I've been meaning to review this anthology for quite a while now. Guilty as charged. I don't want to hold off anymore. When the author Sudha, told me about her work, I was a bit skeptical. 'Oh, another mythological offering' was the first thought that crossed my mind. Yes, having read most of the authors who have given us mythology-based books in the recent past, I was at first, a bit hesistant to pick this one up. But as I started reading the stories, one after the other, I realized just how different it really was. Sudha manages to keep our interest piqued till the last story, and how! Each story throws a different perspective on Gods, Goddesses, mythical creatures, and rulers of our country, and yet you feel you aren't let down for a single minute. And the most intriguing part is how she manages to draw parallels with a contemporary story with a similar theme. And that's the novelty. Each mythological story is followed by a modern-day contemporary tale which you can relate to, yet feel the throbbing vein of the mythological one. Marvellous story telling. Sudha's language is flawless and ridiculously simple to understand, and she manages to weave one tale after the other in the same heart-stopping pace. This in itself is the making of a great writer. Readers of any age group will greet the stories with equal awe and pleasure. Once you pick up the book you'll find yourself thirsting for more. In the end, as I allowed the characters and stories to sink in, a part of me wanted to see more, read more..find out more about what was cooking in this ingenious author's brain. I await her next work with a childlike excitement, and hopefully this time round, she'll give us a full length book with another mind numbing tale plucked out from the deep recesses of our glorious mythology. More power to you, Sudha. You're here to stay.
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- Aaliya ThahseenReviewed in India on October 15, 2017
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I stumbled upon Sudha Kuruganti’s blog when I was vehemently searching for some worthwhile Baahubali fan fiction. She had posted a bewitching fanfic titled ‘Elemental’ and I was bowled over. There was just so much depth and justification to each character in the description of the piece and that’s when I realized that I had to check out her book. Oh, and also, the book cover screamed badass women!Aaliya ThahseenGrab your copy. NOW.
Reviewed in India on October 15, 2017
Growing up, I’ve always had a fascination for Hindu Mythology much to my parents’ surprise. It’s not like they banned reading material related to the genre but just surprised because I grew up in Dubai and they wondered where the sudden interest sprouted from. My neighbor next door from Rashidiya was a Brahmin and she believed in inculcating the Hindu culture from a very young age in her only child – Mithun. With this kid being tight with my younger brother, he was more than happy to lend us his brand new Ramayana cartoon disc. That’s where it all began and the rest, as they say, is history.
After resolving a bunch of annoying glitches in my Kindle account in correspondence with the Amazon tech support, I finally got my copy of Dark Things and might I say that it was worth all the trouble!
Dark things between the shadow and the soul is a compilation of twenty-two short stories based off of Hindu Mythology. There are five sections in this book with contemporary tales focused on the Vedas, Trimurti, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Urban Legends & Myths. If you are a newbie to the Indian Mythology genre, then you just got lucky! Because there is an additional primer to all you need to know about Hinduism or Indian mythology. Bonus features include wiki-links to unfamiliar terms and footnotes at the end of each story with a gist of the actual myth.
To begin with, the title is positively intriguing and promising. The contemporary counterparts of the original characters were staggeringly justified in their portrayals, especially Parashuram, Surpanakha, Mohini and Amba (My personal faves). The varying shades of the respective characters intensified with the unexpected twists in each story. What’s not to love about this book when it has horror, romance, murder, psychologically thrilling elements and much more.
This book confuted pre-conceived and clichéd depictions of the characters you know and love. Sheer raw darkness was brought out in even the haloed characters such as Ram in To the victor and Surpanakha, the malefic demoness (we all know and hate) got to tell her side of the story. Be it the revelation of Sugreeva’s true intentions or Parashuram’s appalling vindication of his mother’s murder, both the scenarios maneuver to the characters just being human. Meaning, it reflects human emotions like jealousy and rage which were personified beautifully.
Best served cold was my personal favourite, hands down! By the time I was done with the story, my chest heaved with a primal gratification (you’ll know when you read it). Let me just say that it was one in the morning when I caught up to Storyteller and my reaction wasn’t a pretty sight (panting hard), nevertheless, I was ecstatic because it was a tale based on Vikram and Vetaal (freaking grew up with the cartoon series). As for Timeless, the final punch was quite poignant and immensely enjoyable.
Lastly, the language employed was competently satisfying and quick paced. Although I haven’t read many books based on Hindu mythology, I grew fond of this particular book almost immediately. Like I said before if you’re looking to give this genre a try, you better start with this one!
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