Sinners: The Dawn of Kalki - Naveen Durgaraju (Book)

Sinners: The Dawn of Kalki - Naveen Durgaraju.

The best day of the week or a month is the day I get a book as gift from someone and it makes it even better when I get it from an Author directly. How kool is that :) to get a book straight from the source and the only thing I am supposed to do is to read, rate and post my thoughts. Can life get any better? I don't think so. So, this one came couple of months back when Naveen approached me to review his book but since I was in mid of an epic book series (A Song of Ice and Fire) it took me quite a while to finish it and get on with this one. After reading five huge books back to back from the master story teller, I anyways wanted a short break before picking up anything. Also, I wanted a little break from paperbacks as my hands were actually aching after holding those thick books constantly for good two and half months I guess. Hence I picked up my Kindle and this one was right on my home screen which I started right in the morning as soon as I woke up and surprisingly finished it by late mid-night. Whether it worked for me or not is altogether a different matter. What is commendable as per me is that someone not only wrote a whole book, but also got it published. And the most irritating thing as per me in a book is mistakes, although I am no expert but if I am able to find a dozen mistakes, it breaks my heart.

The book took me way back in time some 25 odd years and refreshed the memory of couple of "Surendra Mohan Pathak" and his likes that I read, but the only difference was that this was in English but the feel was exactly the same. It was more of a mix of B grade Hollywood movies where the world has come to an end and the left over humans are looking to decode the cause and effect as well as trying to survive the times. Heroes have risen for their own causes (and every hero has to have a heroine too). They ride the left over Bullets, now how kool is that, I expected a couple of Ducatis or may be a few Harley's too but since the fuel and food is something which is depleting they do not make an appearance. I guess too many movies and the plethora of TV series(s) on apocalyptic theories have taken their own toll on the writer's mind. Nuclear attack, its after effects (not in details), the talking creature, the Purohits and a Katana wielding Hero takes the lead in the story. The "Sinners" are dying on their own and there are some who are not touched by it all are the "Forgiven". The way two sides greet their own people reminded me so much of Star Wars' "May the Force be with you" as they keep saying again and again (One side) "Kalki Commands" and (the other) "Forgiven, Forever", hilarious that was. The creature he made and the way they hunt him reminded me so much of iconic movie "Tremors". Even Stannis Baratheon's flaming sword from Game of Thrones makes an entry here and what's with Horse blood drinking - that had me in splits. At the first sign of Apocalypse all the pregnant females vanish (remember all the fertile ones were hijacked by "Handmaid's Tale). I am still not sure if it was intentionally or unintentionally funny, I was laughing with it or on it. Initially the way story starts, it had a huge scope which I will say not at all explored by the Author, rather he looked in a hurry to reach the end of the first book without disclosing much to the reader since I believe he wants to make this into some kind of a trilogy of sorts.

The one thing that is missing big time from the story is that there is no detailing, half baked characters, almost no backgrounds, I even had a hard time imagining the background, surroundings and even what they were wearing while riding bikes in one place and running around in horses in other scenes. This book and story is more of a "telling" than actually "showing" something to the reader. Visually it was a big let down.