Harrappa- Curse of the Blood River

The success of The Shiva trilogy, many authors are moving towards mythology. I personally like Mythology and the way Amish treats his books. I heard a few positive reviews about this book. The blurb and the cover further intrigued me in reading to see what ‘Harappa- Curse of the Blood River’ brings forth.  The title is apt and not many authors would have tried writing a historical-mythological-fantasy fiction that would need a lot of research. This is a good attempt by Vineet Bajpai.

The book revolves between 1700 BC and 2017 AD. The story is based on Vivasvan Pujari and Vidyut Shastri born in different eras, but something connects them. The story interlinks the two eras and the two characters. A phone call at an odd hour makes Vidyut travel to Kashi/ Banaras to see his dying great grandfather. There is a secret that he has kept all his life- a secret that changed the fate of mankind many years back.

Positives:

• The story moves brilliantly between the two eras and makes it an interesting read.
• It will give you a glimpse of three places or cultures- Rome, Banaras and Harappa.
• The genre is a mix of history, occult and thriller- if you like these, you can give this book a try.
• The plot is good, the character sketch for all the characters is well thought through. I personally liked the way Vivasvan Pujari’s character has been drawn and the culture of Harappa has been shared. The choice of words and expressions do justice to both.

Negatives:

• The narration is slow paced; it didn’t need 314 pages for this plot.
• There are a few grammatical errors and repetition of information like ‘Half Human, Half God’ on almost every other page.
• The secret was revealed in the beginning so that was a low point for me.
• The conversation between Vidyut and his wife Damini has not been handled well. Usage of words like yaa and baby are un-relatable.

Overall, a book you can pick up for the storyline.

My ratings:

•         Title: 5/5
•          Cover: 4/5
•          Blurb: 4/5
•          Characterization: 4/5
•          Plot: 4/5
•          Writing and Presentation: 3/5
•          Overall Rating: 3.5/5