Satyarth Nayak is here to stay. His debutante book, The Emperor’s Riddles was never an easy job. Stepping into the genre, treaded by Ashwin Singhi and Dan Brown, Nayak shuffled his cards well. Taut narration, subtle punch-lines and Satyarth keeps it straight and sleek. The book may seem to be merely a quest for the killer of Ram Mathur on the surface, but it’s not. It becomes a quest in itself-a turngrece where one keeps winding through the staircases of myth, mystery and majesty.
The onset was ho-hum, trailing along the lines of The Krishna Key. But heads do turn and gradually “it rang”. Simple and crisp follow-ups paced up the nerves and the unfolding of mystery continues. To put it short, the story speaks about a secret society of ‘The Nine’,founded by an Emperor to protect the treasure of knowledge, which if applied on evil grounds can bring catastrophe to the Creation. The story takes a turn, when Ram Mathur, an agent of that society, is murdered. His daughter Sia receives a mysterious e-mail, thus embarking on an endless journey with Om Mathur’s mate, to solve the murder-mystery. Edgy and riveting, the story now gives an esoteric insight into the philosophy of “nine”.
Satyarth’s character sketches aren’t bossy. Patnaik is spot-on. Sia is a scientist and has been depicted realistic, ignorant of myths. Alia, the freelancer and Suri, the police inspector were apt in their roles, suggesting each” soul carries a price tag.”Analysing critically, few chapters were lacking in finesse. Had the parallel story of the “emperor” had been simplified, the connecting link would have been easily traced. The digression to the holocaust that usurped the Indus Valley civilisation, the Indo-China Border being a UFO hotspot-are over-rated for the amateurs. Yet, the bizarre murder scene which has alphabets curved on the dead’s face, an eye-ball missing leaves one, biting nails.
The non-linear plot moves fast, travelling places-Chidambaram-Haridwar-Kolkata. What’s gripping is the author’s sound research, as revealed in his anecdotal descriptions of Indian Dynasties. Snippets from the age of Budhha, Ashoka and early relics, serene descriptions of historic places pour colour to the canvas.
Do not canvass. Let your patience play with the enigma. Let your second thoughts smile on its own. Eighty-six is just a number. Weaving a series of nine riddles with such intricacy deserves a read. A read, worthy of its suspense elements .A read worthy of its own.
Book Details:
| Author: | Satyarth Nayak | ||
| Publisher: | Amaryllis | Year of Publication: | 2014 |
| ISBN-13: | 9789381506455 | ISBN-10: | 9381506450 |
| Cover: | Paperback | No. Of Pages: | 406 |
| MRP: | Rs. 299 | Buy From: | Flipkart.com Amazon.in Infibeam.com |
The Emperor's Riddles is an enigmatic book, a worth reading. My Rating
4.5
