Book Review : The Beckoning of Gyanganj by Chandan K. Pathak

Book- The Beckoning of Gyanganj

Author- Chandan K. Pathak

Genre- Fiction

Publisher- Leadstart Publishing. Frog Books.

Blurb-

Ravi is in love with mountains. He follows his desire to see nature’s beauty closely. But what he experience is unexplainable. One after other, something weird happens in his journey.

The people of Mayurpura are in great trouble. Swami Raghunath comes as a guide for them. But what makes him restless even after being a Siddha?

What does the different tales of Ravi and Swami Ji have in common? What impact one makes on other? What exactly is the tragedy of Mayurpura? Why Ravi is inspecting the story of ancient times?

Title-

The title is very interesting and is highly linked with the story. As you move ahead you realize what these four words “The Beckoning of Gyanganj” means.

Cover-

Superb cover, it tells you everything which the book contains. But also it makes you needier because it says so much and also hides the same amount.

Characters-

There are abundant characters to suit the reading experience. But the quality is in the diversity of characteristic features of every person who is a part of any chapter. You don’t see just normal people; you meet some very unthinkable characters as you proceed. There are appropriate amounts of antagonist and protagonist. Personally, I adored Akash, his villainous traits are shown without any unbalancing, the three saints and Princess Lata.

Narration-

The narration is smooth, without any issue of doubts. The author has left no stone unturned in making his reader comfortable, with this not so usual tale. The only issue I had was the lack of conversation and dialogues. I know that there was not much hope for that, but lengthy paragraphs one after other could have been broken.

Review-

The book starts with a normal tale of a boy who has just moved to another city. The passion in him never gets tired and thus he is out on one venture after other. But not everyone sees and feels what he goes through while noticing the beauty of the hills. Part 1 may sound normal to you but every story needs a strong base to work over and the case is same in this tale. The story shown in this part can never make you imagine what the next part has in store for you.

Part 2 suddenly change everything about the story. The protagonist changes too. Raghu is a sweet boy in his early years of life but he is not an ordinary guy from village. Destiny has made big plans for him, making him different from the rest of the world. The author has done a lot of hard work in making such atmosphere of bliss, which are shown around Raghu. But his path is also not very easy and thus he goes through vigorous situations to attain what his soul desire. Part 2 can make you think about what you are required to do in life and what kind of difficulties you might face due to fate’s play. And what are the loop holes to reach where you are wanted.

Part 3 again changes everything. An antagonist rules in this part. Again the atmosphere is new. Mayurpura notices the tyranny of its prime-minister Akash. The barbaric tales are narrated well by the author, not worrying about putting a lot of blood-shed in the way. The story shows various faces of people living in Mayurpura. Swami Raghunath is assigned with the heavenly duty of saving the place from the treacherous people. But he himself falls in the trap of destiny.

Part 4 is the climax of the story. And it’s one of the best ones you can imagine. It’s new and much unexpected. Mayurpura inspects the chain of incidents which no one had seen in past few years. The beauty of this whole book is that you can see things happening in front of you. And thus the sole work of a fiction novel is done beautifully by the author. The curtain is about to drop, there are few pages left and then you are told what this novel was about. Why the happenings were interconnected. How people were working and what specific role everyone had in someone’s life. The showdown is tremendously well thought of.

Over all, the book was a complete mixture of many genres, romance, pride, salvation, spirituality, wrath, imagination, devotion, trust and self-confidence. What takes this book to another level are the small details which author hasn’t forgot at any turn. A special mention goes to the editors for providing such revised and error-free copy.

Eye-catchers-

Not every book, every page and every phrase has the power to be powerful enough. But the beckoning of Gyanganj has endless phrases having beautiful images and vivid descriptions, one after the other. I had more than fifty eye-catchers, after excluding some. The novel is full of alluring images and beautiful explanations. Thus, I have to skip it.

Turn-on’s-

The best part of the novel is its flow. All the parts were well balanced and you don’t miss the characters from the previous part. Every part is fresh and completely new. The author knew where to break the strand and where to start weaving from. There are no errors, and that makes the novel a really nice pick.

Turn-off’s-

There were less dialogues and more narration. It is not a bad thing but long paragraphs may seem boring to some.

Recommendation-

Anyone who needs a break from general stories can pick this book. It will rejuvenate you.

Connect with the author-

- https://www.facebook.com/chandan.k.pa
- https://www.facebook.com/authorckp