Shiva Trilogy: My Review

After a lot of procrastination, I finally completed all the 3 parts of the Shiva Trilogy, written by Amish Tripathi. Here is my brief review of what I thought about this series and how was my reading experience. 

The story is based on an interesting premise. It is a fictional imagination of the story of Lord Shiva, portraying him (and all the other characters / gods) as humans living during the Indus Valley civilization. It’s a story of his transformation from a tribal barbarian to the Mahadev worshiped by the people. The series consists of 3 books and you have to read it all serially to understand the sequence of the story. The story begins somewhere near the Mansarovar Lake, the home of this tribal leader called Shiva who leads his tribe called “Gunas”.

A King from India- King Daksha from the kingdom of Meluha has invited him and his entire tribe to his kingdom because they need their help in combating a threat from their enemy- the kindom of Swadeep. The people in Meluha are called Suryavanshis and are descendants of Lord Ram. Their enemies- the people of Swadeep are called Chandravanshis. The Suryavanshis fear that the Chandravanshis have teamed up with the Nagas- another tribe consisting of deformed people who are known to be evil. The first book- “The Immortals of Meluha” sets the premise is mainly about how Shiva gels with Suryavanshis and finally architects the big battle between the two kingdoms. By the end of the first book, the reader- through Shiva’s eyes realises that the search for evil doesn’t end at Swadeep. The rest of the 2 books is about Shiva’s quest for the Evil- the revelation of what is evil and how Shiva destroys this evil and becomes the Mahadeva. 

The Good: 

Interesting Premise: As you must have already realized- the story is based on a really interesting plot. The story does keep the reader engrossed and wanting to know what happens next. 

Meticulous Description: Author Amish must really be credited for the way he has described how the kingdoms of that age are. With his detailed descriptive writing, he is able to paint the picture and is able to take the readers into his imagination of the Indus Valley civilisation. 

Creative liberty: The author has really used his creative liberty into writing the characters of Hindu Mythology as real humans. The best part is, he has tried to give scientific (rather pseudo-scientific) explanation to why Hindu Gods/Goddesses are what they are- more than 2 hands, multiple faces or animal faces on human body?! 

Research: It shows that a lot of research has gone into writing this. Not only understanding the Hindu Mythology, but also the geography of India, the rivers, the Kingdoms - real kingdoms blended with fictional ones. It is not possible to write such a story without due research. 

The Bad: 

Some Not Believable Elements: There are some instances where we feel that the incidents are kind of Bollywood-ish. For eg. when Shiva meets Sati and the way he falls in love- is like a typical love-at-first-sight scene in a Bollywood movie. 

Forced Humour: The author has tried to induce some humour in the interactions between the characters, which most of the times is not so funny. The reader is given a cue that it is humour with the phrase- “burst into laughter” too many times. 

Use of Modern Terms: The use of modern terms in a setting that is in a different era is a little uncomfortable. For eg. the use of terms like registrations, check-in (into a hotel) etc doesn’t do justice to good literature. 

Stretched Concluding Part: The last book- “The Oath of the Vayuputras”, is a bit of stretch. The big reveal happens right at the beginning of the book and the rest is about the battle which could have been shorter. There is a twist at the end of the 3rd book, which is somewhat a saving grace. 

Verdict: 

Overall, it’s a great read, despite the drawbacks. If you enjoy reading fiction books inspired by mythologies, then this book is a must read. The philosophical aspect is also good- the message it tries to give is- Evil is relative. Good and Evil are two sides of the same coin. The overall impact that the story has on reader is fulfilling and never will you think that you have wasted your time in reading all the 3 books. It’s an entertainer set in a totally different world. Don’t miss it.