• Title – Baramulla Bomber – Svastik Trilogy – Eka 
  
• Author – Clark Prasad
• Publisher – Niyogi Books
• Genre – Thriller
• Pages – 314
• ISBN – 978-93-81523-97-1
• Price – 395 INR

Synopsis :

Multiple intelligence agencies are tracking Mansur Haider a god-fearing young man from Kashmir who turns from an aspiring cricketer to the Baramulla Bomber. His girlfriend, Ahana Yajurvedi, is trying to locate her missing mountaineering team, which vanished after a mysterious earthquake struck Shaksgam Valley. Investigating Mansur and the Shaksgam Valley incident is a Swedish intelligence officer, Adolf Silfverskiold, whose only relationship to God consists of escorting his girlfriend to church.

More than a billion people are praying for India’s new fast pace bowler Mansur Haider from Kashmir to succeed. One politician is making sure the Indian subcontinent is at peace while another is trying to get forgiveness from his nation. The Swedish intelligence officer is trying to decode a puzzle by a fanatic who is making one last-ditch attempt to bring chaos to the world.  And all of them are connected to Mansur Haider and Kashmir. As a result, a secret will be revealed.

Review : 

The cover of the book in dark notes of green, grey and black with a set of eyes with an intense glare do full justice with the theme of the novel that has been tagged as a ‘science fiction espionage thriller’.  Besides the very intriguing opening notes, the one that struck a chord for me was “If you wish for peace, prepare for war” before being transported into a world that is an interface between reality and fiction.

Baramulla Bomber is book eka (one) of Svastik Trilogy, a trilogy which looks into the origins of universe, Vedas and the destiny of the human race. With a plot that revolves around Kashmir, Pakistan, China, cricket, ancient secret societies, Quantum Physics, Bible, Vedas, and espionage, Baramulla Bomber is one heady cocktail that makes for page-turning reading and introspection.

The book wonderfully deals with many characters that have been given full opportunity to grow and play their roles in this extensively researched book that has been stated to have been written around the events that exist or have existed in the real world.

The author succeeded in keeping me on my tenterhooks with a succinct narration that has achieved a beautiful blend of topics that enthrals and excites. There are science and mythology, cricket and war, desire and conspiracy all in a mixed bag of events that unfold a story peppered with surprises at every turn in the plot.

The plot is engaging, fast-paced and laden with twists throughout the book. It manages to keep the reader in suspense throughout as the motives of most of the characters are kept under wraps till the end. It is difficult to determine where the loyalties of them lies while reading.

A vast number of historical events and scientific theories that I had never heard about made this book a learning experience besides an interesting journey to explore preaching from the Vedas and the Bible. The initial 40 to 60 pages bombarded me with a lot of information but they were all easy to enjoy because of the handy illustrations, letter format and news clippings helped me in picking the pace to read this pretty lengthy novel.

The extensive research and exhaustive co-relations of science with the holy scriptures have evolved a masterpiece that left me craving to read the other books of this tri-series, the Svastik Trilogy. This being the first book- Eka of the series along with the other two Dvitiya – The Consultant and the third book or Tritiya (yet to be titled) are all concerned with a question – What is the power behind the creation of Universe and human origins?

The length of the book and in parts over-indulgence in each and every detail did overwhelm me at times but the suspense and unpredictability of the plot wonderfully make up for the length and other minor distractions. The book sure makes for an eye-opener in the way it has sensitively touched upon the Kashmir issue.

I highly recommend this book with the note that it be read with an open mind allowing for the extensive information and facts create an impression to enhance the experience of reading this masterpiece.

About the Author: 

Clark Prasad, alter ego of Suraj Prasad, could be called a mixed citizen. Born in a leap year in Lagos, Nigeria he lived most of his life in New Delhi and had his education in Lagos, Delhi, Mangalore and Kozhikode. His family background is from the town where George Orwell, author of 1984 (a dystopian fiction) was born, and where Mahatma Gandhi had re-ignited India’s freedom movement – Motihari.

A pharmacist with a management degree who believes in conspiracy theories, Baramulla Bomber is his first book. His first education on the mysteries of the universe came via Carl Sagans Cosmos, and since then he never looked back on reading, watching and discussing about the universe. Currently he is a healthcare management consultant, based out of Bengaluru, Planet Earth.

Rating : 4/5