By – Christopher C. Doyle
Vijay living in San Jose, California, USA. He is running a tech company along with his partner Colin. His only relative in India is uncle Vikram, who took care of him after his parents died in an accident. Vikram is a nuclear scientist with a important contribution to India’s first nuclear explosion at Pokhran.
Vijay receives five obscure emails from his uncle which he later came to know that they were the final words of his uncle before he was killed. During his visit to India for Vikram’s funeral. They (Vijay and his friend Colin) were attacked and held captives by group of terrorists.
The story of The Mahabharata Secret cover different timelines (244 BC which deals with Ashoka), and Current plot (around 2000 AD) where Vikram and his friends are in search of the secret hidden by nine unknown men ages ago. To know more you will have to read the book by yourself.
The main drawback of “The Mahabharata Secret” as i think is it name. The story’s parts are placed mainly around Ashoka and his empire including modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. According to me the word Mahabharata was solely used to pull people around it.
One of the best parts in this book was characterisation. Even though the main story is around Vijay, every character in this story hold equal amount of importance till the last line of the novel.
Colin was there at every problem Vijay faced during his quest. His character well depicts that how a good friend should assist you in all your highs and lows.
If I talk about the plot, the book is lengthy and tedious after some point. Though I like the way Doyle handled the different timelines. There was nothing much happenings in terms of dialogue and events become monotone after some times.
Having a 2000 year old secret in hand, Doyle should have written a better climax. The secret which Ashoka and his men secured for so many years is just as simple as any one can easily think of.
The Mahabharata Secret is mainly for those who love historical fiction Stories. This book would give you a basic tour to the history. It would be a nice pick if you want to learn about Ashoka’s edicts for the very first time.
Since the adventure only revolves around Ashoka’s and his edicts, I will also suggest my readers to skip this book if you doesn’t like repetitive concepts.
