Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar - Book Review

This is a review of the debut book by Kochery C. Shibu titled Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar.

Here is the review of the book...

• Title - Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar
• Author - Kochery C. Shibu
• Pages - 284
• Publishers - Niyogi Books
• Format - eBook [Also available in print]
• Genre - Fiction
• Price -  63 /- eBook [Paperback-INR 330/]

A hydelpower project in the remote Himalayas. Three people brought together by fate. Nanda, an engineer from Kerala at the dam construction site hiding from his past, from the law, torn between the love of his dear ones and the traditional kalari code of revenge. Khusru, a boy displaced from his native village in Kashmir, a gambit in the terror plot threatening to blow up the dam, working as a laborer at the site. Rekha, a Kathak dancer in heart, a doctor by profession, arrives at the campsite as the consort of Khusru. A village that accepts the dictates of modernity with a heavy heart, its population steeped in superstitions and religious beliefs.

All throng the campsite like moths to a flame, some escape untouched, successful; some, miss a step, and perish. Each has a story to tell and a dream to realize. Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar is about the aspirations of these people with their cares and worries woven into the site life. The fury of nature and the hardships of project life have no mercy for the weak and no time for the dead. Like an eternal spectator the Dhauladhar watches as men risk life and limb in a quest to fulfill their dreams.

• Nanda - An engineer from Kerala who is an exponent in Kalari, a martial Art form and works in the commissioning of the Hydel power project.
• Khusru-A young Kashmiri youth who is abandoned by his parents and lives with his uncle till he is caught under a cross fire. He is then recruited by a 'bearded man' where Khusru follows all his instructions!
• Rekha - A doctor turned Katak dancer who ,through some twist of fate, joins the Hydel camp site and gets recruited as the Doctor in charge!
• And a whole bunch of side characters like Indumati,Mangu Ram and his son, Thekdars, Rekha's grandmother, Nandhinikutty,Rajanish,Rafiq,Mukesh, a horde of workers in the khan group, the Lal Mahal team,some Russian / Chechen para gliders,PM,Ghoraji ,Sanjay Rathore- the investigating officer,etc,etc, who have various small parts in this book.

The trio - Nanda, Khusru,Rekha by twists and turns of fate land together at various points of the book at Dhauladhar's Hydel power plant project site.

Read the rest of the review on my other blog. Click here..

Tarikshir: The Awakening - Book Review

Tarikshir: The Awakening is the first novel by author Khayaal Patel.This is being reviewed as a part of the book review program by Writer's Melon.All opinions are mine.

Let us move on to the review....

• Title - Tarikshir: The Awakening
• Author - Khayaal Patel
• Pages -335
• Publishers - Westland Publications Ltd
• ISBN - 9789387578500
• Format - Print [Also available as Ebook]
• Genre - Fiction
• Price - INR 399/-

A small princely state in Rajasthan is the last bastion of resistance against the might of the British Empire. While unrest surrounding the sudden death of the king of Devangarh grows, young prince Rudra Pratap Chauhan prepares to ascend the throne.

But the kingdom is in turmoil. The Devangarh army is outnumbered and the British forces are closing in. To make matters worse, Rudra discovers the king’s death may not have been accidental after all. The strange appearance and disappearance of a mysterious hooded stranger and a series of ritualistic murders in which the bodies have been drained of blood, spread panic across the realm.

As Rudra struggles to manage his new responsibilities and investigate his father’s death, he may uncover some secrets that will disrupt life as he knows it.

The list of characters is long but here are some of the important people who keep the story running...

• Valikesh whom we  encounter in the prologue which forms the important part of the story.
• Raja Ravindra -The King of Devangarh
• Bikram Bir Singh- Raja Ravindra's hefty bodygaurd
• The Rani
• Prince Rudra
• Nawab Mir Abdul Ghazi -The vizier in the Raja's court
• Shamsheer - Raja Ravindra's self exiled brother and the leader of a militant group who lives with his gang in the Red Tiger fortress.
• Duryadutta - The Royal Physician and legendary warrior.
• Lord Richard Walken - The diplomat in Her Royal Majesty's service
• Shen Zhou- Rudra's Chinese Martial arts teacher
• Nafisa
• Loads of zombies, an evil witch ,traitors and loyals,Wind Asuras.
• Last but not the least - Tarikshir  and Tamingila.

The prologue looks like the story has something to do with Mythology! The war between Ram and Ravan has just ended and the monkey warriors are busy enjoying the spoils of the war and Valikesh, one of the money warrior is murdered by an unknown creature while he is looking for riches to take back home.

Then starts the actual story in the court of the Raja Ravindra of Devangarh.The British are taking over each kingdom by force or by making an alliance and Lord Walkin come with his troupe to seek audience with the Raja. When the negotiations fail, he returns back and the Rajput King gets ready to face him in a war.

Things go terribly wrong and there is an ambush! Read the rest of the review on my other blog ...Click here...