Book: The Oath of the Vayuputras

Author: Amish

Rating: 4.5/5

An epic ending to The Siva Triology by Amish which consisted of two bestselling books- The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas, came in the form of this explosive package. A thicker and bigger novel than its predecessors, 'The Oath of the Vayuputras' came as a classic ending to the saga of 'Shiva'- the Mahadeva. The tale continues from the attack on Shiva's retinue on their way to 'Panchvati'- the capital of the Nagas. Here Shiva would involve himself in his quest of finding the ultimate evil and its destruction. The journey is going to be long and tumultuous and Shiva will have to face his worst fears and make the ultimate sacrifice to fulfill his aim. The opponent he faces is by far the deadliest and the most worthy he would ever expect to meet and this epic war is going to shape the history of India as well as his own future. To defeat this ultimate evil Shiva would need the potent destructive technology of the 'Daivi-Astras' kept secure by the mysterious and godly clan of the Vayuputras for ages. The book captures his travel to mysterious and exciting lands, mind numbing battles and the subtle dose of emotion that adds life to the epic. This journey is going to reveal everything-His existence, His necessity and His ultimate Survival.

Social/Historical context:

The Oath of the Vayuputras attempts to link the blurred part of myth with the recorded part of history. It tries to explain the unexplained magic through science and the attainment of Godly status not through miracles or superstition but by the dint of character and virtues. In short it tries to provide a rational explanation to our mystical scriptures making the Gods feel realistic even to an atheist. It propagates belief by making extraordinary out of the ordinary. Amish has made the lord more than just a relic of the past; a figment of our imagination. He has made Shiva, the living God who can be found in every one. Amish makes us believe that every man who lives righteously, fights against evil and leads a moral life is a God- something he best summarizes through three memorable words "Har Har Mahadev"

Writing Style:

Amish has a captivating and gripping narrative style. He has millions of thrills in this book; almost everything one could imagine to keep a reader spell bound. The characters feel real and lively and not just animated reminiscents of some faraway tale. They appear to be real life human characters separated only by time but one with us in every other sense. The language is simple and easily comprehensible while the narration is catchy and interesting. To sum up it has everything to be a best seller.

My Thoughts:

'The Oath of the Vayuputras' can be termed as an ideal conclusion to the Shiva triology. It seems to be an apt end to the series and one could not have hoped for better. The only disappointment was the tragic note with which the novel ended as I was too engrossed in the character of Shiva to be able to distance myself from his sorrow but that is another point in favour of the writer's skill that made his characters so enchanting. The plot is unpredictable and a very amusing read till the end making it a must read.

Book Reviewed by Ashay Anand 

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