Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Here Falls the Shadow - Another Masterpiece by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay

Maity and Prakash strike again. This time in a remote town called Nimdeora.

Maity is invited by one the of the famous writers called Sangram Talukdar and he picks Prakash also in this thrilling journey.

Both of them are in awe of the scenic beauty and also by the huge Talukdar mansion in the hills.

As in the case of Mr.Chattopadhyay's novels, tension and intrigue build albeit slowly. We are steadily drawn into the surroundings, get acquainted by the characters and start living in the story.

Then the tragedy strikes. To know what happens you must embark on the thrilling journey to Nimdeora. Things do not appear as they do. Each character is having a past and can serve as a potent motive for the present mishaps. Apart from these human forces there might be supernatural forces lurking as well.


To know whether it is the humans or is there really any supernatural entity which is causing all the mayhem and disturbing the silent and peaceful lives of Talukdars, grab a copy of the Book and get going.

Coming to the characters, readers reading this book will be familiar with Maity and Prakash. In case not, please read Penumbra (Click here to get a copy of Penumbra) (Read my review of Penumbra here !!!) and you will get to know about Maity and Prakash. The description of the other characters is also clear and you can imagine each of them. Apart from the victim, each of them has an aura of confusion surrounding them.

Of course, you will have your own conclusions about who is the culprit. To know who is the culprit, grab a copy and start reading!!!


Captain Kohli and Coach Kumble Saga!!!

On 18th June 2017, India might have lost the Champions Trophy, but the bigger loss came in the form of Anil Kumble stepping down as a coach of Indian Cricket Team.

Speculations were rife that all is not well between Captain Kohli and Jumbo. Now everything is in open and I feel sad that it is a great loss to Indian Cricket. All of us very well know that how dedicated Kumble was when he was a player.

He was the one who gave more than 100% of his efforts. It is being said that he has been a tough taskmaster. Reports are also coming that he had a few words to say after the CT'17 Final to some of the players which did not go very well with them. What is wrong if he had few words to say as he was the coach and it was his duty. Alas, our Indian cricketers don't think so as they think they are the Superstars.

Records speak for themselves and we all know that how successful we had been during Kumble's tenure. Today, he is stepping down to satisfy one man's ego which doesn't set a good trend. The reason being, the next coach whoever it may be will be well aware that he cannot lock horns with Kohli not at least in the near future as he in his prime form. This will curb his thought process as he would not be completely open about his ideas, that too when they are opposed to those put forth by Kohli.

I am not saying Indian team's performance will not deteriorate under the next coach's regime, they may continue to excel and bring laurels to the country, themselves and billions of Fans. But there would be a big question mark on the role of a Head Coach. We already have a Batting Coach and a Fielding Coach; there are physical trainers and mental conditioners who are executing their responsibilities. So, the main task of the head coach was to assess the match situation and give inputs, have a say in the team selection, batting order etc. But if he is not allowed to act independently and he is just to agree to what the Captain says, then it is really a shame. If that is the case, why pick players who were passionate about their game. The management can select any individual whose main responsibility would be to agree to Captain's words.

I would like to end my post by giving an analogy. It is like having a team who are well younger than you and you are their Manager. The team members do what they want, don't listen to your inputs and act on their own. This may work in the shorter run but in the longer run, it will hurt the team members more than the Manager.


Our Indian Cricket Team's situation is exactly the same right now. 

Readers can leave their comments in the Comment Box. 

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Review of Let the Game Begin

Let the Game Begin by Sandeep Sharma


Frankly speaking not a very good read but a mediocre one. I would give 3 out of 5 stars.

The plot is fairly interesting which has a blend of history with today's world. Along with this, we have a Serial killer in the present era who may be having ties to the happenings in the bygone era. Author has managed to create an exciting premise bus has faltered to keep the readers engaged.

I feel the reason being not completely involved is that the book is divided into many number of chapters. These chapters are small as well. As soon as you feel you are getting a hold over the characters and the situation, the chapter ends. At times it makes us reluctant to continue and hence the involvement is gone.

Reiterating what I said earlier, the story-line is good but the execution has failed but not miserably though. Chain of events takes place in the 2 kingdoms some thousands of years ago which spells doom for a kingdom. In the current day a serial killer strikes who is leaving clues which may have a connection to the past. What is the connection between the events which took place eons ago and the current day Serial Killer forms the primary plot. There is a romantic angle also which I felt was not needed.

Character building is good but there is confusion at times when there is an oscillation between the past and the present.

Book ends in a surprising situation which paves way for the Second part of this book.

What is the motive of the Killer? How he chooses his Targets? In all of this, what is the connection of a game of Chess?

To end your quest for answers, read and enjoy....


Happy Reading!!!