After a stupendous start for author Kevin Missal with the first book in his Kalki series, Satyayoddha Kalki, eye of Brahma is the second book he released. A seemingly simple yet powerful cover made me pick this book up. Not forgetting my ardent love for Vishnu! When I held this book for the first time, these 400 something pages seemed like a huge then. Only then did I realize, not really.
About the book- After a defeat at the hands of Lord Kali, Kalki Hari must journey towards the Mahendragiri mountains with his companions to finally become the averted he's destined. But the road ahead is not without peril. Not only is he trapped by the cannibalistic armies of the pisach, he is also embroiled in the Civil War of the vanars. And in the midst of all this, he meets a face from the legends. Meanwhile, Manasa, the sister of the late Vasuki, plots to overthrow Lord Kali by bringing a massive war to his kingdom. But naagpuri, her homeland, has been infilterated by their sworn enemy, The suparns. Not only does she need to protect her kingdom from the suparns, she must also protect her close ones from the league of conspirators at her own home. Who can she really trust? And will she be able to put and end to Lord Kali's rule? As the plot thickens and Lord Kali sees his ambition crushed right before hjs eyes, he comes to know about his race and its history that threatens to destroy the very fabric of this world's reality.
I am sure like me a lot of people who are reading this blurb for the first time are onfused about what is happening. But take my advice, don't be. The author takes it upon himself to give a recap of all the incidents of book 1 right before he starts this book. Divided into two parts, you get an overdose of mythology here.
If you have taken my earlier advice, take another. This book isn't for the weakhearted. Or for the ones who are not that much into mythology. For hardcore mythology lovers like me, though, this is an once in a lifetime opportunity to read and go into the depths of it. The narration is fabulous and it grips you to the edge of the seat. But you don't need to be careful here as it doesn't let you fall off.
A bit lengthier for sure, you'll die to read the first book and the third installment of the series right after you have finished this one. Characters who we have grown up reading and listening about form the crux of the book while this fiction tale is enchanting to say the very least. It was a 1 day one sitting read for me and I couldn't just have more as I kept on reading. The way the characters have been formed and how the author takes you through the book, you'll surely be confused on who to root about.
As far the cons are concerned, there aren't much. You must read book 1 before starting this one and you'll die to read book 3 once you've completed this. A cliffhanger at the end of the book leaves you speechless. The author has a natural flair of writing which I'd love to keep on reading. A 4.5 out of 5, I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.
