Title : TANTRA BY ADI
Language : English
Author : Adi
Genre : Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher : Apeejay Stya Publishing ( 2013 )
ISBN-13 : 9788190863629
ISBN-10 : 8190863622
Binding : Binding Paperback
Price : Rs.195 ( Buy from Flipkart.com for Rs. 154/- ( 21% Off)
Pages : 344
The Book Summary : Anu is a leather wearing, no-nonsense professional guardian with a reputation for killing the most dangerous vampires in New York City. But when her enemies murder the one person she truly cared about, all she wants is vengeance. The only clue points to New Delhi, so Anu puts in for a job transfer.
In India, she finds more than she expected. For one thing, her fellow operatives have made a truce with the vampires. For another, it’s way too hot to wear leather.
At first, it seems Anu’s biggest challenge will be evading the nice boys her aunt wants her to marry. But when children start disappearing, she discovers forces older and darker than anything she’s faced before. All of Delhi is in danger, especially the sexy stranger who sets Anu’s pulse racing. To prepare for the coming battle, Anu must overcome her personal demons and put aside years of training. This time, her most powerful weapon will come from her mind, not her weapons belt.
My Point of View ( P.O.V ) : Don't judge a book by its cover. It applies perfectly to Tantra. The cover looks rather dull compared to the thrilling story I found inside, as I turned its pages. A leather clad strong, beautiful female protagonist, a fantasy thriller, vampires - that too in India and by an Indian author ( quite rare ) along with some added Indian supernatural masala twists, automatically raises your curiosity levels. Your adrenaline is already pumped up with the above ingredients to read this exciting mysterious book that promises thrills right from its very onset. The book with complex characters opens up the exciting myraid, mystic world of Tantra, Maya, Astras, Sadhanas, Sattvic, Karmic, Mantras, Agni etc thereby exploring spirituality, religion, life et al in Anu's ( the protagonist who is a trained vampire hunter ) pursuit of the bad villains who had killed her lover, bringing her all the way from New York to Delhi.
However, the vampire lifestyle is quite the opposite and boring in Delhi, she found ( as told by Amit – a fellow guardian of Delhi who is a fun, likeable character and makes the moments in the book lighter and humour filled ), than what she is used to and Anu wonders if she is really needed here until she meets ambitious Baba Senaka out to use his tantric powers for evil deeds and gain infinite powers. This Anu finds, is much more complicated and a bigger threat than vampires ( with childrens gone missing whom the Baba sacrifices, and people of Delhi in grave danger, with the evil tantric having befriended many of the vampires as well ). To defeat him, Anu has to learn the intricacies of hindu tantricism. She is a quick learner though, and very hard working. The story is essentially a fight between the good vs the bad. The details of Trantricism in the book is meticulous ( albeit a little different than what is traditionally known ) which implies that the author has researched a lot on the subject.
While in Delhi, Anu lives with her Aunt, who is on a constant look out for a groom for Anu, so therein awaits some humourous 'dekhan dekhi' match making attempts in a proper Delhi setting that is esthetically written giving an authentic and realistic feel of the city. Anu is smitten by someone else, but is afraid of what fate may lay in store as she is reminded of the cruel end her ex-lover had met with. The book is a fast paced, page turner and its characters uniquely chosen, which makes it an interesting read and you don't want to keep it down unless you've finished reading it. The vampires here are different than those in the common western vampire books, hence is a welcome change. There are certain lapses in the book that makes a reader wish, were explained more clearly, but those can be ignored because of the wholesome entertainment that the book otherwise provides. Even though it is essentially a fiction/fantasy, you do relate to the story as you catch up with Anu's journey in hot pursuit of the vampires, the foes that she makes or even the friendships.
The story starts slow, but eventually gains momentum as suspense, drama and thrills unfolds in its enthralling 344 pages. The book signifies the amount of productive work a person can achieve by sheer determination and focus with the use of the power of mind.
Positives : Nice plot, well sketched characters, witty, humorous, easy and lucid writing style that makes for an easy and fun read. The writer uses an easy to grasp, enjoyable language which makes him my instant favorite. Also, I admire the way he has cleverly and creatively managed to incorporate mythologies into this modern age thriller.
Negatives : None, except certain lapses, missing elements and unexplained terminologies in the story. Hopefully a sequel will clear all of these.
Who will enjoy this? - Everyone!
Buy or Don’t Buy? – A Must Buy!
About the Author : Adi grew up reading fiction books by flashlight, hiding under the covers, pretending to be asleep. While it would certainly affect his academic life the next day, he did go on to get degrees from ( science graduate ) Stanford University and ( MBA ) Harvard University, so it was not all that bad. Somewhere along the line, a poetry book and a minor textbook were published. He wishes he could withdraw all copies of said poetry book from the market. At the time, it was poignant, but now it is just embarrassing. He’s always given more credit for his successes in life to those late-night reading habits of years ago than to the high-school academics he trudged through, and he yearned to write one of those books himself. Deeply impressed by the vast religious history of India, he could not help but pick this topic for his first novel. The book was virtually launched by Soha Ali Khan, as well as promoted extensively by creating its official trailer at YouTube as well as on popular social media platforms such as FaceBook and Twitter.
Website : www.tantrabyadi.com | FB : www.facebook.com/dearadipage
Our Rating Scale is : 1 to 5 = ◕◕◕◕ - I really liked it!
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