Book Name: Myths of Old
Author: Krishnarjun Bhattacharya
Publisher: Fingerprint
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.9/5
Book Blurb:
‘Where is Adri?’
‘Hiding, somewhere in the darkness.’
‘I am Darkness!’
Come forth, come hither. It is finally time.
Fairy tales, and spit and blood and bone and venom.
Promises of revenge, the smell of fear, the ever long hunt.
And the stories. Oh, the old stories.
The serpent and the Dragon.
The tantric and the horseman.
There was time, once. All the time in the world, for the world.
Yet you still claw at illegitimate hope; the blade saint, the demigod, the hammer of numen, the paladins of light.
Stop. Look.
The skies are black, the rivers red.
For the last time, the sun sets. The dark master rises.
Gaze into his hypnotic coils, for it is here.
The end of the beginning. The beginning of the end.
Myths of Old brings the long running Tantric Trilogy to a well drawn close. Dark, dystopian fantasy at its very darkest.
Review: Myths of Old is part of a trilogy but I read it as a stand-alone work. It’s better if you read the other two stories since it connects and draws reference to previous works.
Krishnarjun Bhattacharya has created a unique world in this trilogy and Myths of Old makes for a good read. Fantasy fiction is not much explored in India and this book may well launch the genre in India.
“There used to be a discipline of magic based only on luck, magicians who busied themselves in mastering this untraceable element which could win any fight make anything possible.”
The characters are detailed and the book is voluminous but the plot is well described and Krishnarjun writes in a simple language mixing contemporary references keeping the reader hooked. Dhananjay, Era, Hunter, Kaavsh, Maya, Gray, and the Dark Angel characters have been created with deep plot lines. But this is also a downside of the book as it becomes difficult to keep track of various plots and numerous characters.
The book explores the age-old concept of good v/s evil forces. It is a difficult task composing an alternate Kingdom with layers and multiple plots but Kirhsnarjun has risen to the task remarkably well. The ending is superb and satisfactory.
The book is filled with grey themes and it lends more depth to the story. The writing does not disappoint and there are sufficient plot twists to engage a reader’s interest.