With the
last part of the trilogy being published shortly, I bring my review of the
'Immortals… '
A
combination of mythology and history. That is the power of fiction. This book,
in gist, portrays Lord Shiva as a human being, a tribal leader in the Himalayas
who comes upon the Meluhans, who lead him to his destiny of being a 'Mahadev'.
The
Meluhans belong to the Indus Valley Civilization, are law-abiding, sincere
people living in a crime-free society. They have planned-cities which are built
as fortresses. They lead ideal lives by the motto of 'Truth, Duty and Honour'.
As to 'immortals', you must find out for yourself :)
The book
is an easy read, even for the uninitiated. The language is quite simple. Amish
Tripathi has given us our very own, Indian fantasy world. Places are
personified by just a mention of the meaning of their names, like Meluha - the
land of pure life, or Srinagar - the respected city. The story also delves into
Philosophy, as Shiva, though he is a brave warrior, is in pursuit of truth,
righteousness and justice. One small drawback may be that the humour is not
that terrific, though a few laughs are guaranteed.
All in
all, this novel has a huge potential for a Bollywood movie with the backdrop of
the mighty Himalayas and other beautiful locales like Kashmir and the Dal lake.
The 'saviour' hero is a great dancer and involved in a difficult love story.
And there is a lot of action, in as big as a war, albeit, with swords and
spears. (News is that Karan Johar has already bought the rights of the book.)
In its
sequel, the plot only thickens. Of course, new and interesting characters (as
well as creatures!) are introduced, though not as we know of them from
mythology. Mysteries are revealed.
Dangerous paths are trodden. It's an interesting journey of finding what is
good and what is evil as against fighting the evil. I'm left wondering what
could possibly be there in the last part, 'Oath of the Vayuputras'.
