PLOT: 3/5
CHARACTERS: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
CLIMAX: 3.5/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5
Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya
Glanir Bhavati Bharata
Abhyutthanam Adharmasya
Tadatmanam Srjamy Aham
~ Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 7-8
My Musings
I am always up for anything that is remotely concerned with mythology – pure mythologies, mythological fictions, modern-day mythological retellings, inspired-from-mythology books, mythological thrillers – I devour them all. Last month itself, I had the opportunity to read three such books – The Awakening of an Indigo by Vikram, Rise of Rama by Vijay Singh Sodhi and The Cryptic Key by Seshadri Subramanian.
Thus, when of Protector and the Secret of Sudarshana came to me for review, understandably, I was quite excited about it. To know more about my thoughts on this book, please continue reading.
What to expect?
Avatar of Protector is a modern-day mythological fiction that promises a good amount of action and adventure. It is a book that will mostly appeal to children because of the narration and the writing style of the author.
Readability, font, alignment etc.
Everything from the beautiful cover design to the font size and font style is perfectly done. Avatar of Protector is just over 150 pages and the size of the font makes it an easy and fast read.
What is the story-line?
Kalki Vishnu Yash is a young boy of 18 who likes to hang out with his friends, play cricket, go to college and just enjoy life like other people of his age. Fate, however, has something else decided for him. The day he turns eighteen, there comes a rude shock for him.
A priest addresses him as Kalki – the avatar of Lord Vishnu. As the day progresses, two men whom he has never seen before try to take his life and weird things start happening all around him. The process of him getting acquainted with his destiny has just started and there is no coming back.
Very soon he will have to battle monsters, protect and yield divine weapons, travel to other realms and make friends with Gods.
Will Kalki embrace his destiny? Will he be able to defeat the demons that threaten his world? How will he fare against , the all-powerful lord of the planet ?
How good are the characters?
I like the way the characters have been penned. Any reader can easily relate to the ordinary Kalki. There is an instant connect established right from the very start. Even after discovering about his life’s true purpose, Kalki continues to be a humble human, which makes you like him even more.
Kalki’s best friend Abhi is yet another character to look forward to. Despite all odds, he stands with his best friend and never loses an opportunity to be with him. All the other-worldly characters (gods and ) are also interesting to read about.
Let’s talk about the author’s writing style
The best part of the book is that in just over 150 pages it is able to tell us a good story. The author combines Indian mythology (Krishna, Ashwatthama, Sudarshana Chakra, Indra etc) with fantasy elements (Evil Lord Kalayus, Planet etc.) to bring together a world that is both fascinating and vividly imaginative.
I love how sci-fi elements like space travel, high tech vimanas, supercomputers of the future and other such things also find their way into the story. The overall result of this heady concoction makes Avatar of Protector a good children’s read.
Certain things are too flashy and naïve and probably that’s why this book may not appeal to adults in the same fashion. The writing is a bit amateurish and lacks finesse but that is more than compensated by a compelling plot.
Was the climax any good?
The climax of the book leaves us on an interesting note. At the end of such a backbreaking quest, you would expect that the characters get some respite.
But no; the moment they step back in their comfort zones, there is a new and exciting plot twist. Nothing much is revealed, except that an important piece of possession is missing from the realm. This small information, however, is certainly enough to tease the readers and get them excited for what is to come.
It all boils down to the entertainment quotient
In the end, Avatar of Protector was an entertaining read but I am afraid it will only appeal to a very niche category of readers. Children will definitely enjoy it as it has just the right dose of action and adventure, that they usually tend to like.
For me (an adult), the book turned out to be satisfying read but, that may be because I am still stuck in my childhood, and I can’t help but love books that are meant for readers less than half my age.
What could have been better?
The editing was a bit off. I could find a few mistakes here and there. Also, the language needed a bit of polishing. It wasn’t anything major, though; nothing that the experienced eyes of an editor couldn’t have fixed.
Pick the book if
I would suggest young readers between the age 8 to 10 years to pick this book up. It’s a good read for children who love adventures, quests and mythological stories.
Skip the book if
Skip the book if you are looking for a serious mythological fiction.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Avatar of Protector and the Secret of Sudarshana from the link below.
