| Title | : | The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva Trilogy, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 398 |
| Publication | : | First published July 21, 2011 |
4000 years ago, He was just a man.
The hunt is on. The sinister Naga warrior has killed his friend Brahaspati and now stalks his wife Sati. Shiva, the Tibetan immigrant who is the prophesied destroyer of evil, will not rest till he finds his demonic adversary. His vengeance and the path to evil will lead him to the door of the Nagas, the serpent people. Of that he is certain.
The evidence of the malevolent rise of evil is everywhere. A kingdom is dying as it is held to ransom for a miracle drug. A crown prince is murdered. The Vasudevs Shivas philosopher guides betray his unquestioning faith as they take the aid of the dark side. Even the perfect empire, Meluha is riddled with a terrible secret in Maika, the city of births. Unknown to Shiva, a master puppeteer is playing a grand game.
In a journey that will take him across the length and breadth of ancient India, Shiva searches for the truth in a land of deadly mysteries only to find that nothing is what it seems.
Fierce battles will be fought. Surprising alliances will be forged. Unbelievable secrets will be revealed in this second book of the Shiva Trilogy, the sequel to the #1 national bestseller, The Immortals of Meluha.
The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva Trilogy, #2) Reviews
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It isn't often one comes across a book by an Indian author, with a sequel. It is even rarer when the said sequel might just be better than its predecessor.
Tripathi once again delves into Indian mythology and spins a fascinating tale around many of the names heard in tales told at our grandmothers' knees, portraying them as mere mortals. Last left, Shiva was about to launch an attack on the dreaded Nagas to avenge Brahaspathi's death. The book's blurb gives you enough indication, and then some, that Shiva's plan might not be that easy to execute. His desire, and ours, for answers takes him all across India in this book, with the city in focus being Kashi.
I'll give the book this, the author has good command over the story and doesn't let it meander, with something or the other always afoot. Filled with secrets, shocks and betrayal, this book is a page-turner from start to finish. The reveal of the Naga's identity was shocking, to say the least. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING, PEOPLE! The "secret" of the Nagas, however, was something I had long suspected so I wasn't blown away by the "cliff-hanger". As for that Master Pupeteer, I think it's . There's a suspicious character if there ever was one!
But, the book is not perfect either. Many issues are brought up and then never addressed again, or explained properly. For example, the awfully gross "ritual" the Branga people perform in Kashi - what is THAT about? Or this mysterious plague that seems to affect them, nothing is mentioned as to what it is or why it is happening or how it started and it is never brought up again after that chapter.
Sati annoyed me a bit in this book. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be OK with leaving my 6-month old son and going off to fight lions or planning a break-in because I'm wondering what the King of Kashi is up to when he disappears mysteriously into his palace every now and then (BOUNDARIES, woman!). Anandamayi, however, was a delight to read about. I couldn't help but grin every time that feisty, saucy girl sauntered onto the page!
The author often uses the story to put forth his opinion on many issues - like Karma, ethics, consequentialism, existentialism and the balance of Good and Evil. Though it is clearly intended to make you think, sometimes it does get a bit too much. What I also found jarring was the use of certain words/phrases that didn't quite match with the era the book is set in. I get that the author has tried to give the story as modern a take as possible, but I can't quite digest the fact that these people know of "radio waves" and "accumulator machines" OR that they say things like "You're a 180-year old virgin??" (Was anybody else reminded of Twilight here? No? Just me? OK.) and "I never understand their mumbo-jumbo". But maybe that's just me.
Recommended. Go read. Now. -
I feel like I just finished reading one of the Star Wars installments. With Shiva as Anakin, Sati as Padme, unexplored regions with strange inhabitants with secrets and continuous travels... The book was just too formulaic. That is not to say that it is not a good read - it is just that I was expecting the second book to be better than the first in some ways at least, and quite frankly, it is not.
How Amish managed to construct a whole sequel on such a flimsy basic premise is beyond me.
Overall, the story is good, the new take is innovative and refreshing at times, but the narrative style, especially during the abundant action sequences is amateurish and repetitive.
Glibly written, without much attention to the nuances of the mythology or to known historic facts, the book still manages to be a good, smooth story. Easy to read and enjoy, it truly is an amar chitra katha in novel form as the cover proudly(?)boasts...
While the book makes for a fun fast read, I cannot in good conscience recommend it without telling that anyone who picks up the book looking for literary enjoyment is going to be terribly disappointed, but if all that is needed is a way to pass a few hours, then it might be worth it. Surely it will make a good movie someday, with the disappointing and predictable plot twists that is characteristic of most Bollywood movies. -
- me enjoying a fantasy is an out of the blue event but I loved this book and more than that I ship Parvateshwar and Anandmayi so hard it gives me back pain.
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The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva Trilogy #2), Amish Tripathi
The Secret of the Nagas is the second book of Amish Tripathi, second book of Amish verse, and also the second book of Shiva Trilogy.
