PLOT: 3/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5
The Gist of the book
Sting in the Tale is a collection of thirteen short stories. The stories are across different genres and perspectives. Each story ends with the aim of a twist in the plot line that may leave the reader in wonder and awe.
First Impression
Starting with the cover of the book, it is prominent enough to attract the readers’ eyes with the colours and the Jet plane figures making the cover art very much striking and remarkable.
The phrase Sting in the Tail is used to describe a situation or event or plan that contains an unexpected or, sometimes, unpleasant end.
Here, the author has used the title ‘Sting in the Tale’ to convey a similar expression for the stories written by him, indicating towards a surprising twist at the end of each story.
There is no description for the book as often is found in the back of many that help a reader decide whether to buy the book or not.
Instead, the back cover of the book consists of numerous glowing reviews for the author and the book that also performs a similar purpose as a blurb that is absent here. The positive reviews will definitely intrigue the readers enough to pick up the book.
My Review
Out of the thirteen short stories, I enjoyed ‘Empty Places’, ‘Village Inc., and ‘August’ the most due to the fascinating treatment of the subject matters as well as the way they ended.
Most of the stories are concerning the Indian scenario whether it be in the case of armed forces, politics or rural lifestyle, etc.
The author is a highly qualified pilot, a certified scuba driver, and an enthusiast in many other fields and thus, traces of his activities had found their way into the premises set in the book.
The entertainment level was never low as the stories were fast-paced most of the time, and the climaxes in each tale were fine.
However, I did expect something more from the author. I don’t mean that the stories were not interesting, they very much were, but the twists in the tales were predictable. There were no surprising factors for me in the stories I have read and yet I would root for the following story to leave me baffled or in wonder, trying to guess again what the story may lead to.
Overall, Sting in the Tale was a light read with absorbing tales that can occupy a reader for an evening or two.
What I loved the most?
As I mentioned earlier, there were many references in the stories that indicated towards the adventures Niroop Mahanty, author of the book, had partaken himself in real life.
Thus, readers can learn a lot and get detailed descriptions of the situations/ subjects mentioned in the book.
Would I recommend this book?
Yes. I would recommend Sting in the Tale as it is a worthy option for those looking for a simple, light read to be finished in a sitting or two.
More specifically, I would suggest it to people like me who loves reading short stories and who will find the narration and the climax entertaining.
Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of Sting in the Tale using the link below.
