Mythology
mixed with fiction is a tricky genre – you need to take care of a lot of
things. You need to make sure your book is interesting enough with the right
dallops of mythology, without going overboard. Also, in India, you need to make
sure you don’t hurt or offend peoples’ sentiments.
When
properly done, this genre is a treat to read. It all started with Dan Brown who
literally revolutionarized this genre. He combined history and fiction and the
results were fantastic.
Amongst
Indian authors, I guess it was Ashwini Sanghi who first took up this genre, and
he did wonders too. With “The Curse of Surya”, I was skeptical initially. Let
us see whether I was proved right or wrong.
As the usual
format for this genre goes, we have a lead character in the form of a
journalist named Sangeeta Rao and an American called Alan Davies. You guessed
it right – there IS that mandatory romance track between these two. But that is
not the story, so let us leave that out.
The plot
focuses on the long lost jewel called the “Shyamantaka” on which everybody is
trying to gain their hands. A terrible mishap at the Krishna temple in Mathura
leads to the two protagonists on the run being pursued by the police. Together,
the two go places all over the northern and western India, getting closer to
the Shyamantaka with each step. Will they succeed? Or will the police catch
them? And what about the Shyamantaka? These form the basic plot.
CHARACTERIZATION
Dev Prasad
develops his characters well. As the beautiful reporter, Sangeeta Rao is our
quintessential lead female protagonist who will instantly make place in your
heart. As the charming male protagonist (Or antagonist?), Alan Davies is shown
perfectly. There is always a shred of doubt whenever he comes on screen. And
you are torn between the thought whether he is the good guy or the bad guy.
Alan
Blanchard is apt. SP Nisha Sharma is superb. I personally loved her character.
WRITING
The style of
writing is really good. Dev Prasad keeps the language basic and simple, and focuses
more on the content. Speaking of that, the content is rock solid. It is a work
of exhaustive research, and that clearly shows. The plot keeps you engrossed till
the end. The different locations, the various clues surrounding the mystery of
Shyamantaka are very well done.
I especially
loved the fact that Dev portrays a lot of his story in Gujarat and particularly
Bet Dwarka. It is a different feeling to see places of your own state show such
a good story.
On the
negative side, I didn’t quite digest the submerged island sequence. For me,
that was the only part that didn’t work. It seemed too far-fetched in an
otherwise believable story. However, the believable climax made up for this
minor glitch.
OVERALL, Dev Prasad’s “The Curse of Surya” is
a lovely read, and a must for all mythological fiction fans. It is gripping,
fast – paced, well written, has a solid plot, and most importantly, has
characters which you will instantly take to.
A thumbs up
for me!
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