Colonel Samagra Vol XI

The volume contains

• Andha Bibheeshika

• Bhuture Baagh

• Operation X File

• Manikin Rahasya

• Neel Saraser Pichane

It mixes some eerie adventures with some curious murders. But in each of them the jolly old man solves them in style. However, the narratives are written in different ways. While the leading one is from the perspective of the third person, the next three are from the viewpoint of Jayanta and the finale is from the retired colonel’s records. Haldermoshai features in some adding the much needed relief but on one there is an unwanted jibe at a critic’s views which compares the trio with various detectives of renown and their associates. This actually cheapens the novel’s value but except this one the others are more or less nice. An uniformity in the protagonist’s behaviours, though depicted from the standpoint from many, is something to be applauded which shows how the author cares on the detailing. But this is contrasted in the use of same dialect for all that seems all the characters to be somehow related. A social shadow is cast on each of the stories that tries to provide quite a realistic touch to each.

The Mystery of the Talking Skull

An age old trunk left by a magician who had vanished "from the world of men" reveals more than a magician's items. A talking skull that sneezes and boo's leaves a trail for the investigators to follow. It seems that the trunk contains clue to some old crime that had remained unsolved. Thus the investigators are presented with more than a single mystery that seems to border the supernaturals. To solve they not only required to know the history but also about those who were related with the trunk and its contents. With this comes a curious threat that leaves no option but to solve the case no matter what. So again there is excitement in the menu but adventure takes a backseat while analysing clues keep the suspense alive.

The Mansions of the Gods

Caesar plans a new mode of attack on the Gauls and send the architect, Squareonthehypotenuse (mark the name) who have never tasted the Gaulish tricks to build modern flats, boastfully dubbed by Caesar as the Mansions of the Gods, near the Gaulish village of Asterix. As the forest is being cleared of the trees, much to the anxiety of Dogmatix, Getafix soon uses his magic to get new trees to go rapidly in the places of the old ones. As the Roman slaves uproot the trees at night, the druid frustrates their effort at daybreak. This continues for a while along with more other tricks on the Romans but an overconfident Getafix soon seems to bring an unwanted threat to the unity of the Gauls. Then it remains to our little friend and his chubby buddy to set the things right only at the cost of the suffering of the Roman legionaries.