The story takes place in the imaginary land of Meluha and narrates how the inhabitants of that land are saved from their wars by a nomad named Shiva.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز دوازدهم ماه فوریه سال 2017میلادی
در ادامه از نامیرا در ملوحا، شیوا، ناجی سرزمین ملوحا، برای نجات همسرش ساتی از ناگا که فرار میکند، عجله میکند و «سکه»ها را با حکاکیهای عجیب جا میگذارد؛ یابندگان پس از مشورت با پدر ساتی داکشا و دلیپا، پادشاه آیودیا، متوجه میشوند که آن سکه متعلق به پادشاه چاندراکتو، حاکم سرزمین برانگا در هند شرقی است؛ شیوا و ساتی به منظور کسب اطلاعات بیشتر در مورد ناگاها به کاشی، جاییکه جمعی از برانگاها در آن ساکن هستند، سفر میکنند؛ آنها با همراهان شیوا در جنگ پرواتش، همراهان «نندی» و «ویربهادرا»، پزشک «آیورواتی»، و «بهاگیراتو آناندامایی»، شاهزاده و شاهزاده خانم «آیودیا» همراه هستند؛ ...؛
نام شیوا به هیچ وجه در وداهای سانسکریت ذکر نشده است؛ برعکس ویشنو که در متون کهن، به عنوان عضوی از گروه خدایان، و خدایی علامند به انسان ظاهر میشود، شیوا به صورت بیگانه ای تاریک و دیوسان است که به تمامی در تضاد با سایر خدایان و انسان قرار میگیرد؛ نیای ودایی او «رودْرا» است که «پاراجاپاتی» را به خاطر زنای با محارم، پادافراه میکند؛ «رودرا» خدای برهوت، خدای حیات وحش و جنگلها، خدای ستیغ کوهها، خدای تقاطعهای خطرناک است؛ به وی که در مناطق مختلف، و به صورت جداگانه پرستیده میشود سهمی از قربانیهای ودایی داده نمیشود؛ زمانی که خدایان برای نخستین بار قربانی کردند، «رودرا»، از سهم قربانی محروم شد، و سپس او در طی حمله ای آنها را مجبور ساخت، که سهمی به وی اختصاص دهند و سروری حیات وحش را به او ببخشند.؛ این اسطوره، در هندوگرایی، به صورتی ناخواسته و تحلیل ناپذیر، در عصر پسا-ودایی، بارها تکرار میشود؛ «شیوا» با «ساتی»، دختر «داکشا» ازدواج میکند؛ «داکشا» مراسم قربانی را بدون دعوت نمودن از «شیوا» انجام میدهد، و «ساتی» به خاطر بیآبرویی که پدر بر او وارد آورده بود، خودکشی میکند؛ وی در آتش قربانی میشود، و به عنوان اولین مفهوم برای «سنت ساتی (رسم سوزاندن بیوهها)» قربانی میگردد؛ سپس، شیوا رسم قربانی را ممنوع ساخت، داکشا را گردن زد و کلّه وی را در آتش انداخت. هنگامی که خدایان در پیشگاه او به خاک افتادند و از وی طلب بخشش کردند، شیوا قربانی را دوباره پس داد و داکشا را زنده ساخت. بدین ترتیب، شیوا که از سهم قربانی محروم شده بود، قربانی کردن خود را اجرا نمود و سرانجام، در کنار خدایان جای گرفت.؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 24/04/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
With the realization of the truth that Chandravanshis were not evil, protagonist Shiva realized that he made a mistake by declaring the war in the first book, The Immortals of Meluha. The second book in the Shiva Trilogy reveals the face of actual darkness.
The Secret of the Nagas by Amish portrays Naga's point of view, which affects the life of Sati and Shiva questionably. An angry Shiva wants to kill the Naga to avenge Brahaspati's murder. The Naga Queen and the Lord of the People finally confront Sati, which raises the question of emperor Daksha's justice and principle. Sati and Daksha's relationship comes on a strange term.
Shiva, with the help of Nandi, Veerbhadra, Parvateshwar, and prince Bhagirath, finds a way to Panchvati (Nagas city), but first, they need to aid Brangaridai monarch's which is considerably challenging. To discover a distinct way, Shiva's path crisscrossed with a bandit, Parshuram. He believes in Neelkanth's myth and presents a new prospect on Nagas.
The role of Vasudev Pandit has become more mysterious. Shiva and Sati blessed with a boy, but his life saved twice by those who were considered evil. I enjoyed the way Parvateshwar and Anandmayi's story unfolds. It questions old age vows and principles. Between all the secrets and hidings, a new puppeteer emerges, Bhrigu. He has some hidden agendas which will discover in the last book, The Oath of the Vayuputras.
The thing I like most about Amish's writing is the narration style. In the first book, I felt a lack of suspense, but in this book, it is in abundance. I hope that it will continue in the next book as well. If you enjoyed the first book in the series, you'll gonna love this one.
Read more here -
https://www.bookscharming.com/ -
The second novel in Amish's Shiva Trilogy series and it steals the show by revealing the most shocking yet pleasant tight-lipped remains of The Immortals Of Meluha. _/\_
As I already mentioned, this book is strictly not for those who believe in Lord Ram's ways of ruling, saivism or Shiva Puran and that intrigued me to proceed with the sequel.
