Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Chandragirir Rajkahini

A tremendously exciting novel with a touch of one of the greatest classics of all times but the moment you expect it to turn towards the obvious direction a twisting revelation makes it all the more rivetting.
A petty mercenary is hired by an aquintance of a dwindling kingdom to act as one of the successors of the dead king due to his close resemblance to the king's elder son who is living a life of the hunted after his step brother, the other  claimant of the title, failed in his attempt of killing him. Bargaining for the adventure with his life at stake, little did he know what awaits him as the deeper he delves, the royal secrets smeard with treachery make him shudder. A tale of royal vengeance where the common man is held as pawn in the name of fallen prestige keeps the suspense high. Though some queries remain unanswered still it remains a thrilling anecdote of an adventure with a touch of the romsnce. I had read several stories of the author but this surely is unique in its character

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Hemendrakumar Roy Rachanabali Vol-XXX

I'd read Hemen Ray many a times and so picked this book up in the Bookfair to add up to the collection and also was curious to know how he write for adult. You might not believe me, he seems to had surpassed his own class while writing these social dramas that adorns this volume. This contains a basket of short stories collected under the title S(n)idurchupree which contains the social tensions depicted in Kshudiramer Keerti, the curious drama Chor, the tragic twist in Porarmukhi, the comic Khuror Khamkheyal, the cruelty of the selfish in Golap Phool, the blessed revenge of the natural outcast in Shiuli which altogether brings out the varied hues of the Bengali middle class.
But the gem of the collection is the novel Aleyar Alo which, through a series of twists and turns is a unique tragedy that is class apart from all other Hemen classics that I have read so far. Bordering chiefly on widow marriage at a time it was considered short of a miracle, the story has more than just a conventional sequence which points to disturbing consequences that are not far from reality.
Hemendrakumar is a natural writer of adventures. Here, his naturalness has vented its spirit into an entirely new direction where the essence of adventure permeates into ordinary life giving them an entirely new dimension and perspective. Recommended not for the children this promises enjoyment to mature minds.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

The Uttermost Farthing A Savant's Vendetta

A criminal anthropologist with a fame of comparative anatomist starts on a vengeance of his own to eliminate those whom he considers scums of society after his tragic lost of his beloved in a robbery gone astray. A horrifying yet gripping tale of vendetta that is made yet more horrid by the minute details of the procedures that lead the unsuspecting victims to their last breath keeps the suspense alive. But the most terrifying is not the killings but the fact that each is ingenuously preserved with records to serve as a model to research characteristic anatomy of criminals in general. The nature of the narrative is quite novel where the readers may predict the ultimate but here lies the signature style of Freeman where he keeps the interest from never going dull by the way he describes events after events culminating to what the readers actually hope to reach. An enjoyable fast paced read that will keep readers glued to the pages but never will find themselves on the edge of the seats.

Sunday, April 08, 2018

Deepak Chatterjeer Adventure

The famous thriller series continues this time in the digest form. The mystery pack contains
  1. Kalobajaree Damane Dasyunetree Chamelee o Deepak
  2. Dui Tin Char
  3. Neel Sagarer Mohonoae
  4. Garo Paharer Rahasya
  5. Lal Neel Halud
  6. Jaliyater Chakranta
All these contains the untiring efforts of Deepak Chatterjee to get rid of the evils in the society. At times, he is assisted by Ratanlal and Deepak's apprentice in the trade, Rajat Sen also appears in a significant role once. A master of disguise, the sleuth and his satellite uncover quite some dangerous plots to put to justice pirates, get rid of the masterminds behind several murders, foil the ploys of smugglers, in a word becomes the most feared person among the bad guys. But there is a glaring set of mistakes starting from the bad grammar, continuing with names of same persons being referred differently and a set of brow raising coincidences that makes the quality poor and the mystery super shallow. Swapankumar's fast paced thriller is best described as adventure that brings nostalgic memories of films not bothering on rationale but making the sleuths the heroes at all cost. Stories start with interesting twists, puzzling the readers quite a bit, but the obvious contradictions bordering on impracticality makes them lame to the extreme. But overall it gives a taste of the old times but will bring a sympathetic smile to the face.

Tuesday, April 03, 2018

Colonel Samagra Vol VI

The content of the volume runs as

  • Briefcase Rahasya
  • Neeche Namo B(n)ae Ghoro
  • Nagna Nirjan Haat
  • Borkhar Arale
  • Kuashar Rang Neel
The last two deserve special mention among the various cases of Colonel in the sense that one of them sees the veteran sleuth being overtaken in wisdom and in the other the investigator plots a series of traps to ensure safety to the client while ensuring punishment to most of the criminals. The first one is a case where it is written in the third person which does not have so much appeal as are the following two where some thrill in the otherwise bland preludes is established with some interesting surprises.
A feeling of nostalgia is easily felt as we see a world devoid of cell phones and just the introduction of computers. The Colonel stories are generally independent of technology but one of them here has computer as a central element, where the sleuth seems to take training to get himself geared for the new gen and their cases.