Book Review: Empire of the Moghuls- Ruler of the World.

Name- Empire of the Moghuls- Ruler of the World

Author- Alex Rutherford.

Rating- 4 out of 5.

'Ruler of the World' , which forms the third instalment in ' Empire of the moghuls series', deals with the life of one of the greatest kings to walk this earth-  Akbar.
The fact that the book features the life of  Akbar, itself, makes it arguably the grandest book in the series.

The book begins chronicling Akbar's tale just a few weeks after his coronation, in light of Emperor Humayun's untimely death. Akbar, though still a teen, makes up in his might and his skills whatever he lacks in experience. Bestowed with a shrewd Machiavellian military mind and an unparalleled strength in combat, he quickly ascends in the mind of his subjects from a inexperienced boy king to one commanding respect and even love. His journey as an emperor has been beautifully portrayed. His conquests and the battles have been described to the utmost precision.

However, much of the latter part of this book pertains to the choice of his heir. From the very birth of his son Salim, he is shown drifting apart from his father. The gradual transformation from a loyal obedient son to a son who keeps to himself and is awkward in his father's presence and finally to a son who resents his father is depicted delicately. This strained father-son relationship is the subject of much of the latter part.

The depiction of the Persian and Mughul culture and life is very commendable. As the book chronicles the life of Akbar, the most religiously liberal of all Mughals, the reader gets to witness a unique amalgamation of the Mughal and Indian cultures. Also many of the dialogues and debates on religion and social order that Akbar places in the book, are worth pondering on.

Another point that deserves a special mention is the historical accuracy of the book. The author has taken care that many of the facts are sifted from the ever pervading tentacles of fiction. However, the book boasts a few fictitious elements as well that are intended to whet the readers' interest.

A complaint I have about the book is that almost the entire latter half of the book has been written from Salim's point of view. While this certainly helps emphasize some of the events that transpire, it makes the reader lose Akbar's perspective which might become a tad bit frustrating.

Overall this book is a delight to read and is a treat, especially for history enthusiasts.

The Poetry Corner- Treacherous Time

Book Review: Magnus Chase and the hammer of Thor.

Name: Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor.

Author: Rick Riordan.

Rating: 4 out of 5 ( Wow it ain't 5 for a Riordan!! See? My reviews ain't biased :P)

Hello guys! Well, Magnus Chase is back! And the entire crazy, out-of-their-sane-mind Norse pantheon's in the orgy too. You know why they coined the term October heat? Precisely because Riordan releases his books in October. (If there's some geologist reading this, pray for my soul guys. :P)

To the point guys! ' The hammer of Thor', the sequel to 'The Sword of Summer', is a splendid illustration of the classic Riordan recipe. Out-of-their-mind gods + Brave demigods + tonnes of sarcasm to revel in = Riordan bestseller. So, the Thunder god Thor's mighty Hammer has been stolen.Oh boy, where will Thor surf netflix now!  Thor is hell bent on getting his Hammer back ( through the demigods, of course) before he misses the next season of Game of thrones. The insignificant fact that the world might be destroyed by then without the hammer? Well, Thor can concern himself with that later. Magnus and his entourage set upon to retrieve the hammer facing and outsmarting giants, gambling with the untrustworthy gods and trying to foil the plan to destroy the world.

The humor quotient and the sarcasm serve enhance the amazing descriptions of the journey. The vivid descriptions and imagination are certainly a highlight of the book. Magnus's sword ' Jack' enlivens the book throughout. Meet Jack. A sword that talks and sings Taylor Swift's songs till your ears get sore. Next time you get bored in a museum, watch out! Some sword might just blurt out awesome songs.

It has been evident throughout the book that Riordan is gonna try to bring together the Greek and the Norse pantheons, which I find quite a bit of a challenge. How RIck Riordan will pull it off, that elicits tremendous anticipation for the next October.

I felt that at some points, the things were getting a wee bit repetitive at some points but the lacuna is almost negligible while considering the entire book.

Book Review: The Sea of Poppies.

Name: Sea of Poppies.

