Introduction
I recently completed reading the second book(Mists of Brahma) of The Patala Prophecy series. Since I had done a book review for the first part, thought about doing the same for this book as well(my OCD made me do it … just kidding). Christopher C. Doyle has been one of my favourite authors in recent years. I have made it a point to read all of his books.
Review
The story of takes off where the first book left us. The battle at the Gurukul has finally ended and things are going back to normalcy. The One (Arjun) and all his friends (assumed as the Saptas) are taking their training at the Gurukul seriously. The first book was all about Arjun and the battle while this book is all about Maya (a girl from the Saptas).
The book Mists of Brahma details the struggles of Maya and how she is growing up as a Rishi. She is apparently the prodigy of this book doing remarkable stuff that no one in the last 5,000 years has been able to do. This includes entering the Mists of Brahma (hence the title), meeting the Devas and resurrecting the dead (yes, you read that right).
The book Mists of Brahma also has a detailed multi-page description of yet another battle sequence. We also have a new front runner villain Vishwaraj(not really new as he was at the battle in the first book), who is talked about a lot in this book by our main villain Shukra.
There is also a parallel investigation story by the police at play who are trying to solve the murder mystery of few members from the Gurukul as well as people who were dead in the first book. This part is extremely well drafted and makes you feel involved in the investigation, this may possibly be because it’s a lot relatable and less fiction.
Conclusion
Although I am a big fan of the author, the book was a disappointment for me from the story point of view. I was all excited to know what the prophecy is or at-least a part of it, but the book fails to tell us about it. It feels like the book is entirely about multiple side-stories towards something big. But the thing with side-stories is even if you didn’t know them, you are pretty much catch up with the main story.
Special Mention
The author has given a big bibliography/reference section at the end of the book which explains how the fiction draws inspiration from the Indian culture and epics. I am not sure if this section was present in the first book. Also, a lot of stuff with regards to things mentioned in the book/series is available on the author’s blog. It would have been better had it been added to the main book and made it more detailed.
Rating: 3/5
You can buy the book from this link –> The Patala Prophecy (Mists of Brahma)
Also, check out the book review of the first part from the same series –> The Patala Prophecy (Son of Brighu)
