The Celestial Hunt: A Review

What happens when the history text book comes to wish the atlas, “A happy friendship day!’’? They both take on a hunt – The Celestial Hunt!

The universe is comprised of innumerable celestial bodies, uncountable galaxies, inestimable number of planets, stupendous number of comets and asteroids and we know so very little regarding their formation and existence. The celestial bodies may count up to a number which may well be behind our accountability. And we, who are craving for an accountability of that number, form just a, may be, piece of a dust amongst a whirlwind- may be lesser than that. Even where from we have originated lies a mystery to all of us despite all those theories put up by various scientists. The end of our life also creates a lot of ambiguity amongst us for we really don’t know where we end up after our life has reached its destination. The Celestial Hunt takes us into the immeasurable depths of the undiscovered; a quest for the unknown.

Any piece of literary creation catches the imagination of the readers by virtue of its title, which transforms itself into an index of its main concerns. In a story the title often provides us with the glimpse of what the focal point of the story might be. And there is no exception here as well. The title The Celestial Hunt immediately casts a spell on its readers. The cover also plays an instrumental role in drawing the attention of the readers.

The story spins round a not-so meritorious student Kaushik who takes utter interest regarding finding out a book named “Providential Psyches” composed by Sangford about which his Physics teacher is very curious. Kaushik manages to get hold of that book from his father’s library and brings it to his teacher on the next day.

Jaidev along with his student Kaushik was trying to find out a place somewhere outside their school premise and hence opted for a place in the park. But somehow they fail to go through that book and Kaushik meets an accident that ends him up at a hospital. And it makes Kaushik focus on some scanning certain facts vigorously- facts which according to them can alter the predestined life. With passage of time it gets revealed to Kaushik that his father and Jaidev, his Physics teacher in school, were great friends and that they used to share same goals. Well, what the goal is or how do they move ahead in pursuit of that goal or how instrumental Sangford’s book turns out to be in their life remains to be taken stock of. So I just leave it to the author. The subject of this book is also found to be relating to a historic event which unfolds as the reader strides on with the narrative and the reader is bound to be amazed by the historic events- historic events bearing an underlying adipose of contemplative messages hidden in it.

The genres of science fiction, historical fiction and suspense thriller- all of them neatly converge to form the central and the subsidiary themes of the book. The mysterious historical charms of Paulo Coelho’s Manuscript Found in Accra seem to whisper in this book but the author deftly maintains his originality. Nostradamus, Nefrudet were astronomers and at the same time, mystic prophets. The Celestial Hunt, though very tangentially, pays a tribute to these mysterious scholars and the wonders of science when it combines with fantasy, prophecies and mysticism.

The names of the characters are quite intriguing alongside the names of the places which stimulate the minds of the readers to get deep into it. As a result the narrative progresses in more or less a tight manner. But towards the end the grip over the narrative quite strangely gets a bit loosened with all its digressions- a reader might find it a bit overburdened at times. But having said that, even Milton was famous for his digressions in Paradise Lost! Barring that, the story stands strong. It’s an immensely interesting work of fiction done by this author. Apart from making for an interesting read, the story brings back memories of the childhood loves- Tintin and Professor Shonku. It seems like a long lost friend who has grown up but has remained, nonetheless, a friend. The very theme of the book is indeed novel and the way the story advances, the author never lets the book loosen its grip over you. The pace is constant, the descriptions are detailed and the historical references are thoroughly analyzed and appropriately presented. In-depth research and a first order writing makes the book much more than a spicy paperback. Grab a copy; get entertained, get educated.

Book Details of Celestial Hunt:-

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.