Author: Amitav Ghosh.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Before going in for my review of the book, allow me to indulge in the fact that this book is legendary. Published in 2008, it was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize 2008. This book is the first in the 'Ibis Trilogy' and it most certainly deserves this honour that it garnered.

A rather unique thing about this book is that it does not boast a single protagonist; rather the book revolves around the lives of many people, which seem completely unrelated at the beginning but are unwittingly entangled as is evident from the later part of the book. A widowed poppy farmer who is a social pariah, a Raja who is fabricated for a crime, a French girl true to her Indian upbringing, an American Sailor for whom sea is the only world he has known and a merchant seeking spiritual enlightenment; Imagine these lives intricately entangled and that is the sea of poppies for you.

The portrayal of human lives and emotions is most spectacular. The lives have been so artistically depicted that you almost feel as if you are living them. Such is the glory of this book. Also, there is something very beautifully poignant about the book.

The book is set in the British ruled India and therefore is replete with anglicized Indian words. They are most intriguing but might become tedious at times. Also, the broken or 'Hindicized' English that some of the character have been shown to speak was almost incomprehensible for me at times.

But the sea of poppies indeed makes one heck of a fantastic read and is a must read for all.

Book Review: The Bestseller she wrote.

Name- The Bestseller she wrote.

Author- Ravi Subramanian.

Rating- 3 out of 5.

This book means a lot to me. I make this statement from a point of view that disregards how the book is. I pertain to the fact that this book found me at a time which could not have been more appropriate. (Or if I were to consider it non-poetically, I found this book on a shelf in Crosswords, Nagpur. I immediately procured it on my kindle and read it. Smart and money-saving move, wouldn't you say?:P) So, I was completely out of tuning when it came to reading books and this book, rather fast paced as it was, helped me to strike the right chords with books again.

Please spare me for that sentimental reverie of mine. I will move on the book without a jiffy's delay. History has it that Ravi Subramanian's books have always been linked to the banking world. For people who would cut my throat and frame me a liar, I add the prefix 'most'. Well most of them have been. Though this book does not lack these 'trademarked' banking connections, it primarily revolves around the writing world. The realm of authors and bestsellers. This was a much welcome change for me.

The book features the life of Aditya Kapoor who plays the cliched boring banker turned happy author. With a doting wife, adoring child, a profitable job at the bank and a passion and perfection in writing, Aditya's life is replete with joy and happiness. But enter Shreya Kasuhik, an aspiring ambitious author who can kill with her beauty and charms. Aditya falls prey to her charms and is caught between a dutiful wife and youthful love which makes his family crumble right in front of his eyes. As if this were not enough, someone is hell bent on jeopardizing Aditya's career and would stoop to any means to make him bite the dust.

As I mentioned earlier, the book is remarkably fast paced. However I found the plot pretty much simple and straight. The plot does not make one go,' What!! How can this be...?' as I expected it to having read other books by the author. The book does quite a little to mete with the readers' demand for ample and nail-biting twists.However, the portrayal of human emotions has been done rather beautifully.

Overall the 'bestseller she wrote' is certainly not the 'best bestseller he (Ravi) wrote'. However it can certainly make a good read for those who have a penchant for reading fast paced thrillers.

P.S- Please note that this was my first book I read on kindle. (Yess, that is me showing off. :P)

Book Review: The Sialkot Saga

Name: The Sialkot Saga

Author: Ashwin Sanghi

Rating: 4 out of 5

' Promises are like babies. Easy to make but hard to deliver.'

Abundant with catchy one liners like the one mentioned above, Ashwin Sanghi brings yet another beauty carved to ensure an orgy with wit, humor and brains. The book is certainly a masterpiece with regard to enormous wit quotient that the book boasts. This is precisely the element that makes the book rather impossible to put down once one has declared a war on it.

What makes Ashwin stands out is the beautiful way in which the sentences are crafted together. You do not simply read the sentences in his books. You read them, ponder over them and give a hearty laugh until you make the people in your house flutter the yellow pages in frenzied fury to find the nearest house for the mentally challenged. :p It would not be an exaggeration to depute him as the master and God of words. The words dance brilliantly to his dictates and fall together to perfection.

