Narasimha: The Mahaavatar Trilogy Book 1 - Softcover

Kevin Missal

Softcover

ISBN 10: 935357076X ISBN 13: 9789353570767

Publisher: Harper Collins, 2019

Synopsis

Narasimha, once a brave soldier, has left the war and lies low as a physician in a village. But a familiar face from his past seeks his help to stop the tyranny of the blind usurper Andhaka. If Narasimha refuses, the world might just end. What will he do? And why did he leave the war in the first place? Prahlad, the interim king of Kashyapuri, is torn between the ideals of his unrighteous father and his love for Lord Vishnu. Whom will he choose? Hiranyakashyap, the ruler of the Asura Empire, wants to avenge the death of his wife. To do that, he must go through the Trials and get the ultimate weapon - the Brahmastra. But the Trials have sent so many others to their death. Can Hiranyakashyap survive? Welcome to the reimagining of the fourth Avatar of Lord Vishnu by bestselling author Kevin Missal.

About this title

About the Author:

Kevin Missal wrote his first book at the age of 14, and at 22, the St Stephens graduate is best-selling author and a full-time writer. The first two books in his Kalki, Dharmayoddha Kalki: Avatar of Vishnu and its sequel Satyayoddha Kalki: Eye of Brahma, have both been runaway successes.

Review:

This book is a remaining of the tale of Narasimha that we've heard from our parents and grandparents. And the author has made a point to let the readers know this before they dive into the story as to leave no chance for misunderstanding, which I really appreciated. As the note gives you a clean state where you know there is no need to compare the original tale and the book. And that this story has it's own individuality even if the characters are people we've grown up learning about. That being said, the story starts off with a situation where Hiranyakashyap's kingdom is under attack in his absence. The prologue paves the way for the journey, that you can guess with the first line itself, is going to be a roller-coaster ride of intense emotions portrayed vividly with the author's descriptive narration. The story revolves around Nara Simha who has long turned his back on being a soldier in battlefield and now leads a life devoted to saving people and practicing medicine. But when has a warrior ever been able to leave bloodshed and war behind for good? When has a fighter ever been able to ignore the way his heart pounds and veins fill with adrenaline everytime the prospect of fight for a cause lingers in air? When has the world ever let a soldier be anything but? Almost never. Decades later, Nara Simha is pulled back into the tangles of conflict. And whenever there's conflict, there's sides to choose and whatever choices he make, he can not choose to be ignorant to the consequences and guilt that the aftermath of the bloodshed and war promises. An enthralling tale with strong characters and graphic narrative that makes you feel every emotion. The mythological aspect is well researched and the author's take on adding tales from various unheard scriptures and texts available made me appreciate the book even more. My only complaint, and not as much as a complaint but rather a suggestion is to not use modern words in mythological fiction and try using words that were then used in speech instead, in the dialogues as it pulls you out of the historical world of Deva's and Asura's and disturbs the image that the words have imprinted on your mind. I can understand that it would be too much work though so it's not that big of a problem. Overall, I enjoyed everything about the book. The storyline is entertaining. The pace is never too fast or too slow. The characters have depth and their thoughts and beliefs were strong which made the relatable and humane. The narrative never falls flat and even the dialogues are written very well. One person found this helpful --By Honey on 15 June 2019

The cover is so cachy and it took my impression . I loved the power and anger of Narashima on the cover . The blurb is so intriguing , and it took to dig inside the book . . The story is different and given every detailed information about Narashima , prahlad and hiranyakashyap . I have came to know some unknown facts about Narashima avatar . I have seen some series on TV in Telugu language But I loved reading this one . Actually the reason behind picking this book is to know more about Narashima and his anger management and especially his avatar half man and half lion . The story really has fictional impression through out the book Every chapter took to different imagination of the story and it was an awesome book with detailed explanation . . The characters are well plotted as per story . The story was really fascinating and page turner . Every chapter has detailed information and given well explanation . The book is totally . From my childhood I only know he was half man and half lion ... When he can't control ... The lion avatar comes up and he is really has a great power . . Over all a beautiful book to be read and I have enjoyed and have a special impression on Narashima and and also waiting for book 2 eagerly . I also read Kevin's Kalki part 2 . I have discussed this with my grandma also and we have discussed and shared things we haven't known before . --By Vaishnavi Thirunagaru on 2 July 2019

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Collins
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 935357076X
• ISBN 13: 9789353570767
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320