pirloistic's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
sathyadgs95's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Before I share the review of this book, let me first tell you the reason of picking up this one. Though I love peace but I secretly feel that I am a warrior. I had been fascinated by swords since I was a kid. Till today, I never miss a chance of touching a sword or posing with it (if possible) whenever I get to see one. The sword in the cover of this book caught all my attention and I finally decided to read this one. Glad I picked this up and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
The next thing that impressed me was the map in the front. It gave me an experience of time travel. As the note states, this book is not a historical or modern re-adaptation of the Kalki Purana. I was scared at first seeing the number of the pages of the book; it is the thickest book that I have read till now. The sword on the cover made the warrior inside me to take this challenge and it was worth it. Even if you do not like history or mythology, you will like this book because of its amazing narration.
Coming to the characterization, all the characters have been beautifully portrayed in the book. Be careful, you might get lost in the story. The protagonist is Kalki Hari, an ordinary village boy who is not as ordinary as he is assumed. He is the chosen one by destiny who leaves his tiny village to fight for the protection of his dear ones and his land. He has been bestowed with some super powers that had been sleeping in him and which awake when it is time for him to fight for the good cause. The other characters are Kali, Shuko, Kripacharya, Durukti, Arjan, Bala, Vedanta and many others who have been perfectly fit in various places to let the story proceed smoothly and in an interesting way.
This book is basically about the fight for good cause. When you are chosen by destiny for something, no matter what happens, you will excel in it. A simple man can turn into a warrior while a bad man can turn good. There are things that are beyond our control and we must dare not mess with them. Yes this is a fictional story but the narration made me totally lose myself in the book and assume everything happening for real. I also appreciate the selection of words by the author. The words had been impactful and made me feel reading the story in a historic background.
The next thing that impressed me was the map in the front. It gave me an experience of time travel. As the note states, this book is not a historical or modern re-adaptation of the Kalki Purana. I was scared at first seeing the number of the pages of the book; it is the thickest book that I have read till now. The sword on the cover made the warrior inside me to take this challenge and it was worth it. Even if you do not like history or mythology, you will like this book because of its amazing narration.
Coming to the characterization, all the characters have been beautifully portrayed in the book. Be careful, you might get lost in the story. The protagonist is Kalki Hari, an ordinary village boy who is not as ordinary as he is assumed. He is the chosen one by destiny who leaves his tiny village to fight for the protection of his dear ones and his land. He has been bestowed with some super powers that had been sleeping in him and which awake when it is time for him to fight for the good cause. The other characters are Kali, Shuko, Kripacharya, Durukti, Arjan, Bala, Vedanta and many others who have been perfectly fit in various places to let the story proceed smoothly and in an interesting way.
This book is basically about the fight for good cause. When you are chosen by destiny for something, no matter what happens, you will excel in it. A simple man can turn into a warrior while a bad man can turn good. There are things that are beyond our control and we must dare not mess with them. Yes this is a fictional story but the narration made me totally lose myself in the book and assume everything happening for real. I also appreciate the selection of words by the author. The words had been impactful and made me feel reading the story in a historic background.
juneandorange's review
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
nivithanoronha's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
ryan_dm's review
3.0
Fantasy inspired by Hindu mythology and characters. What it lacks in world building it makes up for in violence. Decent read.
lucidreading's review
I was so excited to read this. I've looked forward to reading this for a long long time, and I'm disappointed, also really annoyed.
That's it i'm stopping. I can't take anymore of the "tell us whats going on MAN"s and the bad storytelling. I keep editing everything as i read and i reallllyyyy dont wanna do that right now. I don't want to waste time on this anymore. I tried skipping and reading the center parts to see maybe it would hold my attention better, then I could give it a try but NO.
He really needs to make up his mind on if he wants his characters to have modern language or speak traditionally. In the pages i read I felt like he was going back and forth, and trying to info dump through his characters and not let it flow naturally.
Dnf@ i dont know, I dont care!
That's it i'm stopping. I can't take anymore of the "tell us whats going on MAN"s and the bad storytelling. I keep editing everything as i read and i reallllyyyy dont wanna do that right now. I don't want to waste time on this anymore. I tried skipping and reading the center parts to see maybe it would hold my attention better, then I could give it a try but NO.
He really needs to make up his mind on if he wants his characters to have modern language or speak traditionally. In the pages i read I felt like he was going back and forth, and trying to info dump through his characters and not let it flow naturally.
Dnf@ i dont know, I dont care!
chetanaa_'s review
3.0
'Dharmayoddha Kalki' by Kevin Missal is a beautifully written mythological fiction. It is the first book in the series. The book tells the story of Kalki, who is believed to be the final incarnation of Lord Vishnu on the Earth.
Kalki Hari, is a boy from the village of Shambala. He lives a simple life there with his brother Arjan, mother Sumati and father Vishnuyath. The course of his life changes when certain sudden events take place. Vishnuyath is kidnapped by the Mlechhas, outcasts from surrounding forest area, and later killed. Amidst all the chaos, he comes across Kripacharya who knows that him that he is the 'chosen one' and possesses special abilities. He tells him that all his deeds are supposed to be for the 'greater good'. The antagonist of the story is Kali. He wants to be supremely powerful and expand his sphere of influence.
Will Kalki be able to save the world from the clutches of the evil?
All the characters are well developed. Each of the characters has entirely different trait and mannerisms. I especially loved the fact that the story has the presence of strong female characters. The plot is well designed. The author has successfully produced a fresh and unpredictable plot.
Lately, a lot of literary works have been produced under the genre of 'Mythological Fiction'. And in this book, I found a resemblance to Amish Tripathi's style. However, the book has some drawbacks. The starting could have been a bit more interesting. At some parts, it could have been a bit less draggy and descriptive. It would have shortened the length of the book. But the book gets interesting as the story proceeds. Also, the book has a map which makes it all the more interesting. And the cover art is great too.
If you are a lover of mythological fictions, you can give this book a read.
Kalki Hari, is a boy from the village of Shambala. He lives a simple life there with his brother Arjan, mother Sumati and father Vishnuyath. The course of his life changes when certain sudden events take place. Vishnuyath is kidnapped by the Mlechhas, outcasts from surrounding forest area, and later killed. Amidst all the chaos, he comes across Kripacharya who knows that him that he is the 'chosen one' and possesses special abilities. He tells him that all his deeds are supposed to be for the 'greater good'. The antagonist of the story is Kali. He wants to be supremely powerful and expand his sphere of influence.
Will Kalki be able to save the world from the clutches of the evil?
All the characters are well developed. Each of the characters has entirely different trait and mannerisms. I especially loved the fact that the story has the presence of strong female characters. The plot is well designed. The author has successfully produced a fresh and unpredictable plot.
Lately, a lot of literary works have been produced under the genre of 'Mythological Fiction'. And in this book, I found a resemblance to Amish Tripathi's style. However, the book has some drawbacks. The starting could have been a bit more interesting. At some parts, it could have been a bit less draggy and descriptive. It would have shortened the length of the book. But the book gets interesting as the story proceeds. Also, the book has a map which makes it all the more interesting. And the cover art is great too.
If you are a lover of mythological fictions, you can give this book a read.
divyatejas_venkatesh's review
5.0
Good to see another historical fiction in Indian setting . It was nice and this is the book that got me into reading after a long gap of around 5 years I read it in just a weak and I got crazy about books and started to saw book reviews for what other books can I read and I ended up with Youtube recommendation full of book reviews after 2-3 days. Really fast paced it brings out all the different kinds of emotions