Title: Tantra
Author: Adi
Plot: Anu is a reputed, slightly hot-headed
but sincere vampire killer from New
York . Her near and dear ones are blissfully unaware
of her activities, and Anu likes leading these double lives as threads separate
from each other. Until the day the threads intertwine and chaos enters her
life.
The loss of a loved one provokes Anu to
seek vengeance and to this end she reaches New Delhi . But, the vampire scene here is
completely different from New York ,
and no sooner has Anu found her bearings, than she encounters other darker,
sinister forces at play, and the whole city seems to be in danger.
Anu’s usual weapons of choice are not
going to work here, and there is hardly time to learn the new complex skills
that might help her in this war. In a time when friends and foes are hard to
differentiate, when Anu’s priorities are changing, will she be able to win??
Review: I have to say that I’m impressed with
the book. Seeing the word ‘vampire’ might bring back memories of a sullen Mr. Cullen
and his anemic Bella, but don’t worry, this book has nothing of the sort. I
think the fact that the book has a female protagonist, and that too a bad-ass,
weapon-wielding one – is one of the reasons the book impressed me J.
Mr. Adi has brought out a book that is
probably going to open the doors to a whole new genre of Indian writing. This
actually seems like a risk, but I think it’s worked. In this fantasy thriller,
nothing is out of bounds, anything can happen and while the story does stick to
the main plot, it offers frequent twists and turns to keep the reader
interested. Vampires meet Indian saints meet Delhi clubs meet match making aunties. See,
nothing is out of bounds!!! But though they may seem disparate, all the threads
come together into a cohesive storyline.
The characters are well etched and you
can sort of imagine them as people you know. The author has maintained a good
balance between the east and the west, and you come to recognize the city he
tries to depict. The protagonist, Anu, especially makes for a wonderful
heroine. The writing is fast paced and keeps the reader intrigued. The action
scenes are well described and you can’t help wondering how this would look like
as a movie or TV Series. Way better than the current trash on Indian
television, I’m guessing!!
Some of the characters and sequences
reminded me of similar ones in the Harry Potter books – the significance of a
mentor, having buddies to back you up, internal conflicts, taking on an evil
superpower who will go to any lengths to maintain his power. The concept of ‘shifting’
was a little vague to me at first, but as the story progressed, I got an idea
of what it meant. I wish there was some sort of closure for Anu’s initial quest
for vengeance, but since that was left incomplete, I’m guessing there’s a
sequel coming soon. Also a few proof reading mistakes are visible, though they
don’t really mar the enjoyment of the book.
Verdict: A completely original story. Though
not the kind of writing that touches you in deep places, you are guaranteed not
to be bored. I recommend you pick it up at least for the sake of trying out
something new!!
5 comments
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ReplyDeleteThank you, Amruta!!
DeleteI am not a big fan of Vampire books/movies but may be I'll like it if I read it!!:-) Hope you are having a wonderful day!
ReplyDelete-Jyoti
Style Delights Blog
I know, I'm not a big fan of the whole Twilight saga either, but this book doesn't really have that much to do with vampires, it's more about Tantra :-)
DeleteI read the plot and review on my friend blog page..well found the plot totally hilarious!!!....
Deletehttp://www.myunfinishedlife.com/