Review of "Fables from India" by Uday Mane

Book: Fables from India

Writer: Uday Mane

Available at: Flipkart

"Fables from India" by Uday Mane is a book, which will get you nostalgic to boot. I got this book as part of the "Flipkart Book Review Program."

The book will single-handedly remind you of your childhood days and the various bedtime stories of Kings, Princes and Castles that you read as a child in the night, till you were forced to switch off the light by the parents and admonished for being up so late. All the kings and their various kingdoms with their own eccentric characters will come alive in your world again.

This book is a collection of 22 short stories and it begins with a poem, which showcases the creative talent of the author, to boot. All in all, it is a good book for teenagers and for nostalgic adults. 

Each story is simple and the plot is quite straight-forward, many times. It is not at all for all those readers who are looking for a twist in the tale or for a more complex plot. Each story has a simple message, which would appeal to all those readers who are interested in mythology and want a trip to their lovely and innocent childhood.

It is a good gifting option for pre-teens and teens who are mostly unaware of the Indian mythology and want to learn more about the traditional times, instead of the Harry Potters to which they are accustomed to. The writing is simple and has clarity, which benefits their target audience immensely.

Review of Skyfire by Aroon Raman

Book: Skyfire
Author: Aroon Raman
Available At: Flipkart

Skyfire is a fictional thriller, which talks about using the weather as the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. It is a decent effort from Aroon Raman and written in a lucid style. I got this book as part of the Flipkart Book Review Program.

The most redeeming quality of a thriller ought to be that the real culprit should only be revealed in the final pages of the book. There should be enough deviants and false clues for the reader to keep thinking about the actual culprit, whose identity should only be revealed in the climax of the book.

However, this is where Skyfire actually misses out totally. The identity of the actual culprit can easily be predicted in the early stages of the book quite easily as there is no other actual suspect. Despite this obvious flaw, you may want to keep reading the book just to know how the whole scheme comes to an obvious end.

The writing is easy and breezy. What the book lacks is "Tautness" and a more tighter plot to make it a thriller worth remembering. It is typically a one-time read and maybe that was the aim of this book.

The plot revolves around a journalist, a professor and a corporate head honcho who are all trying to solve the mystery of a missing child along with some unexplainable weather phenomenons, which are wrecking havoc in numerous cities. The bizarre weather technology is explained over and over again, which makes the reader want to skip those portions. But apart from that, the writing is easy though the characters could be better etched out.