And it did not disappoint me, not even a bit of it.
Shiva seeks justice for the death of his friend Brihaspathi, and as fate unfolds, he travels to Panchavati, the land of Nagas through the dense Sundarbans & Dhandakaranya led by the Nagas queen and the Lord Of People. As the secrets are revealed, friends becomes foes and foes are categorized as alliances. Karthik and Ganesh are added into the story-line adding spices along with the usual ingredients, Sati, Veerbadhra, Krittika, Bagirath, Parvateswar, Suryavanshis, Chandravanshis and the Nagas. And not to forget the mighty Brahmin Parasuram creeps in to help the Mahadev while lovely Anandamayi makes Parvateshwar, the 180 year virgin, to break his vow ;)
The jaw-dropping connection between the Nagas & Sati took me to the state of excitement, anger, shock, disappointment, sympathy, grieve, raging and all emotions at once for the abandoned Nagas.
When the ultimate secret was revealed, i sat dumb-struck. All my guesses went in vain. What really captivated me was that the secret itself was speaking about illusions or Maya.
What intrigues me now to read "The Oath Of Vayuputras" is the secret that Krittika shares with Ayurvati and the secrets that the secret itself should reveal to Shiva.
Undoubtedly, this book has paved way for some grand magnificent ending to the story of the masculine tribal man, who elevated him self to be the MahaDev.
And The reverbration of "Har Har Mahadev" won't stop until I finish of oath Of the Vayuputras.
Amish Tripathi, am certain that you are an sensation. I'm too excited to grab the final part, and before that let me breath IN and OUT first. -
YUCKS....!!!!!!!!
really....?? did I read it?? I mean...seriously????
This book had been at the top of the list by The Telegraph....and I can't believe Telegraph would recommend us to read such a crappy book....not only Telegraph...even one of my friends recommended me this book..I couldn't even read further than 100pages....
the story matter sucks...the language sucks....the writing style sucks...sense of humor zero...it felt like I was reading a book written by a sixth grade student....
the only thing I get this from the book is how Shiva travels over the India and people seems to praise him like god, treats him like king, although he doesn't believe in himself...
It seemed that the theory Amish Tripathi tried to write in his book wasn't quite clear to himself....hence the story wasn't quite linked....the loose threads kept to make the books interesting seemed to lost with the plot and remain lost even in the end....and don't make me start with the Vasudevs crap....I mean they are supposed to be pandits, right?? they do pujas in the temples....then how the hell do they know about high frequency radio wavelength, when Brahaspati the scientist doesn't even know about it??
I can't believe I lived through 100pages of this book... -
I have said this before and I will say it again that Amish Tripathi's imagination knows no bounds. He's one of the most imaginative Indian authors. But once again I didn't end up loving the book, once again I wanted to.
It's thrilling, we even have some really great twists in the story but I felt like something was amiss. May be because the original depiction that we have of Lord Shiva and Ganesha is beyond perfect. I went into reading this with a clean slate and still I was disappointed. May be it's my fault that I set my expectations too high even though I didn't much like The Immortals of Meluha. It's definitely on me.
It wasn't completely terrible but I was expecting more. I still look forward to the next book in the series.
3 stars -
2.5
“The opposite of love is not hate. Hate is just love gone bad. The actual opposite of love is apathy.”
And that pretty much sums up my feelings for this book – not love, not hate. Just apathy.
It hurts me that I cannot give this book a better rating. All things considered, The Secret of the Nagas deserves at least a three, for the sheer ingenuity of its concept. But my ratings are always based on how intensely a book affects me, and as frustrating as it is to admit, this book did not affect me in any way.
I tried; I really, truly tried. Considering how disappointing the first book was, I kept my expectations low this time around. I pretty much ignored the clumsy writing and the clichéd characterisation, keeping my focus only on the story. I hoped that would make me like this book better than its predecessor.
But it just didn’t work.
Battles were being fought, and I didn’t care. People died, and I didn’t care. Surprises were being revealed, and I didn’t care – probably because I figured them out way early. Even the humour felt painfully contrived.
Also, I could never really picture this in my head. The characters never felt like real people, and since I couldn’t visualise them, I couldn’t empathise with them. There was an instant when I just couldn’t make myself read any further, because doing so seemed increasingly like a chore. And the eye-roll moments definitely didn’t help.
I would still say this: The imagination gone into crafting this story is spectacular. So please don’t let my review change your mind about giving this one a go. So the book didn’t work for me. Sad. Doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. Besides, The Shiva Trilogy is multitudes above the insipid, tacky love-stories that so many Indian authors regularly churn out. And for that alone, it at least deserves to be read.
