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niketsheth's review
3.0
The book is slow in the 2nd half. Didn't like the overall secret of immortality which was revealed. The central character is interesting but apart from that none of the characters have anything interesting
asolitaryreader's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thinde's review
3.0
I suppose I was hoping for more. This novel did not have much emotional impact.
It reads as a typical thriller but without much tension. Perhaps a little foreshadowing would have helped. Without it, each turn of the story seemed like a long list of, "and then this happened, and then this happened."
The occasional historic reference was interesting and the glimpses of Indian culture and religions was a delight. It didn't add up to enough to make me want to read more.
It reads as a typical thriller but without much tension. Perhaps a little foreshadowing would have helped. Without it, each turn of the story seemed like a long list of, "and then this happened, and then this happened."
The occasional historic reference was interesting and the glimpses of Indian culture and religions was a delight. It didn't add up to enough to make me want to read more.
b00kr3vi3ws's review
4.0
Professor Bharadvaj would have ceased to exist had the call from his assistant, Manohar, had not come the moment that it did.
Being Immortal has its advantages and disadvantages, and nobody knows it better than Asvatthama. He has to shed his identities every few years in order to keep mortals from discovering his true identity. It was time to end the persona of Professor Bharadvaj and cut all ties from that life in order to restart a new life with a new name when Manohar calls with information that could possibly change Asvatthama’s life. Ms.Maya had approached to get in touch with Professor Bharadvaj with regards to a relic which could mean either of two things. First option would be that she wanted to go on a wild goose chase looking for the Vajra, an object with great alchemical powers. Or, she could have traced back his real identity and this could be a trap for him. Not willing to take a chance in case she had any real information, Asvatthama agrees to meet this woman. When she produces real proof about the possibility of Vajra being in existence, and they get attacked immediately after – Professor Bharadwaj embarks upon a journey spanned around the world to hunt this object before he becomes a victim.
The book opens with a scene that establishes the immortal nature of our protagonist and right off the bat we are taken on a journey that takes us from beautiful Dwaraka to intriguing Baluchistan. The story is narrated from the point of view of the protagonist. For a man of the world who has lived through history since the times of Mahabharata, Asvatthama sure has a personality that is both expected and yet surprising. His experiences with life have given him unique perspectives and at the same time brings with certain insecurities that make him human. He is intelligent, he is smart and he is certainly endearing, that is once you get to know him. Maya Jervois was a character I wasn’t very sure about at the beginning… I had my doubts about which side she was really playing on and about her true motives. But her character is shaped up nicely over the storyline and yes, I will leave you to wonder whether she is the heroine or the vamp of the story. There is not a single major character that is indispensable in the story. Each of them has something to contribute and have been developed just right. As for the plot, the author has managed to create a line that keeps the readers intrigued throughout. With the right balance of action and information delivery, the book hardly has a slow patch. It is very apparent that the author has put in quite a bit of research in this story and the fusion of facts with fiction is well delivered. Her language and narrative style only adds positives to the story.
This is a book for Mystery, Thriller & Mythology lovers.
Being Immortal has its advantages and disadvantages, and nobody knows it better than Asvatthama. He has to shed his identities every few years in order to keep mortals from discovering his true identity. It was time to end the persona of Professor Bharadvaj and cut all ties from that life in order to restart a new life with a new name when Manohar calls with information that could possibly change Asvatthama’s life. Ms.Maya had approached to get in touch with Professor Bharadvaj with regards to a relic which could mean either of two things. First option would be that she wanted to go on a wild goose chase looking for the Vajra, an object with great alchemical powers. Or, she could have traced back his real identity and this could be a trap for him. Not willing to take a chance in case she had any real information, Asvatthama agrees to meet this woman. When she produces real proof about the possibility of Vajra being in existence, and they get attacked immediately after – Professor Bharadwaj embarks upon a journey spanned around the world to hunt this object before he becomes a victim.
The book opens with a scene that establishes the immortal nature of our protagonist and right off the bat we are taken on a journey that takes us from beautiful Dwaraka to intriguing Baluchistan. The story is narrated from the point of view of the protagonist. For a man of the world who has lived through history since the times of Mahabharata, Asvatthama sure has a personality that is both expected and yet surprising. His experiences with life have given him unique perspectives and at the same time brings with certain insecurities that make him human. He is intelligent, he is smart and he is certainly endearing, that is once you get to know him. Maya Jervois was a character I wasn’t very sure about at the beginning… I had my doubts about which side she was really playing on and about her true motives. But her character is shaped up nicely over the storyline and yes, I will leave you to wonder whether she is the heroine or the vamp of the story. There is not a single major character that is indispensable in the story. Each of them has something to contribute and have been developed just right. As for the plot, the author has managed to create a line that keeps the readers intrigued throughout. With the right balance of action and information delivery, the book hardly has a slow patch. It is very apparent that the author has put in quite a bit of research in this story and the fusion of facts with fiction is well delivered. Her language and narrative style only adds positives to the story.
