Shiva Trilogy (Shiva Trilogy, #1-3) by Amish Tripathi

Shiva Trilogy (Shiva Trilogy, #1-3) Reviews

• 
  Nandhini Narayanan

  Warning: Contains spoilers for the series as a whole.
  
  I do not read books by Indian authors as a rule, no thank you. I belong to that small minority of book lovers who believe that authors like Chetan Bhagat and Ravinder Singh have done more harm to reading in India than good. Hence, it was not surprising to any of my friends when I responded with derision and cynicism when they recommended Amish Tripathi's SHIVA trilogy over and over. One of them finally thrust a copy of the Immortals of Meluha at me and said, "Read! Your love for Indian mythology will win over your mental block toward Indian writers."
  
  Stuck on a train for six hours with nothing else to do, I did start reading the Immortals.... with trepidation. Three chapters in, I realised that I liked it. The story was gripping, well-paced and kept me engrossed. (The language, of course, left much to be desired, but I decided I could put up with crappy writing because I really wanted to know what happened next in the story).
  
  Within twenty four hours, I was done with the trilogy. Here I am, typing out this review for the sake of those like me who would otherwise blindside the books.
  
  The biggest winning point for Amish's trilogy is the plot. Even a reader who picks up the book with no prior knowledge of Indian mythology is bound to enjoy it for its rich characterisation and intertwined storylines. Indians who have grown up with household names like Nandi, Ganesh and Karthikeyan, who celebrate Shiva as a God are bound to get a kick out of Amish's creative altering of the story. Shiva's perspective is refreshingly sincere, making you immediately like this protagonist. He is not a God, he is very much man. What comes through, though, in every line of the tale, is Amish's near-fanboyish love and adoration of Shiva. And this adoration is addictive. Over time, the reader cannot help but fall in love with Shiva too; Shiva the marijuana-smoking Tibetan immigrant, this uncouth foreigner who cannot adapt to the stoic ways of the Meluhans, who is open with his affection and hugs without inhibition. You learn to like him, you learn to want him to win, you learn to celebrate with him and you learn to cry with him. Amish's greatest victory is the hero he erects in Shiva, without once having to make him a God.
  
  Another winner, for me, was the portrayal of the female characters. With a period novel set in ancient India, I expected the misogyny to shine through every chapter. Amish surprises there too. His premise of Meluha, the ideal society, portrays gender equality at its best. There are female warriors, the prime minister of the nation is a strong and capable woman, the heroine of the tale Sati has enough backbone to fell an elephant and repeatedly, Shiv's attraction to Sati is on grounds of her courage and self-sufficiency than beauty or other stereotypically feminine attributes. Reading between the lines, you get the social commentary that Amish intentionally leaves unsaid; social growth and progress requires equality between the sexes. A society built purely based on merit and not on caste, race or gender; this utopian ideal is examined with brutal honesty.
  
  The narrative is interspersed with philosophical questions and debates - what is life? What is good and what is evil? Can one exist without the other? When does good turn into evil? At no point in the narrative does it turn into a religious rant or preach session directed at the non-believer. The message, if any, is subtle. Shiva is cynical and pragmatic, and in a way, he is voicing questions that the reader cannot. Using the "Drink of the Gods", the "Somras" as a metaphor for "excessive good", Amish commentates on concepts like socialism, the will of the minority, poor governance, citizenry, leadership, duty and responsibility.
  
  The big turn-off was the language used. Amish would take you, the reader, on a plotline high only to be confronted by phrases like "Bloody hell!", "In the name of God what is this nonsense!", "Goddamnit!" and other such anachronistic blunders that leave you with feeling sour.
  
  Another major cristicism of the books is the ending - avid fans who followed the books from the beginning and who waited to buy the finale were disappointed by the rather tame and understated climax. However, I loved it because Amish avoided the cliched route. When Sati is killed, an enraged Shiva threatens to blow up a city using the potent nuclear missile-like Pashupati-astra in his grief-induced tempestuous anger. Until the last ten pages, the reader expects the cliched turnabout, waits for Shiva to talk himself out of his rage and fulfill his goal of destroying the Somras. You expect him to bury his sorrow, put on a brave face and play the hero. You expect him to rise above his human attachments, his love for Sati and see sense. You expect him to walk the righteous path that he, as the Neelkanth is espoused to do.
  