If only the writing were as exciting.... *sigh*
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I still maintain that this book is a great concept. Taking an Indian God like Shiva with multiple facets to his persona and coming up with such an elaborate tale takes a different kind of imagination. Having grown up hearing stories about Gods like Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Krishna etc curiosity was the one thing that drew me towards the first book in the series. But the curious thing about this book is that even though you want to be surprised and confronted with out of the world conspiracy theories with each turn of the page it is the very same predictability that keeps you hooked. Be that in the case of Shiva's marriage, his friendship with Nandi, Bhagirath and Veerabhadra or any other stories associated with his myth, the fun part of the book is seeing how each story fit into place. For me this was the fun part but now that brings us to the next question. What about a person who has not yet heard of Shiva or his story? Will this person find the book enjoyable? This is not a book for such a person. In such a case the person tends to evaluate the book on the basis of the writing and that leaves much to be desired. Amish Tripathi is more of a conversationalist than a writer. His creative energy seems to be high when his characters are engaged in conversations but that doesn't also prevent his dialogues from being a little childish. All the philosophies about life, good and evil etc are engaging but it has a distinct Yoda to Skywalker kind of conversation aura that you learn nothing new from the venture. One thing I did find odd though was the ease with which people fall at the feet of Shiva. He is supposed to be an ordinary man in this book. But that promise is not delivered, it seems Shiva became a legend because he was already a legend which doesn't make the slightest sense. Also even the strongest opposition is won over by Shiva's humility, without even a second thought. The constant reference to India is also nerve racking as there was no India at that time and that undermines much of the credibility in this story.
The story however is more or less the same. We have Shiva who is prophesied as the destroyer of evil but having trouble understanding the true evil. Since the Chandravanshi threat has been taken care of the only thing that can now be considered evil is the feared Nagas. But are the Nagas truly evil or are they just misunderstood?. As Shiva searches for answers he comes across shocking revelations that may change everything.
Even though "The Secret of the Nagas" try to bring as many twist and turns as possible to the story you can smell all the big twists from a mile away so these twists are not the highlight of this book. So don't expect to be surprised, what you can expect however is an enjoyable read which keeps your attention despite the flaws. -
I have said this before and I will say it again that
Amish Tripathi's imagination knows no bounds. He's one of the most imaginative Indian authors. But once again I didn't end up loving the book, once again I wanted to.
It's thrilling, we even have some really great twists in the story but I felt like something was amiss. May be because the original depiction that we have of Lord Shiva and Ganesha is beyond perfect. I went into reading this with a clean slate and still I was disappointed. May be it's my fault that I set my expectations too high even though I didn't much like
The Immortals of Meluha. It's definitely on me.
It wasn't completely terrible but I was expecting more. I still look forward to the next book in the series.
3 stars -
The second book 'The Secret of the Nagas' follows 'The Immortals of Meluha' the first book in the 'Shiva Trilogy' series. A brilliant sequel to the first novel of the Shiva Trilogy. I could not have asked for more. Amish has done a wonderful job to bring out this fast-paced and action packed thrilling ride complete with drama, action, devotion, loyalty, philosophy, spirituality and vengeance spiced up with romance, conspiracy and deception. It took the epic to a new level. Every character in the book catches our interest.
Shiva is destined for greatness and it is his karma to find evil. Additionally, he aims to avenge the death of his best friend by killing the evil Naga, known as Lord of the People by the Nagas, and bring end to evil by finally destroying the Nagas. His wise and brave wife Sati has been a true companion in this quest. But a bitter-sweet revelation of her past surfaces motivating Shiva to uncover the secret of the Nagas.
What is evil? Can good exist without evil or are good and evil two sides of the same coin? The book tries to find answers to these questions. A wonderfully thought-provoking and fascinating sequel with a great plot and a fair share of twists and turns.
The second book was better than the first one. There were a lot of twists in the plot, which I could not predict.The twists got me hooked till the end. In this book, we understand a lot more about the Nagas and the quest of Shiva to find evil. This praiseworthy book left me more than ever to read the final book. -
Amazing Read....
Mr Amish starts with a basic idea of 'what if our gods were humans, albeit with super strength and long lives, in the past whose history has now become steeped with myths and legends....' and builds a brilliant story around it....
The characters are strong, the plot is well developed and the description is wonderful...I felt mythology come alive all around me!
There are many books which use the greek and roman mythology in their plots...I am glad that Mr. Amish has decided to explore our Hindu mythology as a plot for his book and while maintaining the spiritual aspect and the basic premise of eternal battle of good and evil he has not delved too much into the religious aspect...
I could almost imagine the marvelous movie which could be made...Something lord of the rings-eque with hollywood studios...coz well they do have better special effects...but with indian actors to preserve the indianness of the plot...:)
waiting for the next book....Mr Amish please finish it soon!!! -
20/05/19: Full review up
“There is a god in every single one of us. And there is evil in every single one of us. The true battle between good and evil is fought within.”
I have taken too long to finish this book and this series. Real life shit keeps getting in the way! Anyway, let’s get this review outta the way now, shall we?
The first book ends with Shiva in distress. His brother-like friend Bhrahaspati killed in a terror attack by the hooded mystery figure. His war waged on Chandravanshis revealing a whole new side to the story that was kept from him, in essence, him being played by the Suryavanshis. And if that was all not enough, the hooded mystery figure returning to attack Sati!
