Review: Yama's Lieutenant

Yama's Lieutenant by Anuja Chandramouli
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Note - Free copy from the author in exchange of a review. Thank you Anuja Chandramouli for the copy. I was intrigued by the title so I agreed to review this.

The book is a fantastically written (pun intended). It deals with a young lad Agni Prakash, a human being, who is anointed as Yama's lieutenant to fight the evil forces out to conquer the three worlds i.e. heaven, hell and earth with the help of a kritya, a divine woman with magical powers. Agni Prakash is heartbroken over his twin sister Varu's death and brooding over his sense of loss. One fine day, he is recruited by a goddess Taravarsha to save the three worlds from Naganara, a necromancer.

The plot flits between the mythical and the real world, weaving an interesting story of Agni Prakash and his travails in battling with the arakshas who have escaped the nether world and wreaking havoc on the earthlings. There is also another thread with a backstory of Yama in the form of a book written by Varu before her death. So little is known about Yama, the lord of death and the netherworld. This is like an eye-opener.

This was my first book in the fantasy genre by an Indian author. I am not a keen fan of books on fantasy, however I was not disappointed. Published by Random House India, you can expect a top-notch quality product, no less. After a long time, I have reviewed a book which is tightly edited and the language is absolutely superb. The author has a mastery over the language with a wide repertoire in vocabulary. The prose flows beautifully. However, I found the first hundred pages
a bit of a drag with so many multiple characters flitting in and out that I almost lost track of the plot. However, Varu's book on Yama and his emergence as the lord of the netherworld kept me hooked.

Overall, I liked it and for those interested in fantasy / mythology, go grab it !


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Review: Devil's Light

Devil's Light by Richard North Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The plot is about a missing nuclear warhead,threats by Al-Qaeda to annihilate USA on the 9/11 anniversary, chaos, mayhem and search for the bomb in the Middle-East. The plot is thin but interspersed with the political history of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan which makes it interesting. However, at those points, the book drags a bit and the reader tends to get disinterested. The book grips when you follow the bomb on its journey to its destination.

To sum up the book, a cat and mouse game to avert human tragedy of catastrophic proportions.

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Review: Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles

Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles by Ruchir Sharma
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Published in 2012, I picked up the book five years late. This is an extremely well-researched book, giving a general background and in-depth analysis of developing or under-developed economies of the world. Ruchir Sharma is a wealth manager and the chief of one of the biggest fund houses in the world. He has given a first hand account of the economic situation prevalent in select list of countries which he thinks will emerge as winners or losers in the long run over the next decade.

Each chapter is about a country and he delves deep into the problems or the plus points of the economy of each of these. The language is easy to understand without too many economic jargons and any layman would be able to soak in the facts provided. It is also interspersed with some trivia which makes it interesting to read. For e.g., how many of you know that Saudi Arabia imports refined petroleum or diesel as it does not have refining capacity to refine its oil produce although it is the largest exporter of crude oil. Or local glass manufacturers in the Gulf region have to import sand, a key raw material for making glass, although the countries are surrounded by sand all around. Apparently, the sand quality is too poor to manufacture glass so they have to import high quality sand from other countries.

If ever there is a sequel (probably he should write a sequel maybe in 2020), I would certainly pick it up to see if his research has borne fruit.

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Review: Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle

Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle by Mark Tully
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had always wondered about the reasons for Army's action in Operation Blue Star. This is a wonderful book detailing the history behind the storming of Golden Temple complex by the Army which also was a major cause for a rise in extremism in Punjab.

It chronicles the events leading to the decision of the Congress government to direct the Army to enter the temple to flush out Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his band of terrorists. It was a blot on the government and the most bitter consequence was the assassination of Indira Gandhi. It details the roles played by Akali Dal, Congress government, the Indian Army, Harcharan Singh Longowal, Zail Singh, Gurcharan Singh Tohra and significantly of Bhindranwale and his rise to notoriety.

Mark Tully and Satish Jacob, who used to work for BBC, has narrated a first hand account of the events leading up to one of the darkest moment in Indian history and it is truly commendable. The only minor irritant in the kindle version was the spellcheck errors which crept in. Being seasoned writers and journalists, the book would have been definitely edited thoroughly. So it might have been inadvertently crept in the electronic version. This can be a reference book for history buffs and people who are keen to learn about Operation Blue Star.

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Review: The Lion's Game

The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the book however, to be honest, I had high expectations from it which did not live up to it. The book is about two FBI agents on the trail of a Libyan terrorist, who is on a plot to avenge the 1986 bombing of Libya, massacring Americans along the way.

The book is interesting at places where it plots the terrorist's movements and at places it becomes a drag. However, the highlight of the narrative is the dry humour and the one-liners the author uses liberally in this story.

Strictly for DeMille fans only ! This was my first.

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Review: The Sins of the Father

The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It would be injustice to give this book less than stars. Continuing with the Clifton family saga, the book gets more interesting with the second volume. More twists and turns with a liberal sprinkling of adventure, this is a delightful story from Archer, the master story-teller. I finished this in a marathon reading session over two days flat, my shortest time yet in a long while. It was so engrossing that you constantly want to know what happens in the next page.

Can't wait to get my hands on the third volume.

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Review: The Point of a Gun

The Point of a Gun by Steven W. Kohlhagen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The plot is about a mole in the top echelons of USA's national security team, one of the five teams reporting to the President, who conducts extra-judicial killings of terrorists and anti-social elements posing a threat to the national security, a la vigilante style along with a team. The whole book is about finding out who the secret spy is and the motive behind the killings. The climax is predictable and more than half-way through the book, the identity becomes almost apparent.

The plot is decent although it becomes a bit of a drag at places when the characters keep on guessing about the unknown mole in their midst. The instances where the vigilantes embark on their missions (which is a bit too many) is interesting. However, I felt that number of these missions could have been curtailed and the length of the book could have been reduced. At some places, I felt it could have been edited better.

Cannot say that this is one of the best thrillers read.

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