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The Secret of Nagas - Book Review

Amish Tripathi, banker turned self-proclaimed successful author’s second book in the Shiva Trilogy is ‘The Secret of Nagas’. The book starts with where it left of in first part where a Naga attacks Sati, the wife of protagonist Shiva aka Neelakanth. Then proceeds to reveal the secret about Nagas and secret that Naga themselves guards, and then secret about evil.


The Secret of Nagas - Book Cover
Content Setting:
Upon defeating Ayodhyans of Chandravarshini clan Shiva realizes that they are not evil just that they are different, and Suryavarshinis have misunderstood and Shiva was mis-guided from there on. This makes Shiva to come to a decision that he’d travel to meet every tribe in India to learn who is good, who is evil. He also wishes to meet other tribes who are neither Suryavarshini nor Chandravarshini and for now convinced that Nagas are the source of evil.

Plot Summary:
Since the book had been around for long, I hope this will not be a spoiler.
Shiva with his close convoy leaves Ayodhya touching Magadh, the Kingdom is ruled by Mahendra. Aligning with Shiva’s visit elder prince gets assassinated and so Shiva leaves without creating any attention. Then reaches Kashi, it’s a neutral kingdom where Lord Rudra assassinated 80 Asuras and ordered that no more blood will be spilt, here Shiva-Sati pair gives birth to a boy – Karthik. Here in an uneventful way Shiva learns that Brangas are in contact with Nagas. So sets sail to Branga where he meets their King and learns they gets medicine for their plague from Nagas.

Shiva later finds that the medicine formula is also known to a bandit Parasuram, he decides to find him and extract formula so Branga will lead to Nagas. But it turns out that Parasuram is himself a follower of Neelkanth and is a Vasudev, all along Vasudevs has been guiding Shiva and was stunned to know that Nagas were kind to Parasuram. Meantime Sati while fighting pride of lions is saved by Nagas and discovers that Naga’s Queen Kali is her sister and the man how attacked her is none but her first son Ganesh.

When Shiva gets back to Kashi with Parasuram he meets Kali and gets acquainted but hates Ganesh as Shiva believes he is the killer of Brahaspati. Dhaksha visits Kashi and its revealed that Kali and Ganesh were hid from world by him and so Sati gets upset on him and he leaves angry on Shiva. After few months they all leave to Panchavati, the capital of Naga which has secretive route as defense. Soon after reaching the land the convoy was attacked by ships with daivi astra which later identified as joint effort of Meluha and Ayodhya. There Shiva meets his long lost friend Brahaspati whom he believed dead, and he reveals Somras is evil.

Pros:

  • The story, ability to make Lord as normal human being and make everyone smoke Chillum – I don’t know if this is good
  • Connectable story; battles which are expressed in detail.


Cons:

  • Probably I expect too much! Elaborate, in detail of silly stuff that it irritates you. Wants to fascinate us by describing engineering details but kills the pace of book.
  • Not a fluid flow, probably because in between furious duel stop to describe about the curvature angle of blade, the leather pouch it’s kept in and how the leather pouch was made and why trees are green.
  • I quoted that I’m able to connect to story since I worship every religious story I come across, but his stories are seriously misguiding at times that made me feel irritated and serious research is required to match even average knowledge guys like me and pandits will kill him.
  • Continuity lost control. While goes in details of fish in river forgets that fish is swimming close to giant warship – leaves the serious issues open ended continues it after 6 chapters this makes one feel awkward about understanding of last 5 chapters.
  • All of a sudden the defeated Ayodhyan loyalties falls in the feat of Shiva if that is ok as he is God but some go crazy over Suryavarshini, am I the only one worrying about logic.
  • Take that Matrix scene – Previous Neo, Oracle; Previous Neelakanth, tribes to guide + Lord Ram – I feel pity for this guy.
  • My own problem – The snake from book cover has no part to play, I was thinking of something like POP: Sand of times movie.
  • Never, ever, again ever complain about English standard or repeated usage of same word.

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