Book #2 picks right up where the first book leaves us. It wastes no time in dillydallying and opens straight up with a small skirmish and glues itself to your fingers from page one. Following Shiva, whose journey to find and destroy the biggest evil of his time has just begun and he has many deeds and years to span before he achieves his destiny. Many shocking discoveries to be made and plots and conspiracies to uncover. Alliance to be made and enemy lines to be drawn. The equations suddenly change. The allies don’t seem so trustworthy and all of a sudden the enemies aren’t all that evil! The war that should have ended with Chandravanshis being conquered, marks the beginning of a long and drawn out war that will span years before the evil is destroyed.“Courage is only needed once the war begins. To begin with you need to persuade the people to embark upon the war against evil. You need to influence them to give up their attachment to evil.”
In my opinion, this is definitely a worthy sequel in this series. It maintains a decent speed and keeps you reading. The skirmishes are garnished very nicely throughout the book, giving you regular doses of action.
The characters are well shaped overall and they stay true to their selves throughout. It was nice to see how Amish brought to bear the character and back story of Parushuram here. The character of Anandmayi is a treat to read. I love how she jumps off of the pages. She is strong and willful like Sati but she is everything else that Sati isn’t or couldn’t be.
I also very much like how Amish has brought together other Gods or deities into the story and weaved them in very seamlessly by ‘changing’ or ‘fictionalizing’ the life events of Shiva and Sati. Many characters like Kali, Ganesha and Parvateshwar are very well done.
I loved how Amish brought together someone who Shiva loves and someone he hates. How he brings Shiva at odds with Sati and how she refuses to balk at faced resistance from her husband and she goes on to do what is right.“I have finally understood something Shiva had told me once. That the opposite of love is not hate. Hate is just love gone bad. The actual opposite of love is apathy.”
However, the book has its problems too.
It has a couple of loose ends. A few topics are touched upon and then never discussed again which leaves you asking for questions by the end. Most important of such loose ends was the Branga ritual that is never tied in. It kinda doesn’t work.
I particularly was irked with the sequence with a pride of lions and Sati. It added to story in no way and could have been left out easily. It was one extra chapter and it ties in nowhere. There were many ways to get the desired outcome without such a lengthy and ludicrous side story.
Another thing is, while the pacing of the book is good, the timeline of the story, not so much. References to the time passing is very lacking. For example, book 2 spans the events of more than just a few years but it doesn’t feel like it until the author suddenly reminds you of how many years have elapsed. This should have been paid more mind to.
The character of Kartikeya was a little too over the top. Fierce warrior I get, but his motivations don’t make sense and even if they did, this one character is severely in need of being developed.
Also, like I mentioned in the review of book #1, the author maintains his target audience as only Indians and thus the details in many places are just barely enough to keep a reader going. Someone who is not well versed in Hindu mythology may feel a little lost.
Overall, given what I have read at the hands of Indian authors so far, Amish is definitely one of the best in business and this series is a fast paced book that will keep you reading, will provide you with small tidbits of real life philosophy and will give you a good time. It is one of the better writings I have read and I love how Shiva is characterized in the story on the whole and his growth arc.“The truth doesn’t ask for belief. It just exists. Truth doesn’t have to be liked. It only has to be spoken. Speak it out. The truth may hurt you, but it will set you free.”
PS: What follows is mycringe-worthyoriginal review of the book from 2013 and I haven’t even changed the formatting of my original review.
Pro tip? Do. Not. Read. It.
Original Rating: 4 stars (now reduced to 3 stars)
Original Review:
He finished off the 1st installment, The Immortals of Meluha in a cliffhanger, a Naga attack by a hooded mystery warrior on Shiva’s beloved Sati, & that’s where he picks it up in this 2nd installment.
It is a very good follow up book in the trilogy by Amish. He takes things a level higher than the last book as Shiva decides to take the fight to the vicious Nagas. But the question remains, why are the ostracized nagas doing this..?? Are they really as evil as everyone believes them to be…??
Amish creates a constant turmoil between the good & evil at a physical & psychological level by taking his protagonist to WAR with the likely enemy albeit his own reluctance for it. How the protagonist Shiva makes himself more than a man begins here. He constantly feels the question nagging at him, is this the real evil or is it something else. He takes the concept of evil beyond just the borderline of black & white. He takes it a touch deeper by contemplating that the biggest boon of a lifetime can turn sour. Simply put, “Excess of everything is Bad.”
The characters are strong, and the narrative is great. Love stories blossom in unlikely places and conspiracies muddy the plot when you think the dust is about to settle. Friends are made and enemies are discovered…!!!
It’s a brilliant book that handles a sensitive topic with great care and proper touch of delicacy. This book is sure to take you on a ride that you will enjoy.
26/12/18: RTC -
Actually 4.5 stars....
Finally the book is out. For past one year we (and here I can talk about four of us) have been waiting for the release of this book. Checking every month and then on a weekly basis. Its one of the firsts in Mythological fiction in India based on God Shiva. For me Shiva is probably the most maverick of the Trimurti of Gods – Brahma, Vishnu & Mahesh – birth, life & death and comes across as someone so un-God like. He is not saintly or perfect, he does not follow rules, his anger is earth shaking, his lifestyle is bohemian, he follows his emotions, and he loves or hates to the extremes. Unlike Vishnu the charmer & his aura and Brahma with his multiple heads and books, Shiva represents the God of the free spirits, who do not believe in right or wrong but believe in him and only him. He smokes a pot, and enjoys his bhang, plays with snakes and drinks his poison.
