It has just been a week since I finished the first volume of the book – The Secrets of Dark. And, then I ordered the sequel from Amazon the same day. Unfortunately, Amazon took almost 3 days to deliver the book. Flipkart is way better, it delivers in just a day, at least the books! So, the wait was very eager.
But, once I got the book, I was a little surprised because it is just 200 pages. I had expected it to be at least 300-350. Anyways, the size is not important. First, let me take you through the story line.
The Saga of Agni : Rise of the Grey Prince by Arka Chakrabarti Book Review
The Story
I had underestimated the first part of the book. It has a lot of characters but while writing the review I was not very partial to anyone apart from the main characters of the story which is Agni and Vrish. So, let me expand it a bit more because the characters I left out in the first part have a major role in the second.
Agni and Vrish are the King Himadri’s wards and are brought up with his son Yani. After the climax of the first book, Agni and Vrish are joined by Maharishi Sidak who makes an appearance in the first book. The Maharishi guides Agni in his journey in the first part by answering one of his queries which brings him to where he is today. He is right now fleeing from Nisarga with a secret scroll – ‘The Twin Prophecies’ – to find out the answer which is the third prophecy which holds the truth.
Yani, on the other hand, is caught by an association called The Nimit in Nisarga because of the events which he is not even aware of – the climax of the first book. He comes to know that Agni and Vrish were involved in treacherous activities along with Sir Drake (who had been a trusted friend of Yani till then) and he is unable to comprehend anything because of the ignorance. Once back to Himadri, he tries to question his father but is unable to get any answers from him.
Then, he makes a pact with one of the persons who was threatening his father to come to know of the truth. He hears the truth from his father’s lips and the world as he knows is torn apart. The betrayal leads him to rash decisions and actions. He apprehends Agni and Vrish by joining hands with The Nimit and brings the secret scroll to them. But, he is deceived into becoming a puppet for The Nimit.
The rest of the story follows the journey of Agni, Vrish and a girl named Charvi (who has a separate story line) to the Land of the Rising Sun and Yani’s journey to self-realization.
My Review
I am sure you are totally confused about what I am saying in the story line. Yes, it is confusing and that is why I am asking you to read the books. They are amazing and the sequel is specifically racy and proceeds on with the story. The first part was a bit slower and lot of attention to details were given making story the secondary thing.
But, the second part gives equal importance to everything right from attention to details to the pacing of the story to the character building to handling the side plots, everything! And, that too in just 200 pages so you can imagine how fast is the story. You would just not want to put it down.
The language is great and pen is persuasive. I love the fact that author is able to visualize the land of Gaya and is able to depict it so accurately in the minds of his readers. There are a few errors in the book but I am sure subsequent editions would get rid of them. The cover of the book deserves a special mention because of its improvement from the first. I love the fiery color on the book.
My Verdict
If you still need a yes or no, it is a big YESSS! Please check out both parts of the books right away. And, really, the wait for the third book is unbearable. I wish I could get the manuscript right away 😀
Leave a Reply