  Not Amish, though.
  
  Amish achieved his goal of portraying Shiva as human as possible, with human failings and emotional upheavals. Shiva is not God, as Amish set out to prove. Shiva is human, and at his weakest moment, with Sati gone, there is very litte distinguishing him from the villain, Brighu. Shiva's anger, grief and near-catatonic state fascinate and honestly, terrify the reader. Amish's climax is fitting because he kept Shiva's human baseness alive, because he showed that even great men can lose kindness and compassion in the face of enormous loss.
  
  At the end of this fascinating journey, like all good stories do, this one leaves you with mixed feelings. Read it for the plot and enjoy the ride.
  
  Har Har Mahadev!
• 
  Prabhjot Kaur

  The Immortals of Meluha - 3 stars
  
  The Secret of the Nagas - 3 stars
  
  The Oath of the Vayuputras - 2 stars
  
  This trilogy was mostly a disappointment. Although the first and the second book were okay, last one disappointed the most. While Amish Tripathi's imagination knows no bounds, I was still not impressed. Throughout the entire series I felt like, all three books were written by different authors. I'm not sure why but something felt amiss. I wanted to and I really tried but I just couldn't love it as much as I had wanted to.
  
  3 stars overall.
• 
  Ashish Iyer

  One of the best series i have read.
  Har Har Mahadev!
• 
  Shivani Mohan

  I never never read mythology before other than the stories we read as kids.....but Shiva Trilogy has given a completely different perspective of mythology ...it something u start believing (n that too with logic)...It was thrilling romantic and full of surprises ....not to tell but i cried wen sati dies ...i know that it was to happen but cudnt stop myself....it is in a way very endearing ...just loved.....
• 
  Priyanka

  "Whether a man is a legend or not is decided by history, not fortune tellers."
  
  Books can take you to a different world and honestly speaking ShivaTrilogy is that kind of book series.
  It was the first book series I ever read and now it's one of my favourite book series. A book that can't be kept down in between the pages.
  The trilogy is a mix of fictional mythology, fantasy, action, thriller, drama, science and passionate love. I was imagining the characters, the cities, the wars and I never felt less excited a single moment throughout the reading. The entire series engages the reader in such a way that one cannot help but get involved with the characters.
• 
  Nikhila

  Depicting the gods of hindu mythology as human beings while maintaining the original characteristics for which they are worshipped for is the speciality of this series. I believe that if the story narrated was assumed to be true, instead of the actual mythology, it would still not lessen the respect that these deities engender. The story itself was innovative and gripping until the very end. Lots of respect for this masterpiece.
• 
  Arti Mishra

  Very Nice..I fell in love with Indian culture and mythology all over again.
  Its just that at some places in the book, too much emphasis has been laid on detailed description of places,rivers,structures etc,hence a little boring at times. Other than that, its great.
• 
  Neha Bhartia

  An illustrative depiction of mythological culture, beliefs and wisdom in another world and how these traits helps survival of mankind. A remarkable read!
• 
  Harikrishnan

  It was awesome to go through the world Amish created. I completed the 2 volumes in a stretch.
• 
  Dasun Lokuhetty

  Shiva was one of my long time reading list books which wanted to read. I even bought it (Original book) when I went to India and never got the time to read. However with the translation, I wanted to read all 3 books.
  
  First of all, for all those who says this is a epic fantasy, you are mad. This is not a epic fantasy or any kind of good fantasy series. Yeh the series is written like that. But it is soo bad that I could not turn a page for hours.
  
  Don't get me wrong. There is a good story behind the book. But Amish has went overboard with useless descriptions of everything all over the book it makes no sense. The main character literally goes through the whole India from west to east , east to south, south to north and all over the same route and Auther just follows him through describing the route. If anyone knows India, its huge. Same with the description.
  
  The story behind the series could have greatly written using a volume of 1.5 books rather than 3. Total waste of time. It tries to become a epic fantasy, but fails to become a interesting novel. Author has tried more and more just to relate the story to Hindu references, and less in trying to make it a exciting story.
  
  Wow, reading this literally made me kill by reading habits. I spent more than a month just forcing throught to read it.
  
