07 December, 2017

Karna's Celestial Armor by Surendra Nath - [Book Review]

Book Details:
Title: Karna's Celestial Armor
Author: Surendra Nath
Genre: Mythological Fantasy, Fiction
Length of the book: 281
Source: A free review copy from the author



Blurb:
We all know that in MAHABHARATA, Karna had, on his body, his Kavach-Kundal (set of armor and earrings) which rendered him invincible in battle against any foe. God Indra tricked Karna and took away the divine set. So, in the final battle, Arjuna killed Karna.

That’s the back-story. After that, what did Indra do with the all-powerful Kavach-Kundal? Did he hide it somewhere? What if someone can find it today? That’s what this novel is about. Vasu, from the present time, sets off to find the set. The spirit of Karna guides him through the search.

Indra always knew someone would come looking for it. So he used all his ingenuity to hide it in most impossible of places. That makes Vasu’s task so much more challenging. And he is not the only one who is interested in this quest. There are others trailing him.

Join Vasu in this thrilling adventure through mysterious locations in India to know why the armor was all that potent, and if it still is. 


My Review:

The story is about an ex-military person Vasu, who is chosen by Karna (a warrior from Mahabharata) to find out the celestial armor known as 'Kavach Kundal'. As per Mahabharata, Karna is gifted with Kavacha kundal covering his body from Lord Surya to protect him from any dangers. 

This is the sequel to "Karna's Alter ego" which I reviewed earlier here. Karna's celestial armor starts with a quick recap of Vasu's life and why Karna chose Vasu to guide him to find out the armor. Then, the story takes us through the different parts of India accompanying Vasu searching for the armor and its parts.  I felt the story is a combination of mythology, fantasy, and fiction. The author has given some researched facts about mind reading skills and other techniques that can be achieved with meditation, the science behind meditation, about the Ram Sethu bridge, about Yetis in the Himalayas, about Konark temple, Dwaraka, Somanath and Puri Jagannath temples etc., I liked reading about the facts and learning new things about these places and related incidents from Mahabharata. 

This book is better than its prequel as this covered a lot of places, people, stories, and myths. Some incidents in the book are very unreal and seemed like a fantasy, but this being a fiction work, we can live with that. The character of Vasu is too ideal to believe. I cannot understand how Vasu can handle his finances while he has to travel a lot and take care of his family too. The narration is good and the pace is fine but it seemed like too much of information is stuffed in the story. The title and the cover of the book are apt. I thought it would have been better if the story is narrated from Vasu's perspective than from Karna's. 

Overall, it is a good read if you love some fantasy with mythology and researched facts about Mahabharata and ancient temples.

My Rating: 4/5

PS: I have received this book from the author for review and this is my honest opinion of the book.

Purchase link:
 Amazon

About the Author:Surendra tries his hand at writing fiction off and on. A few of his short stories have been published in books and magazines. 'Karna’s Alter Ego' is his first attempt at writing a full length novel. Earlier he wrote a novella that sank without a trace.

For a living, at 58, he runs after children in KiiT International School, and the strength needed for all this chasing, he draws from his previous experience in the defence forces. He also publishes a children’s magazine – 'Kloud 9'. He is the architect of a Children’s Lit Fest, that is into its third year now in 2015.

Yes, he is married and lives happily with his wife and daughter at Cuttack. He has distant dreams of retiring as an aut
hor.


Until next time,




2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this honest review! I’m sure the fact that this is based on Mythology will attract a certain kind of reader to this, myself included.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't really been impressed with any such stories that are a spin off from Mahabharata n Ramayan- loads of Indian authors trying their hand at it. Your review too suggests that this is far from ideal in its follow through on the premise.

    ReplyDelete

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