BLURB :
Neer, the head priest of the Himalayas, is troubled by the horrifying visions in his dream. On Ganga Maiyya’s behest, he embarks on a journey to the doomed island of Bali. The island, plagued with cyclic torments of Sekala and Neskala and suffering from constant rainfall, faces an imminent danger of drowning in sea. However, Neer’s power was no match for the strong evil forces that kidnapped the king and the queen, activating the volcano of Mt Agung. With the neighboring king of Java on his toes to attack and conquer the struggling island of Bali, will the gritty prince Erlangga, assisted by Neer, be able to save his kingdom? Read to find out how people turn towards the new dewtas introduced by Neer as the end becomes evident and how Eka-dasa-Rudra helps in arousing the most furious energy of this world, Rudra.
MY REVIEW:
The plot begins with Neer, the head priest of the Himalayas being troubled by horrifying visions about the island of Bali in his dreams. Erlangga, the prince of Bali is trying to save his land and his life at the same time from his maternal uncle, Gajah Meda. Kebo Chiwa, the army chief of Bali also accompanies his prince.
Kebo Chiwa tells, Neer about how the queen of Bali under the influence of their Priest Empu Rahuraan has converted into the wicked witch, Rangda. Her evil forces and glimpses of destruction are the visions that Neer gets in his dreams. On a directive from Ganga Maiyya Neer sets out on a journey to save the island of Bali.
During the course of his journey on the ship, the captain who’s already a friend of Neer introduces him to Erlangga and narrates the evil happenings in Bali. Neer then discloses the visions and about his mission. Neer has a magic stone that keeps him in his well-being and on orders from the captain that the precious thing might get lost, he secures it in a safe place. But the absence of the stone and the touch of it on his body takes a toll on his health and due to which he is forced to keep the stone with him as always; against the orders of the captain.
As they set out on the journey, they face horrific storms, during which the captain makes a decision to have the prince, Neer and the army chief transferred to a ferry boat, since the ship is out of control and is on course into a horrific storm. Together, the three of them get going on the boat, the captain also gives them his lucky coin as a token of love and for the wellbeing of the three who are about to witness, the dispute between good and evil.
As they set out on the journey, Erlangga under the guidance of Neer try to save Bali from the evil forces of Rangda and Gaja Medah. The continuation of how they accomplish destruction of evil and bring in new Gods to the beautiful land of Bali is the rest of the story.
What was the guidance given by Neer, do they save the land and what happens to Erlangga , who rules the land then on is the rest of the story. I am not giving it out now. The characterization is simple, with few characters the author has conveyed a good message and each character served its purpose.
The writing style is simple and crisp. If you are a lover of mythological genre, then the book is an apt read for you. The cover design could have been better. I do not see the copy as a reprint but I thought the quality could have been better.
BOOK DETAILS:
- Format:Paperback
- Publisher:Leadstart Publishing Services Pvt Ltd (2018)
- ISBN-10:9352010779
- ISBN-13:978-9352010776
MY RATINGS:
Cover: 3.5/5
Title: 4/5
plot: 4.5/5
Writing and Presentation: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5
About the Author :
The author, Suraj Kothiyal, hails from the beautiful city of Dehradun with his family roots belonging to the Himalayan region. A mechanical engineer and an MBA in marketing, Suraj, had five years of corporate experience before he started his own entrepreneurial journey. Today Suraj’s construction firm develops beautiful living spaces for its customers in Dehradun. He has been writing since childhood. Initially the hobby started out as writing poems in Hindi for school magazine. His collection of Hindi poems can be seen on his personal blog that goes by “poems.surajkothiyal.com”. As a child, whenever Suraj went close to the mighty mountains of Himalayas, they whispered a story in his ears. These stories later ignited a passion in him to write historic fictions and it’s his endeavor to bring to light the highly diversified and rich cultures across the world. This book is inspired by a popular folklore in Bali that talks of a Hindu saint namely, Maharishi Markandeya, who came to Bali from India and introduced Hinduism on the scenic island.
That Madras Mom 