Wednesday 6 March 2019

The Secret of the Nagas (Review)

                            'The Secret of the Nagas' is the sequel to the book 'The Immortals of Meluha', in the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi. The Secret of the Nagas starts exactly where The Immortals of Meluha ended. Continuing in his journey Shiva, a Tibetan immigrant revered as ‘Neelakanth‘ the savior by Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi peoples alike continues his tirade against evil who was none other then Nagas according to perception. Alongside, Shiva was engrossed in his individual battle to try and determine the demons within himself and annihilate disturbing thoughts by searching for answers plaguing his mind. Like the first part, the story forwards the next set of incidents that confronts Shiva while he's traveling across the length and breadth of the country searching for the truth.
                           After Swadweep's defeat in the war against Meluha, and meeting some of the people at its capital in Ayodhya, Shiva realizes that the Chandravanshis (Swadweepans) are not evil as propagated but had a different way to lead life. He is now convinced, that it is the Nagas who are evil and his battle is against them. Shiva seeks vengeance against the Nagas for it was a Naga attack on Mount Mandarin Meluha which led to the death of Brahaspati the scientist and also Shiva's close friend. Meantime, Sati unearths startling discoveries about her Suryavanshi heritage and discovers several long-lost relatives creating a wedge between Shiva and herself. While on one hand Shiva feels compelled to reassess his beliefs due to unfolding circumstances, Maharishi Bhrigu has added new dimensions to the mystery with his strange demands making the plot murkier.
                       Although the author has ingeniously added several twists and turns but it still failed to create and maintain the same feverish tempo as was demonstrated in the first part. Story genuinely lacked uniqueness and looked shallow at times, although the author's attempt to maintain momentum with masala is recognizable. The overall author hasn't deviated much from the plot in his zeal to add spice and substance thus compelling enough for readers to look forward for last installment of Shiva Trilogy.

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