The Mahabharata Secret by Christopher C Doyle: a review

The key to the secret of the Mahabharata adorns the cover of this very book. Following the path of the most read genre of the era, Christopher C. Doyle’s The Mahabharata Secret is in itself a wonder to read. The answers to ‘why is the key in the cover?’ to ‘secret in the epic Mahabharata?’ is perfectly given once the readers start reading it and yes, it is one adventurous journey.

On the back cover- 244 BC Asoka the Great discovers an ancient and terrible secret- a secret buried deep in the Mahabharata; a secret that could destroy the world; secret hidden away for over 2500 years… Present Day A retired nuclear scientist is murdered. He leaves only e-mails with clues for his nephew. He and his friends follow a trail through ciphers and 2000- year old ruins. Pursued by powerful dark forces, caught between the secrets of the past and the intrigues of the present, can they unravel the mystery before an unspeakable horror is unleashed on the world…

When I started this book, I had my mind full of expectations. The beginning confused me a bit but when I re-read it, I knew I am in the book for good. The mythological part of the book- Asoka, The Nine, Suryasen and the discovery of the secret had such an impact on me that I sat there researching on the topic.

The characterizations of the book were nice. Starting from Vikram Singh to Vijay, Colin, Radha, Mr.Shukla and Farooq, all were very apt and to the point making this a very nice read. The formats of the riddles also are liable to run the brain cells of every reader in an attempt to solve it before the author. I also liked the way the author has mingled the secrecy of the secret with Al Qaeda.

The way it has been narrated makes the read very smooth for every reader. The interest is kept at its peak from the beginning of the book making the readers finish the book at one go. The ride throughout the book is very smooth making it a very equal throughout the journey.

For the flaws, I felt that the ‘mythological’ part of the book could’ve been written more diversely with more descriptions. And I also felt that the author had given in too much about the mystery of one of the characters and about the secret too. The readers who have read many mystery books like this might be a little disappointed with this book.

The end of their adventure, for me, also left a bit of loose ends but the end of the book brought a triumphant smile on my face. I wish, to read a much better version of the book because at the end of the day, I felt that the author could’ve played a lot with the minds of the readers and the story. For me, the book is a 4 out of 5.