To read more:
http://storywala.blogspot.in/2011/11/... -
I like how the story's been developed in this book. I found some things predictable, but am not complaining about those in any way. Very well written. Again, I couldn't put the book down till I was finished reading it.
In some ways, the predictability is because of the fact that, once you're about a third into the book, it hits you that Amish has found this really cool way of retelling tales from Indian mythology; through an engaging, witty and insightful set of stories. You realise that you already knew all these characters. Parshuram, the man who beheaded his mother. Kali, the goddess known for her legendary temper. Each of the characters is one of the several familiar, if not beloved gods of childhood-stories-heard-on-grandmother's-knee :)
You make this realisation at any point in the book. For me, it hit me when Kartik was born. Sati's second born. Amish conveniently named him Kartik. So my mind automatically told me there *must* have been a Ganesh too. And then all the pieces clicked into place. Sati's previous child, whom she was told was a still-born. The Nagas not being of standard human appearance. Daksha and Veerini's previous reactions. Most things that were left unexplained in some previous passages.
But realising this does not take away much from the pleasure of reading the book. The way each character is developed by Amish and the way the story itself unfolds makes the book a very enjoyable read. What I particularly liked was the fact that Amish does a Kurosawa-esque justification of the actions of every character he portrays. You get to see the same story from each protagonist’s point of view, adding depth to each character.
Also, this has to be said: there certainly is a feel-good aspect to these books. One that you’re willing to live with because (apart from the actual fact that it does make you feel good while reading the story) you’ve been transported back to some place in your childhood. And here, the security of knowing that good will (eventually) triumph over evil makes the reading more enjoyable.
[Aside: I’m not quite sure this would apply to people who’ve not grown up hearing these stories (in whatever modified form). But then again, most of us grow up with one set of mythological stories or another. :)]
What I also am *extremely* thankful for, is that, nowhere in the book does the tone get preachy (that would irk me no end) or patronising. This is one of the few major reasons I’d disagree with anyone comparing Amish to Paulo Coelho.
The extent of my liking for this book can be gauged by this: I’ve even managed to tolerate the constant chants of “Jai Shri Ram” throughout the book. The significance of this fact is that my personal opinion of Ram, is er.. Hmm. Well, this forum is not appropriate for me to start on that rant, let alone the kind of adjectives that might ensue. Suffice to say that my dislike for that character is quite marked.
So having said all that, I am now awaiting the release of the third book in this trilogy. I do hope it lives up to the previous two books and ties up all those loose ends along the way as beautifully as has been done up until now. :) -
This sequel turned out to be much better than the first one. Like the first one, the humane side of Shiva, its characterisation, emotion was well developed where he was portrayed to be more in acceptance of him being "The Neelkanth". Hindu Philosophies like karma, righteousness, devotion, duty and loyalty were beautifully amalgamated with myth, history, tradition, and legends. The way in which Amish unfolded the scenes and the unimaginable revelations in the storyline keeps you on your toes. The number of characters increased and, so did the thrill of knowing what will happen next. The suspense sticks till the last word of the book and is loaded with loads of nail-biting moments.
Definitely, I would give a 4/5 for the book. This book definitely meets the expectation and even gives out more to the readers. With this, I will sign off for the day. Happy Reading.
For full book review, checkout my blog post in the below link:
https://lifewithlax.wordpress.com/202...
If you like this post, do like, share, and follow the blog below for more such updates. Let me know your suggestions for which book I should read next in the DMs or Comment Section. -
Read 360 pages to come to a conclusion that I already predicted while reading the first book. Everything was predictable, no surprising elements, for me atleast. Too many characters & similar places which confused me a lil. Overall, a decent read.
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4.5 stars.
