(The Oath of The Vayuputras – Review)
I feel disappointed when I write the review
of the third book of The Shiva Trilogy, The Oath of The Vayuputras. I have been
a huge fan of the series since I read the first two books. Both the previous books
had some awesome action intermingled with philosophy and wisdom.
The third book which released almost a month
ago follows the same pattern, continuing the coherency of a single story. The
book begins where it left off in The Secret of The Nagas, when we discover
that Brahaspati was not dead and Shiva realizes that probably all the wars that
he had fought so far were futile. However, Brahaspati unfolds, to the puzzled
Shiva, that not everything has been in vain; and that the evil has been
discovered. To find a way for the mitigation of the evil, Brahspati had to hide
himself far south in the land of Nagas, Panchvati.
With Brahaspati’s assistance, Shiva goes
on to seek help from the Vasudevas. As the events unfold, we get acquainted
with the master creator of all the evil machinations, Lord Bhrigu. And, from
thereon it is an amazing story of seemingly constant battles employing shrewd tactics,
interspersed with questions about identity, morality and ideology.
The story is exciting and keeps you hooked.
None of the characters are sidelined and
all have an important part to play. More secrets are revealed, as we get to
know the motivation behind actions of various characters. We get to know the
antecedents of Shiva, and the purpose of the institution of the Vayuputras. The
build up of the story is amazing and you expect a really interesting climax,
especially after an anguished Sati’s fierce battle with the Egyptian assassins in
the chapter on ‘the final kill’.
Unfortunately, that is exactly where things
start falling apart. Shiva is angry and orders the use of ‘daivi-astra’. He
wants all the evil-supporters of Devagiri to die, and asks the innocent
citizens to come out in safety. But, the Meluhan pride prevents most of the Meluhans
to forsake their land. We feel bad that Shiva would kill innocent people. At
that moment, there is a feeling that Shiva will be reminded of his uncle’s
words, “Shiva, your anger is your enemy, Control it. Control it.” That does not happen.
Later, an appalling event takes place, when
Lord Bhrigu has a sudden change of heart. For all the evil deeds he committed,
one expects Bhrigu to have a strong agenda. However, he resigns to his fate
saying that his view is wrong and he deserves the impending fate. Anyone knows
that if someone has held a belief for a long time, then it cannot be changed
within a day. One can appreciate Amish’s attempt to show that no one is
actually evil; it is the belief in a wrong idea that results in evil. But, in
case of Bhrigu, that sudden change makes the story lose its realism, which had
been a plus point in the series so far.
Ultimately, Shiva fails to honour his
promise. He ends up using the mass-murdering weapon. The end of the story seems
to be a grand (but not required) justification of the third-eye of the mythical
Lord Shiva. There are hints of revenge being justified as well.
I strongly feel that had Amish taken more
time to write the last part, he could have created a truly magical series. After a breathtaking journey through ancient
India, the destination seems somewhat unsatisfying.
