History has
always been a cumbersome subject for me. So has the historical fiction – to
read and to write as well. Manoj hand me over this book to read and to review
it as well – again a difficult task for me. But when I started this book I
found it quite interesting right from the beginning.
The Story:
Dr Rao of Indian Archeological council sends two of his subordinates; Nilesh
and Sushmita to get the stock of
excavation work left incomplete by him at Mathura. When they start exploring
the site, they open the abandoned office of Dr Rao at Mathura and stumble upon
finding a roll of old parchment under the table. Written in some ancient
language, they request Sushmita’s husband, an expert in decoding ancient
languages. And a whole lot of a story of ancient kingdom Kanishka unfolds
before them intriguing one and all.
The Plot:
Mathura is the subsidiary of King Kanishka of Gandhar. It has a big treasure
and a very rich state. Himavat is its chief administrator whereas Viryavaan is
the army-chief. Driven by greed and self interest of becoming the king of
Mathura, he tries to impress the king Kanishka by some nefarious designs. What
happens in this backdrop, read the novel Kanishka written by Manoj Krishnan.
Merits: The
best part of this novel is its story which keeps the reader hooked till last.
I’m really impressed by the lucid language rich in vocabulary and metaphors and
his unique style of storytelling.
Quote I
liked: “Tears have their own limits. They come out heavily when the grief is
unbearable but slowly as our mind starts to accept the presence of reality,
they stop pouring. Dry eyes, though in deep pain, indicate that the person is
accepting the reality willingly or unwillingly.” Page 82.
Demerits:
Actually, to call a certain flaws as demerits will not be right. Instead, I
would like to call them areas where a scope of improvement is there. Manoj, as
a debut writer, has attempted quite well in bringing out this book. However,
certain areas need attention to be addressed:
1. Though the chapters are short and
keeps the reader engaged, the book has been narrated in a way that it keeps the
reader guessing all the time about the incidents happened in the previous
chapters, which creates disinterest while going ahead. In my view a novel
written in a perfect sequence explaining the subplots is far better than
leaving the readers to guess everything themselves. People in writing world
say, “The reader is not the reader of the writer’s mind. Hence, feels
uncomfortable when they have to put stress in guessing.” Readers almost like to
be spoon-fed. Even creating too much intrigue may backfire.
2. Less the number of characters, more
the book is easy to understand. In this book, introduction of the names of even
fringe characters makes it a bit confusing. It could have been avoided.
3. It’s a hallmark of writing that even
a sentence must contribute something in taking the story further. Certain chapters
which are not related to the story could have been trimmed to make the book a
bit short and crispy, thus bringing down the price of the book also.
4. The author has used italics in
frequent manner which has made the reading quite stressful. I would advise to
do away with that much italic in the next edition.
5. The subplot of supernatural curse
doesn’t justify the end as it has not even the slightest indication in whole
book barring the last few pages. Such kind of inclusion seems artifactual and
unconvincing.
The Cover:
The cover of the book is too simple for such a complicated historical fiction.
Certainly, it needs to get redesigned keeping in view of the theme.
The Price: A
tad on higher side. May be reduced by one hundred at least to make it a good buy.
My verdict:
A
complicated story told in an interesting manner. People who like to read
historical fiction will find this book a compelling read. I congratulate Manoj
Krishnan for scribbling such a book for them. Looking forward for more from his
desk.
Ratings :
3.5/5
Rajeev
Pundir
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