Book Review : Narasimha The Mahaavatar Trilogy Book 1

Name: Narasimha The Mahaavatar Trilogy Book 1 

Writer: Kevin Missal
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Publication date: 10 June 2019
ISBN-10: 935357076X
ISBN-13: 978-9353570767
Pages: 320 pages
Price: Rs.156
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★

Blurb: 

Narasimha, once a brave soldier, has left the war and lies low as a physician in a village. But a familiar face from his past seeks his help to stop the tyranny of the blind usurper Andhaka. If Narasimha refuses, the world might just end. What will he do? And why did he leave the war in the first place? Prahlad, the interim king of Kashyapuri, is torn between the ideals of his unrighteous father and his love for Lord Vishnu. Whom will he choose? Hiranyakashyap, the ruler of the Asura Empire, wants to avenge the death of his wife. To do that, he must go through the Trials and get the ultimate weapon - the Brahmastra. But the Trials have sent so many others to their death. Can Hiranyakashyap survive? Welcome to the reimagining of the fourth Avatar of Lord Vishnu by bestselling author Kevin Missal. 

"It's not just men who have the right to fight. Women have every right to do whatever they want to do."

My thoughts:
This is my first mythological read. The book begins with a prologue. In the absence of the ruler of Kashyapuri - Hiranyakashyap, Lord Indra attacks his Asura Empire. Hiranyakashyap's wife Kayadhu gets killed in this war at the hands of Narasimha, who had his loyalty pledged to Lord Indra. For me, understanding the prologue was the most difficult part of reading this book. It was pretty difficult to grasp the introduction of numerous tribes, characters and their battles with other tribes. In fact, I had to maintain notes alongside so that I don't end up getting confused.
The story then takes a leap of 14 years. Narasimha is not a part of the war anymore and now works as a physician living amongst the manavs in a village. He is then visited by Lord Indra who requests him to join him in the war but Nara refuses to do so since he didn't want to kill innocent people anymore. Indra then asks for Nara's help in acquiring the Pashupatastra weapon. Will Narasimha agree to work with Indra again? Will he get the Pashupatastra? 

Anuhrad and Prahlad, the sons of Hiranyakashyap and Kayadhu, the prince of Kashyapuri, now face a battle against Prince Jayant - the son of Lord Indra. After the battle, Hiranyakashyap chooses Prahlad as the new King of Kashyapuri so that Hiranya could leave for Yakshlok and Anuhrad could leave to help Andhaka.

"A demon is not called one because of where he comes from, but what he does, what his deeds and his choices make him."

Hiranyakashyap reaches Yakshlok to help Vigyasa against Lord Agni who had been constantly attacking Bhairav and their people. To defeat Lord Agni and avenge the death of his wife, Hiranyakashyap must acquire the Brahmashastra by completing three trials at the Brahma temple. What are three trials and will Hiranyakashyap pass all of them?
Anuhrad meets his cousin Andhaka who is blind. Andhaka wishes to kill Bhairav and all his supporters with the help of Anuhrad. Why does Andhaka hate Bhairav to this extent? What does he know about Anuhrad’s past?
Prahlad, upon becoming the Interim King, is responsible to work for the welfare of the empire. But when he gets to know of the tiff between Vishnu Sena and the empire because of the decisions his father made, who will he choose? Faith or family?
Likes:
♥ The cover of the book looks splendid.
♥ The story is divided into chapters and is narrated from each characters perspective.
♥ The language of the author is easy to understand. Even though the story is set in the ancient era, the author makes use of less complex terms to serve the readers of today's generation.
♥ All the characters in the book were strong and well defined.
♥ The back cover of the book has an illustrated map of Illavarti.
♥ To the first time readers who haven’t read mythology before, the first few chapters may seem a little confusing because of the tribes names and the characters, but as the story progresses, it definitely does get clear.
Dislikes:
💔 It would have been easier to understand and remember the characters and the tribes if they were explained as the story progressed rather than naming all of them in the prologue itself.
Recommend?

Narasimha is a must read for everyone, even the ones who haven’t read mythology before.

"Lord Brahma always believed that consent is of supreme importance when it comes to procreation. If a woman or a man objects and it is still forced on her or him, then it is no longer consensual. It is rape."