This is a book for Mystery, Thriller & Mythology lovers.
uma_booksbagsburgers's review
CHARACTERS
Professor Bharadvaj has a secret; a secret he has been keeping all his life, which is saying something considering he's the legendary warrior Asvatthama from the time of Mahabharatha. The author portrays his character in a beautiful manner showing us his personality with every word he says and every thing he does. He is a man haunted by his past and looking for answers to his immortality. His knowledge of the history is extensive, considering he has lived through it all. At many points in the story, the Professor tells us of various things that happened in the history (Or rather, as the author calls it, mythohistory) which was interesting to read about.
Manohar, Maya Jervois, Hari, and the other secondary characters all play a pivotal roles in the story but I feel I can't talk much about them without giving away spoilers.
PLOT
Maya Jervois has one of the three pieces of the Vajra; an object said to have alchemical powers which was made by the famous alchemist Nagarjuna. She wants the Professor to help her unearth the remaining two pieces. The Professor initially does not believe that such an object exists but he is pulled in by his own curiosity. He has spent thousands of years trying to find answers to his immortality and the Vajra might have an answer.
What follows is a quest that leads the Proffesor, his handsome assistant Manohar and the mysterious Maya to various historic places in an attempt to find the Vajra. Along the way, the Professor tells us about various historic events across the world and how he was a part of it. He is a warrior who has fought in just about every war since the epic war in Kurukshetra. Fighting is as much a part of him as breathing is. His take on the wars of the world and other important events is interesting to learn about.
I loved how the author blended science and myth to explain various things mentioned in mythology. All these play a huge role in the unraveling of the plot. While I felt certain things were predictable, there were nevertheless twists in the story I definitely did not see coming.
WRITING
The writing is wonderful and I loved the flow of the story despite certain words that made me scramble for the dictionary or turn to Google. Other than that, the writing is smooth and expressive. The author creates wonderful imagery with her descriptions that made me want to travel to the places the author mentions in the book.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK
- The characters
- The plot
- The writing
- The Mythohistory
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK
- The predictability of certain happenings in the story.
CONCLUSION
A wonderfully written thriller that brings together fact, fiction, mythology and philosophy in a smooth manner. I will definitely be picking up more books by the author.
Professor Bharadvaj has a secret; a secret he has been keeping all his life, which is saying something considering he's the legendary warrior Asvatthama from the time of Mahabharatha. The author portrays his character in a beautiful manner showing us his personality with every word he says and every thing he does. He is a man haunted by his past and looking for answers to his immortality. His knowledge of the history is extensive, considering he has lived through it all. At many points in the story, the Professor tells us of various things that happened in the history (Or rather, as the author calls it, mythohistory) which was interesting to read about.
Manohar, Maya Jervois, Hari, and the other secondary characters all play a pivotal roles in the story but I feel I can't talk much about them without giving away spoilers.
PLOT
Maya Jervois has one of the three pieces of the Vajra; an object said to have alchemical powers which was made by the famous alchemist Nagarjuna. She wants the Professor to help her unearth the remaining two pieces. The Professor initially does not believe that such an object exists but he is pulled in by his own curiosity. He has spent thousands of years trying to find answers to his immortality and the Vajra might have an answer.
What follows is a quest that leads the Proffesor, his handsome assistant Manohar and the mysterious Maya to various historic places in an attempt to find the Vajra. Along the way, the Professor tells us about various historic events across the world and how he was a part of it. He is a warrior who has fought in just about every war since the epic war in Kurukshetra. Fighting is as much a part of him as breathing is. His take on the wars of the world and other important events is interesting to learn about.
I loved how the author blended science and myth to explain various things mentioned in mythology. All these play a huge role in the unraveling of the plot. While I felt certain things were predictable, there were nevertheless twists in the story I definitely did not see coming.
WRITING
The writing is wonderful and I loved the flow of the story despite certain words that made me scramble for the dictionary or turn to Google. Other than that, the writing is smooth and expressive. The author creates wonderful imagery with her descriptions that made me want to travel to the places the author mentions in the book.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK
- The characters
- The plot
- The writing
- The Mythohistory
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK
- The predictability of certain happenings in the story.
CONCLUSION
A wonderfully written thriller that brings together fact, fiction, mythology and philosophy in a smooth manner. I will definitely be picking up more books by the author.
gerd_d's review
3.0
Immortal's Hauptcharakter Professor Bharadvaj, weist seine potentielle Klientin gleich zu beginn darauf hin das er kein "Indiana Jones" ist, und das selbe gilt auch für den Roman. Der Roman der Autorin lässt sich stilistisch am ehesten noch mit Dan Browns Robert Langdon Erzählungen vergleich, allerdings mit weniger atemloser Hatz und mehr Zeit für Charaktere.
Eine Schatzsuche eingebettet in Indiens reiche Historie, Fans beider Lager (und auch Tomb Raider Fans) können hier ruhig einen Blick riskieren, das Ganze ist weigehend flott erzählt und stimmig aufgebaut.
Einzig ein etwas zu lang geratener Epilog verwässert den Lesegenuß ein wenig.
Eine Schatzsuche eingebettet in Indiens reiche Historie, Fans beider Lager (und auch Tomb Raider Fans) können hier ruhig einen Blick riskieren, das Ganze ist weigehend flott erzählt und stimmig aufgebaut.
Einzig ein etwas zu lang geratener Epilog verwässert den Lesegenuß ein wenig.
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