Author : : Aroon Raman
Before begining the book , the author writes,
"It is my intent to place The Shadow Throne against a backdrop that mirrors current underlying reality - especially as it applies to India's current political predicament and its inevitable impact on our security. That we are passing through challenging times on the internal and external security front seems widely accepted, and political and bureaucratic stasis in times like these can have far reaching consequences"
If you ask has the Author succeeded in his intent ?
Yes. Unequivocally, yes. The plot revolves around the increasing anger, pain, hatred and intolerance that is making its presence felt in India-Pakistan relations, and is set against the backdrop of a weakened, scandal ridden central government. While the plot is far fetched - or at least seems far-fetched when examined in the cold light of reason, this does not hit you until after you have read the book. Apparently, a section within Indian security agencies see a simple way of neutering both Pakistan and China with a contrived and lethal plan reminiscent of the CIA's image, thanks to all those lovely fiction books and movies with CIA as the villain! However, unlike the CIA-based spy thriller, it is not one man against an entire system. A police investigation spanning 3 countries, cooperating with the Media, leads to a sequence of events leading to the unraveling of the entire plot. Saying more would be sacrilege, as it would spoil your reading. The overall plot comes across as very, very believable and at a break neck pace, a very Dan Brownish Effect. :)
This is one book where as overdose of analysis can kill the fun of reading, so I shall keep it short. It is an out-an-out spy thriller.It is a good book, with a reasonably fast pace that does not slacken from the first page till the last. What is more, there is not even a single expletive in the entire book from start to finish, not even a teensy-weensy little one, which makes it a truly great read. The characters are well-developed, with not a single bit of needless detail anywhere. Just the right amount of mystery in the main characters; with just the right amount being added at each stage, leading to increased curiosity as well as increased suspense. In other words, truly class character development. The writing style is simple, lucid and uncomplicated making for fun and light reading.
Yes, there are weaknesses. It is not in the class of a Angels and Demons; but then, very few books are. . Having said that, I found the character development in this book to be very good. However, in my opinion, the hallmark of a truly great fiction book is it comes across as believable. Unfortunately, as you close the book, you do get a feeling that the story is a little over-the-top and unbelievable, of a lack of reality. Further, the entire ancient cult section seems way out of place. The novel could have been made a much racier and faster read without it. There could have been other ways to achieve the objective (role in the story) assigned to the cult, and would have made it terrifyingly believable. That would, in my opinion, have made the book far more powerful, and you would have kept it down after the last page with "This could happen"-thought... As it turns out, you dont. You enjoy the read, and have fun while it lasts. Its a great one time read....