The book revolves over the life stories of two brilliant shrewd adversaries Arbaaz and Arvind who seek the supreme elixir of power and money. Arbaaz, though a Robin Hood for the people and Arvind, the son of a very honest businessman, would stoop at any means to quench their lust of power and money. A battle of deception, treachery and betrayal is what ensues. The business techniques and the deceptions have been crafted with Machiavellian precision dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's. This ensures a very wonderful literary and intellectual treat for the readers.

This plot of Arvind and Arbaaz is interrupted by a few excerpts from the kingdoms and civilizations of some of the most succesful kings. These seemingly form a pattern and the curiosity of the reader is indulged only at the end of the book.

The book has a very little historical background than i had expected after reading other of Ashwin's books. Most of the book involves the tussle between the protagonists and the historical connection is made too late. Also, I felt that there was very little significance and connection between this latter part of the book than the earlier one. This might prove disappointing to the reader. It is almost as if two very different stories have been merely put together. Also, many of the things in the latter part are too hypothetical even for Ashwin’s books.

But overall, the book makes a very awesome read owing to wit and ingenuity with which the book has been written.

Book Review: The Prince Of Pataliputra

Name : The Prince of Pataliputra

Author: Shreyas Bhave ( A fellow Nagpurian :P )

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The fact that had heightened my eagerness to get my hands over this book was the fact that I know the author. (Well, not exactly. He was in the same school as my brother. But, never mind. :P)
An additional anticipation factor was that the book was a flaring topic of discussion and appreciation in my household. Setting these frivolities aside, let us move towards the book.
This book is the first in a trilogy that delves into the life of the great Samrat Ashoka and his conquests .If anyone were to entertain the thought that this topic has been rather widely written upon these days , I would be inclined to agree. However what makes the plot of book unique is that it splendidly amalgamates treachery, politics and love. The book is incredibly well paced and a certain page turner.
One striking thing about this book is that at no point in the course of reading, will you even in your wildest imaginations think that this has been crafted by a debutante author. The book has been written with the maturity of a seasoned writer,
However, as perfection is a nearly hypothetical concept, this book has some lacunae as well.The plot seems a bit weak at times and some of the happenings could have been crafted more meticulously. These, unfortunately, manage to hinder the true glory of the book, though to a small extent.
But, overall the book makes a nice read!
Waiting eagerly for 'The Scourge of Taxila'! :)

Book Review: The Sword of Summer.

Name- Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer.

Author- Rick Riordan.

Rating- 5 of 5 ( Of course :P)

Brace yourselves, Rick fans! The master mythologist and the sarcasm God is back! And this time the orgy is with the entire Norse mythology. Well, I guess the Scandinavian fans are indeed in for a treat. Every year, the month of October manages to induce a sense of anticipation within me as all the Riordan books are generally released during this period. The news of an impending release of a book might provide a reason to live to some people. Well, suppose a person is all ready to jump of a roof and you were to shout to him that a new Riordan book was coming, I am pretty sure he would step back and awkwardly explain that he was just admiring the scenery :P. ( Please do not quit reading the review just yet. Subtly exaggerated as the earlier lines might be, I assure you that the actual review has no exaggerations howsoever. :P)

About the book now. As goes with all Riordan books, this one is  rapid paced and quite a page turner.  Every sentence of the book has been written very splendidly and with quite a bit of humour,

One might think what new the book can have? The same Riordan recipe? Angry and jealous gods fighting and snickering over trivial affairs waiting for the demigods to fight their battles. Some team of brave demigods who save the humanity and the same routine? I must say that entertaining such a thought would be a terrible mistake. The Sword of Summer holds many surprise packages that would not let such a thought dwell your mind.

Humour has always been a highlight of Riordan books. And this book indeed houses humour in a plethora. Imagine the god Thor using his Hammer not to wield in a battle but to watch 'Game of the thrones' and 'Sherlock, :P. Yes, this book has it and much more.

