TARIKSHIR- THE AWAKENING BY KHAYAAL PATEL

TITLE- TARIKSHIR- THE AWAKENING
AUTHOR- KHAYAAL PATEL
GENRE- MYTHOLOGICAL SUPERNATURAL FICTION
NO:OF PAGES- 332
PUBLICATIONS- WESTLAND BOOKS
FORMAT- PAPERBACK

About the book-

A small princely state in Rajasthan is the last bastion of resistance against the might of the British Empire. While unrest surrounding the sudden death of the king of Devangarh grows, young prince Rudra Pratap Chauhan prepares to ascend the throne.

But the kingdom is in turmoil. The Devangarh army out numbered and the British forces are closing in. To make matters worse, Rudra discovers the king's death may not have been accidental after all. The frequent appearance and disappearance of a mysterious, masked stranger, and a series of ritualistic murders in which the bodies have been drained of blood, spread panic across the realm. Who is this creature and how is he connected to all the strange occurrence?

As Rudra struggles to manage his new responsibilities and investigate his father's death, he stumbles upon dark, dangerous secrets that will destroy everything he now holds dear.

My rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

My review-

"The most dangerous of God's creation is man, and he is the creature who will be pitted against. He will be as cunning as a fox, slippery as a snake and as vile as a jackal!"- Raja Ravindra.

In order to get their stephold on India, English East India company is trying their best to overthrow the mighty Rajputs. Only the kingdom of Devangarh stands between their victory. During such a time a mere 16 year old prince- Rudra is endowed with the responsibility of ensuring resistance against the British, due to the untimely death of his father, Raja Ravindra. Rudra, while investigating his father's death stumbles upon a family secret which has the capability of destroying the whole world- which is not just a family secret, in fact it is much more sinister and includes all the three realms- it is the way to awaken and defeat the ultimate evil- Tarikshir.

This is a story connecting the past with the present- connecting the epic Ramayana with the Rajputs and the world at a large. The human greed for power and the extent they are ready to go to is depicted very vividly in this tale- the evil that resides within human has the capability to fuel the evil existing outside. This is a tale of duty, morals, greed for power which brings about the downfall of humans, and the choice between right and wrong- how each person has to fuflil the destiny they are born into.
The story is absolutely gripping, the part after the death of the king has twists and turns at every point. From Rudra's quest in search of the truth to revealling a secret society preventing the waking of Tarikshir to fighting against all kinds of evil to discovering the world of Gods and demons- this book is a complete package. 

It not only has a solid story but has deep embedded emotions, the narration is so detailed that every part of the book can be imagined by the readers clearly. It conveys the age-old message of good prevailing over evil- but the sheer intensity of the story makes this book an absolute beauty. It has got revelations at every point and a new facet of the characters is presented to the readers everytime they seem to guess the ending. The story ends on grim note, where for the greater good, the characters lose everything dear to them.

Honestly I did not find a single flaw in this book- it has left me dumbfounded. From the plot, to character advancement to the emotions everything is absolutely perfect.

A beauty, combining history and fantasy, this book is a must read.

Characters-

Rudra- he is the protagonist of the story and it is he who is destined to save the world from Tarikshir. A good son, an able king, a fearless Rajput- he is everything the protagonist should be. Also his sense of morality and duty, his empathy as a human and his sense of righteousness makes him a truly admirable character.

Tarikshir- gifted to the demon God, Ravan as a boon from goddess Kali, it was the deciding factor in the final war of Ramayana- it was supposed to be immortal, invulnerable and as pitiless and as merciless as it's master. It was so powerful that the most powerful weapon of Gods could stop it but only temporarily- it could only be prevented from entering Earth, not destroyed.

Lord Walken- Richard Walken was the British representative near Devangarh who was determined to take over the Rajputs. His greed was instrumental in turning the wheel of the events leading to the discovery of the secret of Tarikshir.

The other characters are Raja Ravindra- Rudra's father, Bikram Singh- Raja Ravindra's personal body guard, Shamsher Singh- Rudra's uncle, Duryadutta- Rudra's teacher and a master of Vedas and weapons, Shen Zou- another teacher of Rudra who taught him martial arts, Baa Yani- the witch of the mountains.

All these characters have critical role in progression of the story. I am not elaborating on any of them as with advancement different aspects are revealed which in the end combine to form the character's actual role in the story.

Writing style-

The writing style is just like a professional. It is hard to believe that this the debut novel of the author. The plot, the characters and the progression is absolutely flawless. The details that he has endowed upon each aspect is noteworthy. The minute connection with the Ramayana is beyond imagination. 

Use of a rich vocabulary, vivid descriptions and humane characters makes this book a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I will definitely recommend this to everyone- even people not interested in this particular genre should try this book. It's an absolute delight and thoroughly entertaining.

Thank you Westland books and Writers Melon for the review copy.

About the author-

When Khayaal Patel is not working on new stories set in Rudra's exciting universe, he can be found reading comic books, watching movies, trying to figure out the secrets of the universe and indulging in his incredibly unhealthy addiction to anything chocolate. Khayaal lives in Dubai and this is his first novel.