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The Secret of the Nagas is the sequel to The Immortals of Meluha. It’s the second book of the Shiva Trilogy written by Amish Tripathi. I quite enjoyed reading the first book, which ended on a cliffhanger. And I was compelled to read the second book, which again has ended on a cliffhanger. And now I am compelled to pick up the third and final book of the series - The Oath of the Vayuputhras.
Amish Tripathi has pieced together an interesting storyline which is relatable to the current generation although the characters are mythical. For those who know the story of the Puranas, you will be able to appreciate Amish’s interesting twist and flavour. For instance, Shiva wants a girl as his first born, but he has a son instead, who is later named Karthik. Sati has a Naga son in Ganesh, the elephant God in Hindu mythology. These instances are well thought through and nicely weaved in to the storyline.
Lord Shiva’s much adored friend, Brahaspati, is unfortunately assassinated by the ostracised Naga community in the first book - The Immortals of Meluha. Brahaspati was a leading scientist. In this second book, Shiva seeks to avenge the death of his best friend by going after the Naga clan. As the story unfolds, Shiva begins to understand that the Nagas may not be that bad after all. In fact, the Naga clan may be the most innocent bunch of people and they appear to have been portrayed as malevolent for wrong reasons. So, the ‘Evil; is not what Shiva assumed it was. The second book ends with the revelation that Brahaspati is still alive. Ganesh, a Naga, had saved him from the assassination described in the first book.
The Secret of the Naga’s is an entertaining short read - about 400 pages. It does require the reader to have read the first book of the trilogy. This book is the journey that Lord Shiva takes in search of the truth and the answers to many unanswered questions raised in the first book. Amish Tripathi makes Lord Shiva, the God of Gods, seem even more human in this book by making the Lord realise his mistakes and the incorrect superficial perceptions he had about the Naga clan. To err is human. And err did Lord Shiva when he formed quick opinions and made judgements about people without knowing the full story. It’s an interesting way to articulate why we (humans) should always try to understand the root cause of a problem. And try to cure the problem, not treat the symptoms.
Overall, I enjoyed this book as a sequel to the first one. I will most certainly read the third one.
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