  Total waste of time which I lost in my life.
• 
  Ayushi Garg

  "No foreigner who came to our land, believed that such a great man could possibly have existed in reality, that all he is, is just a figment of our imagination. But what if they are wrong? What if we are Wrong? What if he is a person of flesh and blood like you and me, who rose to become a goldlike because of his Karma."
  .
  This is not your usual story, it's a blend of Mythology and fiction. It's the tale of Lord Shiva of who he was and who he became. Amish depicted all the elements of Shiva's character exceptionally well be it the compassion for the weak or the wisdom and depth in his thoughts. The passionate lover that he is or the fierce warrior. Whether its his skill for dancing or the talent for singing. All powerful and yet incorruptible.
  
  It's not just his journey but the journey of the people who travelled along with him, whether it was Nandi or Goddess Sati or Parvateshavar or Daksha. Each character is given equal importance, with such minute intrinsic details that you can't help yourself but love and cherish.
  
  While reading this epitome of Perfection, don't expect it to turn out your way, cause it won't. Don't make any assumptions beforehand, cause they will be useless. Just hop in, put your seat belt on and get ready for this one hell of a rollercoaster ride.
  .
  "A man becomes a Mahadev, only when he fights for good. A Mahadev is not born from his mother's womb. He is forged in the heat of battle, when he wages a war to destroy evil. Har Har Mahadev (All of us are Mahadev)."
  ~Amish (Immortals of Meluha)
• 
  harsh chanchal

  i think it is just brilliant
• 
  Rajsi

  Amazing series!
• 
  Krish

  Hate is not the opposite of Love. It is apathy.
  Finished shiv trilogy...
  
  I want to see this trilogy as a series
• 
  prathmesh

  Amazing book, depicting gods in the character of humans to show the struggles they go through and become the person we imagine they might be was a wonderful experience to read.
• 
  Vartika Goyal

  If you have interest in mythology, this book is perfect for you and if you don’t like mythology, storyline is enough for keeping you engaged. I am not a very big fan of Indian writers but Amish Tripathi has attempted something very different which makes me appreciate him even more.
  
  This is a fictional story that portrays Lord Shiva in a normal human being form. King Daksha represent him as a Lord Neelkanth to his people in order to fulfil his personal gain but it turns out differently. As story proceeds, few secrets discloses to Shiva which leads to lots of twists and turns making this book more interesting. Other characters also woven in a manner that justify there name, for example Goddess Kali and Lord Ganesh, we all know they look differently but Amish know how to fit them in a story.
  
  This book gives new definition to evil. It deals with saying that extreme good turns into extreme evil. Best part is no character in the book is either good or bad, they react as per the situation. I would say it is a must read.
• 
  Ayush

  I believe Amish Tripathi, with this book has stepped into an uncharted territory. All the traits of the the mythological figure Lord Shiva have been well preserved minus the unlimited powers. This trilogy portrays a very strong message of how one's deeds determine how one is going to be know as, how it can ascend one to godhood. It also portrays how a man's virtues play an important role in life. The author's sense of perception of good and evil is something you will not see coming.
  The books are so enthralling that you will not be able to stop yourself from completing the trilogy in one go as you keep on asking yourself, "What is going to happen in the next book?".
  All in all it proved out to be an indulging trilogy.
• 
  Mallika Rathore

  Despite all the amazing reviews this series had, I was very skeptical about reading it because of my disappointment with other Indian authors; but I am glad I finally read it. It provided a different perspective to the one of the greatest tales in Indian mythology, which is very refreshing! It does not really deviate from the stories we all grew up with, but still is unique in it's own way.
• 
  The Bibliophiles Cosmos

  If you are an Amish Tripathi fan , sorry to disappoint you but I did not liked the series much😶. I believe it is over hyped as there are so many great books in the same gener🤷🏻‍♀️. It may be good or even great for beginners but not for me..😅 I did like the book but not much... Due to the hype.. I had way too many expectations and they were not fulfilled.😕😔
  (please don't kill me for this review😑😥)
• 
  Uma Manickam

  A nice mythological fiction. Filled with lots of science and basic essence of life !! It keeps you engaged !!
  One strong (I feel so) quote from the book: " There's nothing universal. Good and bad are two sides of the same coin, it all depends on the perspective you choose to see"
• 
  Shuvam Dam

  Interesting take on Indian mythology with a deliberate modern twist but in certain parts has the feel of a overtly simplistic teenage love story.