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Monday, October 21, 2013

The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi : A Review


 
BOOK TITLE: The Krishna Key

ISBN: 978-93-81626-68-9

AUTHOR: Ashwin Sanghi

GENRE: Thriller Fiction

NUMBER OF PAGES: 474

FORMAT: Paperback

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

REVIEW BY: Dhivya Balaji

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20539669-dhivya-balaji

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: A friend gifted me this coveted paper back for my recently passed birthday

REVIEW:

          When I received this book as a birthday gift from a friend, she hinted at a really thrilling book that had all the individual elements of a mystery/ thriller genre. But she was not alone in this praise. The reputation of this book preceded it in the reading circles and the Dan Brown of India does not disappoint. Much like Robert Langdon of Dan Brown’s historical thrillers, this book has Ravi Saini as the protagonist.

          One of the features of this book that immediately allures to the readers is its dual story line. Much as each chapter ends with a thrilling note, each chapter also starts with the life story of Krishna as a first person narrative. The story of the eighth avatar of lord Vishnu, though initially deemed irrelevant, slowly progresses and merges into the present day story.

          To give a direct comment about the chapters of the story would be to reveal the story itself. But as a single point, there is the professor, his protégé, a deluded serial killer, an honest but bull dog tenacious police inspector, a corrupt policeman and innocent murder victims. Dan Brown, anyone?

          And then there is a cryptic seal that passes generations via families who are descendants of Krishna and how the seal attracts killers with ulterior motives forms the plot. Wrongly accused of murder of a friend, the protagonist finds himself in jail all the while trying to explain his innocence whereas his mind which is above all these mere formalities tries to puzzle out the clues left by his deceased friend. (Sigh!)

          The journey to find the elusive Krishna key takes the professor from Delhi to Jaipur and from there to Mount Kailas, the sacred abode of Lord Shiva. The bad guys follow the trail left by the Krishna key for more than a monetary gain and the professor and his female companion find themselves in mortal danger more than once.

          But inevitably they do succeed and again, their success leaves a lot to be desired, and a lot of questions are left unanswered. But the accuracy of historical facts and the really engrossing narrative of involving Krishna and the double often triple meanings to each sentence make the reader think twice about playing the guessing game.

          Being a fan of Robert Langdon and someone who has read all of Dan Brown’s books, I cannot help but notice the similarities. But the various twists and turns about often visited Indian locations are sure to make the readers go “Ah! Really?” every time they find out another ‘revealed truth’.

          How many times have we listened to the ‘Dasavathara slokam’ rendered by singers as a part of god worship? Which one of us would have thought that the same verses would end up being a murder trade mark? And how were we to expect that the fabled kalki avatar has indeed come. And is there really a connection between the ‘Mahabaratha’ and the modern day warfare? What if the ‘Brahmastra’ was really a nuclear weapon? These are some of the questions that will be answered if you read this book.

WHAT I LIKED: The captivating story line and the really interesting historical facts interweaved into the story.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER: The absence of a closure is an expected disappointment.

VERDICT: If you are ready to challenge your previous historical notions about our temples, monuments etc, your religious beliefs about epics, and are ready to have an alternate third view of the birth, death and rebirth of Krishna, go for this book.

RATING: 4/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

          Ashwin Sanghi's first novel, The Rozabal Line was originally published in 2007 under his pseudonym, Shawn Haigins. The book was subsequently published in 2008 and 2010 in India under his own name and went on to become a national bestseller.

         

          An entrepreneur by profession, Ashwin writes extensively on history, religion, mythology and politics in his spare time, but writing historical fiction in the thriller genre is his passion and hobby. Chanakya's Chant is his second novel in the genre. It deals with ancient Mauryan history and would be made into a movie.

 

          Sanghi was educated at Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai, and St Xavier's College, Mumbai. He holds a master's degree from Yale and is working towards a PhD in Creative Writing. He lives in India with his wife, Anushika, and son, Raghuvir.

 

Ashwin can be reached either

via his blog at www.ashwinsanghi.com,


via Facebook at www.facebook.com/shawnhaigins.

 

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback, Kindle, eBook

PRICE: Rs 125 for a paperback.

BOOK LINKS: http://www.amazon.in/The-Krishna-Key-Ashwin-Sanghi/dp/9381626685

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