Title: The Destiny of Shaitan
Author: Laxmi Hariharan
Publisher: Laxmi Hariharan
Publication: March 17th, 2012
Pages: 274
Format: ebook
Book Description/Synopsis
Background: The Destiny
of Shaitan, the first novel in The
Chronicle of The Three series is a coming of age story, about a girl
who falls in love only to realise that to be truly happy, she has to first find
herself. Set in 3000 AD, when the galaxy is populated by humans as well as
a half human, half alien race called half lives, this novel, tracks the
protagonists from five to seventeen years old.
Synopsis: When Tiina
accompanies her ex-boyfriend Yudi on a mission to save the universe from the
ruthless Shaitan, she seeks more than the end of the tyrant; she seeks herself.
Driven by greed and fear for his own survival, Shaitan bulldozes his way
through the galaxy, destroying everything in his path. Tiina wants Yudi to
eliminate Shaitan, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the powerful autocrat being
killed by his son, but she finds that Yudi is hesitant to do so. The final
showdown between Yudi and Shaitan has unexpected consequences, for Shaitan will
do anything in his power to win the fight—including getting rid of Tiina. The
stakes are high and the combatants determined. Will Shaitan's ultimate destiny
be fulfilled?
Return to 7 Islands, (Chronicle of The Three, #2): The Destiny of Shaitan, ends
with Tiina, leaving everything she knows—including Yudi and the world she
helped save from Shaitan—in search of herself. The second novel in the
series, titled Return to 7 Islands, follows Tiina as she lands in a
futuristic Bombay—now reduced by a tsunami to its original seven
islands—and helps Rai, in defending his childhood orphanage from the clutches
of Sharmila, Shaitan's daughter. As she struggles to come to terms with her
origins in an attempt to understand herself better, she discovers a surprise
about her past.
My Review
I was immediately hooked after the very first page. Once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down. I was on the edge of my set the entire time. I read this book in one sitting. I had to finish it. Laxmi crafted a unique world that drew me in. I felt like I was there the entire time. The descriptions were very detailed to the point I was able to mentally picture everything in the story. I also loved the Indian mythology in the story. The mythology made it so much more interesting. The action in this story was awesome. I love it when characters actually fight and kick some butt.
Character development is really important in stories. I love watching characters grow and become stronger. Laxmi did a great job with this part of the book. I love how the characters grew closer together as the story went on. Tiina, Yudi, and Rai were great characters. If they truly existed, I would have loved to meet them.
This story was very different from the types of other stories I read. There are so many twists and turns in this book that left me in shock. I am very glad I decided to read it. I recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy with Indian mythology intertwined. What an ending!!!! I can't wait to read the sequel!!!
Excerpt:
Pluto, 3016
The lightning strikes him down, charring him black with smoke ebbing out, and he awakes to the gut-wrenching pain.
Thump. Kreeee. Thump. Kreeeeee…
Yudi jolts into consciousness from the sound. He throws off the covers and pads onto the small terrace adjoining his bedroom, wearing just the pair of black shorts he sleeps in. He is on the eighteenth floor of a fifty-eight storey apartment block. The distance does not hinder the noise, which carries to him through the dawn air, growing louder by the second: Thump. Kreeee. THUMP. KREEEE…
Not again!
Down below, he sees the aged Plutonian female going about her early morning ritual of dragging the large steel pole, bumping down the sleeping escalator steps. Every morning at five o’clock without fail, that annoying noise wakes him up. And every morning he looks out the window to see her walking down the escalator, which would normally be running in the upward direction if it were switched on.
Why does she not take the path next to the escalator? It would make the going much easier for her. And where does she go with that one single steel pole every morning? He ponders her routine just as he has every morning.
Another of life’s great mysteries…just like the question of who my real father is. The thought comes unbidden, as if the urban chemistry swirling in the air is mocking him. The smog of the early dawn creeps in—a reminder of the clogged, urban city where he lives—masking the scene below until all he can see is his own face reflected in his mind’s eye.
Without turning, he reaches for the half-empty cigarette pack placed within arm’s length on the small wrought iron table on the terrace. He flicks on the vintage Ronson gas lighter, its golden casing long since rubbed away by frequent use to a dull brown. The cigarette paper crackles as it lights up. He pulls in a drag and exhales, watching the smoke as it melds with the smog, hitting the sticky side of the taller one hundred and eight storey-high apartment buildings on either side of the street. The smog slithers toward the other open window of the apartment diagonally opposite, where the young man living there often parades his women.
His heart begins to beat in sync to the thump, kreeee, thump, kreeee, even as the sound fades. He shuts his eyes. I am safe. I am safe. No. I am scared, so scared. Feeling so helpless is unstoppable, and the sensation grows within him.
After stubbing out the half-smoked cigarette with jerky movements, he reaches for another.
Athira’s voice rings in his ears. “Being sixteen isn’t permission to smoke your lungs out all in one go. You’ve got the rest of your life to live. Space it out a bit.”
He steels himself against the prick of consciousness that was bound to follow and continues to light his second cigarette of the day. As he pulls on the cigarette with his right hand, he plays with the faded Ronson in his left. Its smooth, much rubbed surface is a slight comfort. It’s the only reminder left of his father.
Adopted father, he corrects himself.
However much his logical mind tried to believe what Athira told him, his heart refused to listen. Athira would always remain both his father and mother. The man had not just raised him, but had showered him in love in a strong affectionate manner, which had bound them forever.
As usual, thinking of Athira sends his mind into overdrive and he shuts his eyes against the pain. He can feel every separate beat of his heart, realise the full breadth of his life, and discern each individual moment in that space.
So, this is how it feels to be powerless. His thoughts hang alongside the window and then hurtle against the glass, crashing into a thousand pieces in his mind.
Stop! Breathe! He admonishes himself, and clinging on, tries to haul himself up. Mentally, he stays suspended over the precipice for a few seconds, and then he is there, back on stable ground.
Yudi sighs and opens his eyes. Panic attacks have an annoying way of creeping up on him when he is at his most vulnerable. The images will come rushing back and once more his mind races over that well trodden memory path.
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Giveaway!!!
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