The book is indeed a great read.

Book Review:- If Tomorrow Comes

Book: If Tomorrow Comes.

Author: Sidney Sheldon.

' GOD, don't let tomorrow come!!!' was the prayer that reverberated in my mind as I nestled on a couch quite late at night, hoping fervently that the dawn of day did not signal the end of the book. I must admit that this was the best book of the con genre that I have read till date. Frankly, after watching the Oceans series, I had not thought that I would ever find anything better in this genre. But, this book changed my entire perception.

If Tomorrow comes basically narrates the story of Tracy Whitney, a woman who is beautiful, brilliant, brave and most importantly happy. However, it takes only but one instance for the fate to turn the tables on her and she finds herself locked behind the bars for a period that seems to her like an eternity. And that too for a crime that she did not commit. (Well, I am not too sure about this. I would say infiltrating someone house with a revolver seems pretty much of a crime to me.  But, yeah she was implicated for a robbery and that was a crime she did not commit). As she spends her endless days confined to the prison by a web of lies, there is only one thing brooding over her mind. Revenge.  And Tracy is not a person who believes in letting go of the past.

Not before long, she is released on parole and she steps into the vile world determined to bring down all those who framed her. However, being rendered penniless, she is guided by only three things: her wits, her instinct and a voracious hunger for vengeance. Very soon, she manages to get her revenge and bring all her adversaries down. But for Tracy, things do not end here. Rather, this is only the beginning. A beginning to a journey that makes her the person she was wrongly convicted of being: a criminal. Having no ways to meet the ends, she is forced to resort to crime and burglary. Aided by her flawless beauty and abundant wits, she becomes very finest of cons and is soon tailed by the Interpol whom she manages to evade every single time.

Overall, ' If tomorrow comes' is a very awesome book. All the robberies have been planned to meticulous precision. I reckon that the rate of burglaries must have increased pretty dramatically after the release of this book as it is sure to have fueled a lot of vile minds with ingenious plans of robberies ( Humour intended. :P) . Also, this one is certainly a page turner. Not even a single page will make you regret any penny invested in this book.

So, this book is one hell of a fine read and I sincerely suggest everyone to read it.

Book Review: The Scion of Ikshvaku.

Name: The Scion of Ikshvaku.

Author: Amish Tripathi.

Rating: 4 out of 5.


Well, to say that I was very highly anticipating this book would be an obvious understatement. The fact that I had actually met Amish at one of the promotional events at Crossword Nagpur only served to heighten this insurmountable anticipation. The joy that I experienced on getting my hand over this book could have been comparable to the joy that one might have experienced on handling the elixir itself. At that time, that is even before I had read it, I had been fairly certain that I would be compelled to confer on this book the highest rating and the most positive review that I could muster. But, I guess it was not to be so.

The Scion of Ikshvaku is basically a retelling of the great epic ' Ramayana.' So, a fact that might trouble some of the potential readers is the familiarity of the plot. Out of the Indian population, most of the people are very well acquainted with the epic. It would not be an exaggeration to say that no Indian grandparent would dare miss the opportunity of becoming a 'master storyteller' in his grandchild's eyes by narrating this beautiful epic. But, I must say that people with such line of thought would indeed be terribly mistaken. The Scion of Ikshvaku holds surprise packages for even the people who know Ramayana by heart. So, entertaining any notion of possibility of monotony is futile.

A thing that I absolutely love about Amish is his rational approach. Well, describing Jatayu and Hanuman as genetically mutated humans rather than some supernatural animals capable of interacting with humans is absolute genius, is it not? So, overall the book is fantastic. Various concepts have been modified with Machiavellian precision to show relevance in today's modern world and this is indeed the highlight of the book. The philosophical discussions  between the princes and the gurus are very enlightening and these along with the fantastically crafted dialogues make this book much difficult to put down once initiated.