Guess this will be my favourite of the 3 books. Connecting the mythology and yet creating a totally different story is what Amish is good at! I really loved how the suspense was build up until the very end. -
কখনও রোলার কোষ্টারে চড়েছেন? অথবা ফ্যান্টাসি কিংডমের ম্যাজিক কার্পেটে? চড়ে থাকলে বুঝবেন যে যখন আপনাকে খালি এদিক ওদিক ছুড়ে দেয় আর আপনার কিছুই করার থাকে না তখন কেমন লাগে। বইটা পড়তে গিয়ে ও আমার একই অবস্থা হইছে। সিম্পলি জটিল। এত এত বই পড়ে যখন নিজেকে প্রবাধ দিচ্ছি যে নতুন আর কি টুইষ্ট লেখক দিবে? সব ত আগেই বুইঝা গেছি। তখনি লেখক আমাকে এক্টা করে শক দেন, আর আমি বুঝি যে নারে এখন ও এত বুঝবান তুই হস নাই।
অসাধারন কাহিনীকার লেখক। তার লেখনি তে মুগ্ধ হতেই হবে। বড়জোর ৫০ পাতা আপনি মেজর কোন টুইষ্ট ছাড়া যেতে পারবেন। এরপর শক খেতে হবেই। লেখক এই গল্পে তার আগের বই কে পুরাই ঘুরায়া ফেলছেন। ভিলেন আর ভিলেন নাই, নায়ক আর নায়ক (আসল জন বাদ দিয়ে আরকি)।
এই বইটার ইংরেজী ভার্সনটা আমি পড়ছি। খুবি সহজ ভাষাতে লেখক লিখছেন। আমারা ছোট বেলায় র্যপিড রিডার পড়তাম। বিভিন্ন ইংরেজী ক্লাসিকের সহজকৃত ভার্সন। অই বইগুলার ইংরেজী ও এর চেয়ে কঠি��� ছিল। তবে এক্টু অসুবিধা হইছে যখন লেখক সংস্কৃত ভাষাতে নাম গুলো লিখছেন (ইন্ডিয়ার বিভিন্ন জায়গার নাম)। এছাড়া পুরাটা খুবই সহজ। -
Completely blown away, especially after the Naga's true identity is revealed.
Who is good and who is evil?
Can't wait to read the third part to find answers to all the cliffhangers. -
Last night, at 10-30, just before my weary head hit the pillow, I felt the need to read, or at least start reading a book. It's nothing unusual, and I'm sure that bibliophiles would be thoroughly acquainted with the feeling, and it's consequences. Although the first book in the Shiva trilogy had ended in quite a cliffhanger, I had refrained from diving into the second book until then. But for some reason, last night I picked up that one. It was 02-30 in the morning when the book was finished. I switched off the light, but sleep remained elusive for a long time. As a thundershower raged outside, I remained wrapped up in the multi-coloured and multi-textured quilt woven by Amish.
Amish's works have been compared with those of several authors. To me, his work seems to be a perfect conjugation of an Arthurian quest and everything Bollywood. But I also think that he is, till date, the only author who
has given us something similar to the legendary works of R.E. Howard, using Indian mythology to create a world that's purely fictional, and yet strangely familiar because of it's juxtapositioning of known geography onto mythical notions. Add to that a very simple language, and a proper thriller unfolding over multiple books, and you have something that's unputdownable.
Highly Recommended. -
The one reason, I read through the series, though incomplete, is the very serious romanticized take on a mythological figure. Shiva, one of the most masculine, virile men in Hindu mythology provides the perfect hero to this epical narrative. The story isn’t very great, but is saved by the very magnificent characterization of Shiva. The only thing you, as reader, wants is to see him happily married to Sati, playing the hero, and fighting the bad guys. A major glitch I feel this book has is the very confusing historical timeline. Amish Tripathi could have given some thought and importance to the actual (believed) sequence of events.
The follow up to this book, the secret of the Nagas, lacks a perfect narrative. It’s a series of very predictable disclosures that unfold through a chain of events. The only surprise for me as a reader was the very last part of the text, where in typical television serial style; the dead come back to life.
We wait for the third book in the series to see how this humdrum narrative comes to an end. My only favored element in the book, Shiva. You sure are a dude. -
in spite of not being enamored with the first book, i read the secret of nagas just to satisfy my curiosity of how the author managed to progress the plot in the book 2 of the trilogy. to cut a long story short, im disappointed. in the first book i could see glimpses of screenplay-ish writing and in this one im convinced that this series was written for a movie. maybe even with john Abraham as Shiva.
no character in this book is completely evolved, including that of Shiva. as a result, there is no one character you root for. some of twists in the story are so bizarre that if feels very forced. in fact, it is almost like a vikraman movie (excuse if you don't watch Tamil movies) where everyone is good, no one is evil. the "secret of nagas" also turns out to extremely predictable.
the language is still very amateurish and doesn't entice. even the complicated philosophies he tries to explain seem unoriginal and recycled.
it pains me to see such a powerful plot fall flat on its face! -
What a franchise!! Though this is not very gripping like the first edition i thoroughly enjoyed reading this books!! As i have said in my review for the first part that one should remove from his mind that shiva is god and proceed reading, then one can enjoy the book!!
Author has to be appreciated for coming up with such a brilliant idea and i bow before his thought of fiction blended mythology!! At many places i felt like my hand was trembling with excitement! The starting chapters were not soo interesting, but the plot begins to unfold as it proceeds!
The author was successful in taking me into a complete different world, which is the prime for any fiction/fantasy writer.
I am very thankful and feel privileged to be a reader of this epic!
Eagerly waiting for the third part "The oath of vaayuputras" -
AWESOME !
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I just want to laugh out loud at the "secret" the Nagas were hiding. It hardly was so. We already knew from the last book what was going on. The most I can muster now is an eye-roll. Also, the writing hasn't gotten any better. Maybe if the writer showed us Shiva being/doing something that allowed us to believe he really is the chosen one. Shiva's "Welp, can't help if they are idiots who believe in me" attitude doesn't really help either. Right now I am just glad there is just one last book remaining and I shall be free of this nonsense.
