A New Romance

 

Book Review

Title: The Himadripuram Adventure

Author: Sitharaam Jayakumar

Goodness should win in the end of all conflicts. That classical notion has been illustrated brilliantly and imaginatively once more in this rather short novel by a good friend of mine.

Himadripuram is an imaginary kingdom that existed in a time when there was no electricity, no motor vehicles, and not even a postal system. That is a kind of romantic world. I mean the romance in the second of the meanings below. 

There is a fairly good king in Himadripuram. But his tenure is coming to an end. His son will take charge soon. However, that son, Veer Narayan, is an immature teenager who is a “combination of stupidity, greed and ambition.” The King, Devdutt Narayan, tries his best to drive some sense into the head of the crown prince, but to no avail. The King has to deal with another challenge too: an emerging rebellion led by people who are deviously powerful.

What if you have enemies within your family, within your close circles?  Even if you are the best administrator, you are likely to be doomed in such a situation. Political administration is not all about collecting taxes and managing the day-to-day affairs of the country. Relationships matter a lot even in political administration.

Relationships save Himadripuram in the end. How? You should read this novel to understand that. What I like most is how the hero of this novel [I’m using the word ‘hero’ instead of ‘protagonist’ because that’s how ancient this novel’s setting is] has a romantic relationship which is intricately woven into the complex fabric of the plot without ever dominating the plot. The politics and the complex mystery that drives it with the smoldering rebellion which the rebels call a Revolution keeps the love-romance subdued. The mystery-romance keeps us hooked better.

The book keeps you hooked, turning pages with immense curiosity. That is the author’s real success. He keeps you with him even though the world he presents belongs to some distant past.

There are some very striking twists in the end of this short novel. Let me leave those twists to your reading delight. The book is available at Amazon.