However, the book has some drawbacks as well. The prologue of the book is more than enough to suggest how this book might end. So, there is a very little suspense if not nil. Also, each part of the Shiva Trilogy was concluded on a cliffhanger that made people die from waiting for the next edition of the series. However, this book is not in consistence with this feature. The end of the book is very simple and does not exactly ' make you die' for reading the next book of the series.

Book Review: The Cuckoo's Calling.

Book: The Cuckoo's Calling.
Author: JK Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

Why were you born when the snow was falling?
You should have come to the cuckoo's calling.....

With these rather poignant words phrased by Christina Rossetti, begins another tale straight from the hands of JK Rowling herself ( Or was it Robert Galbraith....? Well, never mind!!). Though Rowling was clearly intimidated by this rather sudden shift of genre from 'Fantasy' to 'Crime and mystery' ( Well, the reason she adopted this misleading pseudonym), her intimidation must certainly have been one of those few petty things that backfired after the release of this book. This statement comes in light of the fact that this novel received a very warm response throughout this world and beyond.( Not forgotten the magical world of Hogwarts, have you??)

The cuckoo's calling basically revolves around the apparent 'suicide' of Lula Landry, a famous model and a would be, well no, actually 'would have been' actress. Known to be suffering through depression and psychiatric problems, this is regarded as as the ultimate extreme step taken by the troubled model. However, everything is not a tad bit simple as it seems. The model's brother has his own doubts and in an attempt to prove his line of thought and apparently to refrain from being framed a lunatic for such thinking, he decides to hire a private detective.

 Enter Cormoran Strike. A war veteran virtually on the brink of financial and emotional bankruptcy, With ex-clients offering death threats instead of payments and with the meager number of even such clients themselves, this case appears to have materialized just like 'the hope' did from the Pandora's box. Strike manages to delve into and expose the mist of falsehood and lies that seems to have occluded the regarded 'suicide'. With the murder of an acquaintance of the deceased model, things begin to get a lot murkier and now it is upto Strike to find the killer before he 'strikes' back.

Overall, the plot is pretty interesting and has ample twists and turns that have been planned to utmost precision. Rowling has delved into all the details very meticulously and this certainly proves to be a highlight of the novel. Well, the characters are interesting and this can be especially said so regarding that of the protagonist himself. Strike is rather an intriguing and complicated personality. At times, he appears stern having a sardonic demeanor (Often while dealing with the witnesses) but at other times we are brought abreast of his benevolent and touchy side (Often while dealing with his charming assistant Robin!!)

As said before, although this book has its own shares of twists and turns, the plot gets somewhat slow at times and a tad bit of patience might be required at some instances. This minor hitch being disregarded, the book indeed makes a every enjoyable read.

Will Cormoran Strike cement its place in history just like ' Sherlock Holmes' did? Will the budding future detectives aspire to become like 'Cormoran Strikes' just as the today's generation looks upto Sherlock Holmes.I guess only time will tell.

Prisoner of Birth: Book Review

Name: A Prisoner of Birth.
Author: Jeffrey Archer.
(May Contain Spoilers)

Well, saying that this book was one of the Archer's best books is the least I can do to praise this book. The book has everything that you hope to find in a novel. The plot is amazing and the story has been woven together really wonderfully.

The book basically revolves around the protagonist Danny, who is convicted for a crime that he did not commit. However, the fact that all the four prosecution witnesses are against him and his sentence of twenty one years in the Belmarsh prison does nothing to quench his thirst for revenge. And as the saying goes Danny staunchly believes that revenge is a dish best served cold.... .  

Well, the court cases have been presented artistically and the tactics employed by the protagonist are indeed Machiavellian. The stunning court cases and brilliant stratagems will surely make adrenaline gush through the deepest of your veins. I must say that the book is a must read for all and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

But I must mention that there are some things that the author should have emphasized on( At least according to me). I thought that Danny, the protagonist was really insensitive towards the death of his close friend and prison mate, Nick. Well, he did not show even a speck of remorse when he assumed Nick's identity to escape the prison after his murder. But, of course this is not germane to the plot of the novel.In spite of this very minor hitch, the book is very enjoyable and I enjoyed every moment of reading it.