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.

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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!!!

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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. 

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!!!

Review of The Conspiracy at Meru - Vikramaditya Veergatha II

Welcome again to the land of Sindhuvarta!!

My previous post dealt with the first part of the Vikramaditya Veergatha Series (Click here for the Review of the Guardians of the Halahala!!) and in this post I would be providing an insight into the second book in this series which is "The Conspiracy at Meru".

Title of the book in itself is intriguing. Those who have read the first part already know whose abode is Meru. So what conspiracy happens there and who are all involved in that Conspiracy forms the major crux of the second part.

As with the first book, this is also a fantastic read and you will be absorbed in the land of Avanti and the entire Sindhuvarta.

Right from the beginning, you will be drawn into the plot. Such is the description of the surroundings that you will start seeing the things happening in the novel as if they are happening in front of us.

There is no dearth of action and thrill in the second part as well. Apart from a couple of characters which enter in this part rest all are the same. Hence there was already a bond formed between them in the first part and the same continues in this installment. Few characters I loved, few I admired and few I felt pity.

Climax again is a masterstroke and highly unexpected. At one point of time I felt, wish I was there to warn the protagonists about the lurking danger. Such is the amazing impact of the author's literary and creative brilliance. 

So what does the King Vikramaditya has to deal with? Will foes turn friends or vice versa, what new dangers have the citizens of Ujjaini have to face? Reading this marvelous book is a key to all the answers.

Waiting eagerly for the next installment!!

Review of The Guardians of the Halahala - Vikramaditya Veergatha - I

The Guardians of the Halahala - by Shatrujeet Nath

This is the first book in the Vikramaditya Veergatha series, though it was not having the title of Vikramaditya Veergatha when I bought that book long ago but could not give it a try. In the hindsight, it was good because if I had read the first one, I had to wait for the second book in the series which was still in nascent stage when the first one was bought. Hence I am glad that I postponed it and when I finished reading, I was spellbound.

I just loved the book. Slowly I got drawn into the world of Sindhuvarta and once I was in it, characters started appearing in front of me. I was having a feeling like; the events are taking place right in front of my eyes. Such is the writing brilliance which made me awestruck with the author and this book.

Coming to the story-line, the primary plot deals with a task bestowed upon to Vikramaditya, who is the Samrat of Sindhuvarta. It deals with guarding an ancient secret, if unleashed can cause unprecedented horrors. Of course, guarding of the secret comes with a price. There are forces which are trying to get hold of this secret. So what happens when these forces cross paths with the human king forms the crux of the story.

There are smaller subplots as well which makes it even more intriguing and interesting to read. 

Once you are done with this part, you will be on your toes to grab the next in the series. Such is the story-line and the writing.

Coming to character building, primary characters are given enough description and you can easily form an image about them in your mind. As I said earlier, once you are few chapters in the book, you can easily visualize the characters and the surroundings.

In these kinds of novels, climax plays a very pivotal role to keep the reader guessing and the author should be given full marks for that. The book ends at a precarious point where you would be left with many questions lingering in your mind. 

Happy Reading!!

Review of Penumbra - A classic case of Whodunit

Review of Penumbra by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay

When I read the first novel of "Patang" by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay (Read Patang Review), I was mighty impressed and ordered Penumbra as well. 

Penumbra is not your regular run-of-the-mill novel where in you are introduced to the scene of the crime in the Prologue. Then different events take place, the story builds, and the criminal is caught. Instead this novel starts with a gentle pace but is not boring. It glues you to the seat.

In fact, on the back cover of the book it has been mentioned that if you have a free-time of 3 hours then go for it because once you start, it is unputdownable and Yes, literally it is. As a matter of fact I read it in 3 straight hours.

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Coming to the story line, it is about a person who receives strange letter from his uncle whom he has never met, inviting him for his 60th Birthday. There are other guests invited to the celebration as well. All is well till the murderer strikes. One of them is found lifeless. Who is it? What was the motive? Guests are not completely truthful and have secrets. Are those secrets the driving force behind the crime? All answers are hidden in the book.

Character building is nicely depicted along with the surroundings which are perfect for this kind of genre.

Give it a Shot!!

P.S. Don’t start in the middle of the night as I did because I am sure you will not sleep till you are done!!

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Review of Patang - A Psychological Thriller !!!!

Patang by Bhaskar Chattopadhyay

This is one of the best books I have come across related to Serial Killings. I really loved how the crimes are depicted despite being gory sometimes. But that is required in this genre.

The plot revolves around the Serial murders happening in the city of Mumbai and the killer leaves a clue behind. Cops are perplexed till Chandrakant Rathod enters the scene and catches the killer with his intelligence and some luck. After few months, another corpse is found which bears resemblance to the earlier murders.

Everyone is astonished as the killer has been already apprehended and is behind bars. So, how these murders are happening? What is the motive behind these murders; is it is personal vendetta or it is just the raw psyche of a serial killer to commit crimes?

Climax is a masterpiece and I believe you will love it.

Characters are built steadily and there are no unnecessary details about them which is good.

               

Overall, it is a very good Thriller!!

Read the book to find out!!!!