tell me did you read the book and did you like it?
Renu
Thanks for the review..now it is on my list to read.
Tarun Goel
kahan hai review? 😀
Kanupriya
@Tarun: Check now, guess there was a prob earlier & content was not getting loaded 🙂
@Renu: Do read it, indeed an interesting book!
Smita
Have been adviced by a fren to read the complete series after the 3rd part comes out 😉
Jack
Kanupriya,
Thanks for motivating review. Let me see when can I read this series.
Take care
Kanupriya
@smita: your friend was so right… Now end of second one has left me restless :(… Waiting eagerly for the third one to comeout.
@jack: do try it out uncle, i think u wud like it.
Gopi krishna
I was on the verge of sidelining this book, though much hype was already created….but then…after reading ur review…i am totally taken away…will read it sure…
laffazz
hello,
read your blog and i couldn't help commenting.Actually i am very disappointed with the book and so when i look at so many good reviews i am more than just surprised.
i won't say i am very much of a reader but i read good enough and i so when,just like you, i heard a buzz about the naga, i too had to push one of my friend by me both the books.(i am running out of money ,you sea)
am i happy,no way
though i can say a lot, but would like to know your views about following:
din't you felt while reading that almost all the time some one or the other was "frowning"(is this the only way to describe the feeling and more importantly does frowning puts the desired feeling in many places)
redundancy does not finish here as everyone kept on "buckling under his/her/it's/whomsoevr's knees" whenever neelkanth emerged.
i felt that author's lack of sense of humor made shiva's jokes like jokes of a boss which are necessarily to be supported by juniors.he struggled as an author to create even one semi delightful joke that he had to go and make brahaspati talk lame about sati being tired during her marriage.
most irritating part about book is that it just pastes the exact societies functioning today on that plot.no creativity not even much of understanding on what all might not even be practicable.he keeps on burdening the plot with our day to day life so much that he makes chandrvashie's problem and jokes exactly like us and they comment about searching " stretch or road in holes" or something.common is that joke 1900 bc old..are we yet using same jokes.Isn't it just a plot between a communist and a capitalist nation named unnecessarily 1900 bc old.
i can give a lecture on how shooting arrow from feet was ridiculous( if only you would ask) but i really want to say that the author's creativity was at peak while watching lord of the rings and brave heart.
on the one and single plus side it was a great concept..Shiva is a great powerful charecter.it could have been a great book but it's sadly not.
since i am compelled by the friendship feelings for guy who got me these books,i have to read the other book..but its not much of a read.
Nikhil Astakala
i agree with lafazz…the book looked like a srcipt for a bollywood action-packed, brainless movie, with just enough data to make the story seem interesting and with a flimsy plot. calling chandravanshis evil at every other page just made me doubt if there is gonna be a twist that chandravanshis arent really evil. i was bang on, and disappointed.
also, they can live hundreds of years and a 30 year old tribal chief is a better war strategist than all of them put together? who the hell gives that kind of a logic? the author meant to elevate neelkanth's status by first hyping Suryavanshis and then making neelkanth stronger, smarter and kinder than all of them. how can a 30 year old person, no matter how much of a legend he is, be better than a 150 year old swordsman who has been practicing to be a warrior all his life?
and finally, the writing style…amish tripathi used a load of obscure words, such as harangue, capricious, etc. out of context, just to make himself look smart. actually they are not very obscure, just open any GRE coaching material, you will find all the big words that amish used. he does not have creativity, as seen by his repeated display of redundancy while explaining literally anything in the book. and how come, in two thousand years, no one found out somras can be used to treat poisons? only neelkanth could get that idea. he is always in the right place in the right time with the right plan, whereas all the rest of the suryavanshis, who built the most awesome kingdom in India, stood there like idiots.
Amish tripathi should go write for kindergarten kids. he is not cut out to write for adults.
Anonymous
so dissapointing!!!!
no facts at all….
Shiva is a good swordsman… and yet suryawanshis have just found a new metal Iron … i wonder what metal shiva used to have in his sword…
there r many factual error which r very dissapointing…
If readers really wanna have a good understanding of mythology i would suggest them to read book "Ka"
laffazz
hello,
read your blog and i couldn't help commenting.Actually i am very disappointed with the book and so when i look at so many good reviews i am more than just surprised.
i won't say i am very much of a reader but i read good enough and i so when,just like you, i heard a buzz about the naga, i too had to push one of my friend by me both the books.(i am running out of money ,you sea)
i am happy,no way
though i can say a lot, but would like to know your views about following:
din't you felt while reading that almost all the time some one or the other was "frowning"(is this the only way to describe the feeling and more importantly does frowning puts the desired feeling in many places)
redundancy does not finish here as everyone kept on "buckling under his/her/it's/whomsoevr's knees" whenever neelkanth emerged.
i felt that author's lack of sense of humor made shiva's jokes like jokes of a boss which are necessarily to be supported by juniors.he struggled as an author to create even one semi delightful joke that he had to go and make brahaspati talk lame about sati being tired during her marriage.
most irritating part about book is that it just pastes the exact societies functioning today on that plot.no creativity not even much of understanding on what all might not even be practicable.he keeps on burdening the plot with our day to day life so much that he makes chandrvashie's problem and jokes exactly like us and they comment about searching " stretch or road in holes" or something.common is that joke 1900 bc old..are we yet using same jokes.Isn't it just a plot between a communist and a capitalist nation named unnecessarily 1900 bc old.
i can give a lecture on how shooting arrow from feet was ridiculous( if only you would ask) but i really want to say that the author's creativity was at peak while watching lord of the rings and brave heart.
on the one and single plus side it was a great concept..Shiva is a great powerful charecter.it could have been a great book but it's sadly not.
since i am compelled by the friendship feelings for guy who got me these books,i have to read the other book..but its not much of a read.
mumbaimidlife
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Ajaikumar Vasu
it is a rubbish. in 1900 bc were they known about oxygen or idali ?
Anonymous
tripathi needs to have a good look at shivmahapuran. half of the things he wrote about shiv are meaningless…
Neha
Amish has done a well work on Indian Mythology. One should read this book if heshe is interested in Ancient History of India. He has done some great research on Shiva and presented here… Like "HAR HAR MAHADEV" means every one is mahadev… I read it on the go… hope you find this review helpful…
Neha Agarwal
Average book.Nothing more,nothing less,Author has taken his liberty to depict Lord Shiva as a tribal warrior from Tibet who migrated to ancient India and later elevated to the stature of God.