Baramulla Bomber – my thoughts

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Author – Clark Prasad

Tagline – “Quantum Physics meets Bible & Vedas in Background of Kashmir & Cricket”

Blurb –

AN ANCIENT WEAPON FROM THE VEDAS & BIBLE
ONCE HUNTED BY THE NAZIS
POWERED BY THE SOUND OF UNIVERSE
REBORN WITH HELP OF QUANTUM PHYSICS
GOING TO BE UNLEASHED ON TO THE WORLD
AND KASHMIR HOLDS ITS SECRET
Multiple intelligence agencies are tracking Mansur Haider, a god-fearing aspiring cricketer from Kashmir. His girlfriend, Aahana Yajurvedi, is trying to locate her missing mountaineering team, who vanished after a mysterious earthquake strikes Shaksgam Valley.
Investigating Mansur and the Shaksgam Valley incident is Swedish intelligence officer, Adolf Silfverskiold, whose only relationship to god consists of escorting his girlfriend to Church.
A dual China-Pakistan battlefront scenario facing the Indian Home Minister, Agastya Rathore, whose ancestors carry a prehistoric secret linked to the stars. He is faced with the challenge of finding a lasting solution to the Kashmir crisis.
Which Biblical Weapon was Tested in Shaksgam Valley? Why is Mansur Haider Important? Is There a Solution to the Kashmir Crisis? Can Destiny be Controlled? Does a Cosmic Religion Exist?

My thoughts –

I agreed for a review of this book after some initial hesitation because the premise of the novel seemed to be a lot for me to take in. It seemed to have all the ingredients of a pot-boiler – cricket, terrorism, India-Kashmir-Pakistan-China, quantum physics, Vedas, international spies…. It sounded like a heady mix. But then I enjoy reading thrillers & it had been quite sometime I had not read any. So I thought, why not!

This book is Eka (Part 1) of the Svastik trilogy.

The cover of the book & the font style used in the cover page was, for me, quite impressive & seemed to go well with the theme of the novel that has been tagged as a ‘science fiction espionage thriller’. After receiving the book, when I flipped through the pages I find this.

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So friends, unlike my usual way of including certain interesting lines from the book, I am not including any this time, with a teeny-weeny exception at the end. 🙂

Now, a science fiction espionage thriller coming from a debutant Indian author was another interesting factor for me to check out the book. The story starts with an interesting prologue which sets the stage for a series of thrilling events where Mansur Haider, a Kashmiri who dreams of becoming a cricketer for his love for the game & to fulfill his father’s wish & Adolf Silfverskiold, a Swedish secret agent, play important roles. Then there are many others like Aahana, Samir, Abhimanyu Kashyap, Agastya Rathore, Carina Leijonhufvud, etc. who also play significant roles. Each of the characters has been given ample space in the story & hence we understand their involvement in the main plot. Also, the few illustrations used here & there helped in understanding better.

I loved how the author has delved deep into the ancient significance of the Vedas & the word AUM. It was a learning experience for me in this regard. He seems to have done his homework well with the research part of the book. Many historical events and scientific theories & preaching from the Vedas and the Bible, that I was not aware of, made the book an interesting journey.

When I started reading, the story seemed to be just fine, but slowly as I flipped through the pages things started to happen and mysteries and suspense began to build up. The author keeps the motives of the characters well under wraps & keeps us guessing ‘who is with whom’? However, I felt that the narration could have been much more gripping since the plot was so strong. Also in some parts indulging in minute details, when not very necessary, was something I did not enjoy.

The best part of the book for me has to be the way the author has touched the forever volatile ‘Kashmir issue’ with such sensitivity & had tried to focus on an unconventional way for bringing peace to the region.

“If you wish for peace, prepare for war”

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So friends, if you love science fiction / thrillers, go check this book out!

The book was received as part of Reviewers Programme on The Tales Pensieve.

[This review has been submitted as a part of my Indian Quills Challenge 2013 (read about the challenge here)]