The Temple of Avinasi: The Legend of the Kalki

From the book blurb

From the ashes of Epic Wars shall the great Lord of Dark rise,

So terrible his wrath, every protestor shall demise…

Ripped apart would be the Shield and the protecting forces,

A whole world shall fall, mortal or otherwise…

A heroic tale timed in modern age -- a battle of existence between evil and the good, bred on the ashes of the four thousand year old legendary Epic Wars. The ‘Immortal Protectors’ of the Temple are finding it hard to maintain control over a new rising evil power, far greater in magnitude than the previous war.

The Shield that protects Earth from external attacks had stopped the invading Dark Seekers, also called Nishachars -- a fled group from some distant dying planet -- for long. Until four thousand years ago … when the shield was ruptured, and the entire mortal world turned on the edge of demolition. It was then the immortal protectors, the Light Seekers, more commonly known as Devs, along with the remaining army of mortals fought and drove back the combined army of Nishachars and Asurs, and restored the shield -- but at a great price. The Nishachars retreated, and since then they have grown and redoubled their army several times, waiting for their prophesied Dark Lord to rise. The Devs, on the other hand, knowing that they won’t be able to stop the Great Dark Lord, if risen -- formed a secret brotherhood named ‘The Temple of Avinasi’ and scattered themselves throughout the world. Their only feeble hope lies in an ancient legend named ‘Kalki’, the last prophesied Avatar of Vishnu… And unaware of all this, two fourteen year old boys are presently spending their time merrily together in the mortal world, innocently oblivious to the fact, that how much changed their destinies are from what it seems, and how much the world’s fate is dependent on them…

Author

Ayush Pathak is an engineer-cum-writer with the gift of writing genes handed down as a family tradition from his poet grandfather to his writer father and then to him. Penning down his first creative work in the form of a poem at an innocent age of five, he starts writing seriously at the age of fourteen. His theory about life is: A life which begins with a dream ends with success...

What I think

To begin with, the book blurb is very descriptive and spells out what exactly is there in store. It also sketches an outline of the main characters in the book and thus, prepares the readers about what to expect.

Then, the cover-page is catchy and vibrant. I liked the verse taken from Sreemad Bhagavat Geeta. Then, we read that this is the first book and that five would follow. That’s it! We feel curious to know what is there in the book. And strangely, we are reminded of Harry Potter series.

And, the author has lived up to the expectations set. The narrative style is simple and flows with ease. I liked the idea per se; an integration of mythology and mystery.

But...

Six books? Really? I mean I wish that the author did not say that in the very beginning. He should have kept it as a secret!

And the book seems a little too huge with about 380 pages. So this is not a book recommended for an easy one-sitting read or even a weekend read! Not because the book is boring, but because it is not good for health.

Should you read it?

Go for it…

If you enjoy reading mythology… If Indian mythology fascinates you… If fantasy in general fascinates you…

Rating

3.5/5

Thank you

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