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A little bit slower pace than the first one. The story seems predictable. However, there lies mystery at the end.
I am enjoying this demythologization of the myth. -
Well Bose and I couldn't resist getting the sequel to The Immortals of Meluha. The first book ended abruptly in midst of a battle which was a clever strategy deployed by the author. But this sequel was worth a shot.
The Shiva Trilogy 2: The Secret of The Nagas came with a expanded map of India showing us the territory of the "evil" Nagas.
Rarely one comes across a sequel better than its predecessor. And this book can be surely counted as one of them. Every line of the book catapaults into opening a new secret.
Generally a book opens up with the author thanking his family and friends. This one opened up in a similar manner The lines were so few, but they sunk deep inside my heart ..
Unlucky are those who search the seven
seas for paradise
Fortunate are those who experience the only heaven
that truly exists, the heaven that lives in the company
of our loved ones
I am truly fortunate
Apart from the main story-line of Shiva finding and destroying the Nagas. This book also had some small parallel stories which were equally interesting. Notable one was that of Princess Anandmayi trying hard to win over General Parvateshwar who had taken a vow of brahmacharya , an open-ended word of honour that can never be broken.
The description of the gates of kingdom Branga [conjugate of Brahmaputra and Ganga] was nothing less than a fine example of an engineering marvel.
The arrival of Ganesh and Kali left me speechless.
Their character portrayal was simply way ahead for an Indian author.
But what moved me the most was the very small story in 'The Curse of Honour'. The story was that of Parshuram which definitely reminded me of the honour killings rooted in our society.
Hats off to Amish for this one !
Some of the awesome lines in this book were ..
"I know this is not entirely right. But sometimes, the only way to prevent a grave wrong is to commit a small wrong." - Parvateshwar [A Small Wrong?]
"It's true that Gods don't give all abilities to one person. You truly are your own worst enemy." - Naga Queen [What is Your Karma]
"Gold means nothing. We have tonnes of it back home. It still cannot buy us out of our suffering. Nothing is more important than life. Nothing. You realise the simplicity of that point only when you confront death everyday." - Divodas [Even a mountain can fall]
"Lord Rudra said judge a person by his karma, not his appearance." - Athithigva [The Mystery of the Eastern Palaces]
Few excerpts from the book are ...
"How does it work? How is it that I can hear your thoughts?"
"Its a simple science really. The science of radio waves. Just like light, which helps you to see, there are radio waves to help you hear. While all humans can easily use the properties of light to see, most don't know how to use radio waves to hear. We are dependent on sound waves to hear. Sound waves travel much slower through air and for much shorter distances. Radio waves travel far and fast, just like light"
- Birth Pangs [Pg110]
Truth doesn't ask for belief. It just exists. Let me hear what you think. There is god in every single one of us. What is the obvious corollary?
There is evil in every single one of us.
Exactly, there is god in every single one of us. And there is evil in every single one of us. The true battle between good and evil is fought within.
- Birth Pangs [Pg112]
The hump caused by the injury restricted Uttanka's right arm's movements.
"You will not be able to battle a taller man."
"I will die before retreating, My Lord," said Uttanka.
"I have no use for soldiers who die. I need soldiers who will kill and live."
- The Mating Dance [Pg127]
You were my world, my God, my creator,
And yet, you abandoned me.
I didn't seek you, you called me,
And yet, you abandoned me.
I honoured you, lived by your rules, coloured myself in your colours,
And yet, you abandoned me.
You hurt me, you deserted me, you failed in your duties,
And yet, I am the monster.
- What is Your Karma [Pg146] -
I liked the first book of the trilogy, Immortals of Meluha, mostly because it was a fun read. It was interesting to see how Tripathi brought in Nandi, Veerbadra and other mythological characters to life. Hence I pre ordered this book.
It was a disappointment. Shiva, from being a man confused of his destiny in the first book, becomes an all powerful superhero, almost like Captain Vijayakanth. He never gets hurt, none of his followers get hurt or killed (except for one janakaraj like character), nobody is wrong but every one has different view points - it started resembling a tamil masala movie.
From the first book, Tripathi builds up the image of the Naga as some one besotted with Sati / Parvati. So I assumed that he will turn out to be one of the asuras whom Sati kills, may be Makishasura. So it came as a jolt when it turned out to be Ganesha, who in all our myths has been a jolly good fellow, not the intense character that Tripathi makes him out to be.
Personally it offended my Tamil senses that Murukan / Karthikeyan is shown to be a north indian prince. Most probably in the next book, Murukan will settle down to rule the Nagas (who I assume are Dravidians) as Shiva goes back to his abode in Kailash. I have always thought that Murukan was a Tamil king who was worshipped by Tamilians and the Saivite religion later accommodated him into their pantheon. I understand that my assumption is a myth too. No one can be sure of whether it happened like Tripathi wrote or as I assume, still it grates to have my assumptions questioned without the other side giving a logical reason.
All in all the trilogy is an interesting idea that could have been a Umberto Eco kind of novel, but ends up being Thiruvilayadal movie.
(Apologies for the Tamil movie references)
