HARAPPA: Curse of the Blood River (Harappa Series #1) by Vineet Bajpai
Release: June 4th 2017
Format: Paperback
Publisher: VB Performance LLP
Source: Amazon
HARAPPA: Curse of the Blood River Synopsis:
The story oscillates from history to mythology, from occult to religion, from exorcism to gunfights, from taantrics to warriors, from love to ambition. It knits 3,700 years, powerful ancient and modern-day characters and a nail-biting conspiracy – all in one literary thriller. Harappa is the first among a series of four books.
2017, Delhi – Vidyut’s dying ancestor summons him to Banaras. The old Brahmin chieftain of the Dev-Raakshasa Matth, or the God-Demon Clan, bears a chilling secret. Their bloodline carries an ancient curse that will plague mankind – towards its own violent extinction.
1700 BCE, Harappa – Harappa is a magnificent city on the banks of the mighty Saraswati river. The darkness of treachery, taantric exorcism and bloodshed unleashes itself on the last devta, paving the way for his devastating revenge…and the horrifying truth behind the fall of the glorious civilisation.
2017, Paris – The world’s most powerful religious institution is rattled. Europe’s dreaded crime lord meets a mysterious man in Paris. A lethal assassin boards a train, as Rome fears the worst. The prophesied devta has returned.
What connects Banaras, Harappa and Rome? Also, what was the ancient curse and who was the last devta? What is the terrible secret behind the fall of the colossal Indus Valley? Read on as you travel through a saga of violence and deceit, gods and demons, love and ambition.
Review:
Watch my video review of HARAPPA: Curse of the Blood River by Vineet Bajpai!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7XAvQdJV-Y[/embedyt]
This book was so amazing! I think it beats all the other Indian Mythological books I have read, hands down. In fact, I think I finished it in one sitting stretched for 4 hours and couldn’t put it down. I actually enjoyed Vineet Bajpai’s style of writing a lot a LOT. The author tells the story in a very fast paced, compelling manner, and ensures that there is never a dull moment. I loved how each chapter alternates between the two timelines and the various characters where one chapter would be about Vidyut and another chapter would be about Vivasvan Pujari. I absolutely loved this concept of switching story-lines, as it held my interest and I liked how it connected in the end.
There is a lot of information given on Harappa, and whether it is fiction or not, it is told in a very realistic manner that does make you wonder as to what happened to that civilization.
The characters are somewhat clichéd but nevertheless very entertaining to read. I personally loved Vivasvan Pujari and his story-line better because I was just engrossed on how he reacts to the situation that he gets entangled in and how he vows revenge on everyone. I loved all the supporting characters of that timeline, like Somdutt, Sanjna and Manu. Moreover, the villains in this timeline were also truly devious. Priyamvada and Ranga are so evil that you just don’t know how far they will go to rule the kingdom. Vidyut’s storyline, which takes place in 2017, was also good in its own way, but did not have the same majestic feel when compared to the Vivasvan Pujari’s story-line.
One thing that I did not find necessary was how the author tried to connect the personalities of the characters between the two story-lines. For example, I did not like when Dwarka Shastri compared Damini to Sanjna, even though Damini does not have any of the pious qualities that Sanjna had. Again, Romi is also a good villain in his own way, but not as fascinating as crazy as Priyamvada. In short, I cannot wait to pick up Book 2 to find out how the Maschera Bianca deals with Vidyut.
All in all, I am so excited to pick up the next book in the series and read it! Overall, I loved “Harappa: Curse of the Blood River” and would give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
