The Lost Arcanum by Navin Reuben Dawson : A Review

BOOK TITLE: The Lost Arcanum

AUTHOR: Navin Reuben Dawson

ISBN/ASIN: 978-9387328280

GENRE: Fiction / Thriller

NUMBER OF PAGES: 464

FORMAT: Paperback

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: I thank the author for this review copy.

SUMMARY:

Arcanum is a lost cache of esoteric wisdom guarded by a prehistoric secret brotherhood that besides holding dangerous information on disciplines ranging from metaphysical science, alchemy, advanced microbiology, anthropology and exhaustive cosmogony had known to contain, amongst many other, mankind's greatest untold truth about his origin. It's the subject of one of history's intriguing mysteries that was lost to time. But now, the hunt to unearth that cache of lost esoteric wisdom has begun once more. On the verge of solving series of gruesome murders, CBI officer, Jake Stevens, is pulled from the investigation. Intrigued, Jake seek answers and eventually stumbles upon a link that connects his long dead father and the murders to a secret - The Lost Arcanum. The link - a meticulously crafted cipher propels Jake through labyrinth of ancient secrets, hidden history and unseen truths scattered across the mysterious landscape of India, drawing him closer to a devastating secret buried since the beginning of time. With an unexpected company of Taneez - a historian, entangled in a treacherous chase with a professional killer and covert organization, Jake find himself on a deadly collision course with forces of vengeance, greed, power and the lost history itself.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

I am a fan of Dan Brown, and of the lead character of his history based thriller series, Robert Langdon. So it was nearly inevitable that the cover and shape of this book would remind me of the famous author and his history series. When the author approached me for a review, the first thing I noted about the summary was a vague similarity to novels I had gotten used to. But then I decided to give it a try because of the setting, which would be India. The summary itself had enough words that could practically be termed the 'keywords' of this genre of books. The cover looked interesting, and once I began reading the book I was long past noticing that.

REVIEW:

It is not very easy to write a review for a thriller book without letting out some kind of spoiler. When we risk that, commenting on the plot elements can quickly become a summary rehash or a spoiler. This can be especially detrimental for a book whose summary does not do complete justice to the brilliance of the story, almost as if it had resorted to the hot and happening keywords to explain the seriousness of the plot. So I am going to form this review around the other elements of the book, especially the narrative and the storyline, without mentioning what was in the book.

The first thing I felt about the book both during and after reading was - it was wonderfully researched and managed to keep the interest of the reader alive. This is such an achievement considering the length and the geographical changes. The story kept me engrossed as and when I picked up the book and it was not that hard to follow. Special mention to the narrative that does not dip or deviate to any places over the course of the lengthy novel.

The writing is kept simple, and there are enough twists, some predictable and some unexpected, that keep the flow going. For a story that mingles many elements independently, including fantasy, history and science (even the elusive alchemy), there is no jargon in the story and it is kept fairly straightforward. The characterisation is another plus. Starting with the lead to all the supporting characters, each has their own defining purpose that makes them indispensable and not in anyway included forcefully.

Filled with sinister subplots and successive thrilling events, the book tries to mingle a bit too many facts and theories into one huge plot that attempts to explore theories of human origin. This might be a downside for some readers who would not be able to remember or keep track of all the elements that have been included as part of the book. But for me, this was a plus as I tried to work out which parts of the story were important and what loose ends were left at the end of the day. I totally loved that the entire length of the book did not deviate to anything less important, providing more and more to think of and process.

As to the language, there were a few typos that were obvious, and though interesting, some parts of the story could have been edited to make the book even better - just because a part was interesting does not mean it was totally relevant to the plot. The book could have done with tighter editing, and the lack of it was felt in some crucial places.

Overall, the summary did not do much justice to the originality of the plot, which made it sound full of stereotypical elements. But the book was thankfully different and could hold its own amidst other similar books of this genre. There were certain parts of the plot that sounded like they had resorted to the stereotype - including a lost secret, delving through history to find it, a sinister murder plot that threatens the lead character and a personal tragic loss that kicks off the entire book. But the brilliance in the writing makes up for this. The book does not give much to take back from the reading, but it is totally worth the ride. For a change, there's a plot based in India, that makes for an interesting read.

WHAT I LIKED:

• The book breaks the stereotypes that can be seen in the summary
• The read is worth it, and the book delivers what it promises.
• The plot is interesting and has tried to include many different sub-genres successfully

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

• Before it grabs the reader, the book's first impression is one of being too long. It could benefit from tighter editing.
• The print edition had a few typographical errors that were probably overlooked.
• At the outset, the plot description sounds stereotypical. This is not a deal breaker but leads the readers to form their own conclusions before they begin reading.

VERDICT:

One time read - but completely worth it.

RATING: 4/5

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback

PRICE Rs. 310 for Paperback

BOOK LINKS: Amazon