Skip to main content

BOOK REVIEW : THE SORCERY OF THE SENSES

Image
SANGEETHA KAMATH


REVIEWING: 

THE SORCERY OF THE SENSES

AUTHOR: TANIMA DAS MITRA

GENRE: FANTASY/THRILLER


Spanning multiple timelines, civilizations and eras, the Sorcery Of The Senses takes you on a surreal journey right from the prologue. This saga explores significant past lives of our protagonist Dhruv who embarks upon a quest to find a fabled, mysterious stone with the help of 'The Senses'.

The five senses are personified and they,  as Dhristi and Sparsha give Dhruv glimpses of his incarnations where he has the possession of the stone, but loses it everytime due to situations which are not in his control. Sometimes, destiny was at play and sometimes human greed and envy.

This in turn gives us the sub-plots and chapters of Ghriz and M0ng where the story unravels further.

Cleverly crafted right down from the  names of the characters, towns and locales in each of the distinct episodes, the author has even devised an entire new fictional language for them which is apt for the scenarios. 

Be it a ritual, a custom, a form of addressing and endearment, or even the attires and certain gestures incorporated, all point to the mega imagination the author has, to weave this fantasy interspersed with period drama(?)--- (I hope I'm using the right words here. Please correct me if I'm wrong)

Five year old Ghriz stole my heart with her innocence and cherubic face–here I have to mention that SDT is par excellence and I could picture Ghriz's expression, her childlike laughter, and the wonder in her eyes when she spots the Rikitisi deer in the Nakesia forest with her super vision. 

The story takes a leap when Ghriz advances in age and goes though the first flushes of love, love lost, betrayal and finally finding her courage to lead her tribe with the powers of the stone. The character arc of Ghriz as she comes into her own is what is so inspiring. 

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness when the stone falls into the wrong hands and Ghriz exits her mortal body, falling prey to treachery and deception by her most trusted. 

In one of his past lives as M0ng, Dhruv is sightless but blessed with a touch of healing. It's an irony that the sense of sight has totally forsaken him this time. 

Again, the matters of the heart are her/his bane and it's looked down upon as it's  outside acceptable societal norms. He/she falls prey to stately conspiracies and betrayal. 

A pattern seems to have been set and Dhruv must break this chain to learn his soul purpose and lessons.  

M0ng's episode was a mini mytho-fiction and I was immensely engrossed with the backstory of Bingwen Bitang and Biyu. It was a cinematic experience with vast gardens, moonlit nights, the decor and interiors of the palaces. 

Biyu's character arc was so well drawn-out. I would call her my favourite of all in this segment. From a docile, devoted wife and queen to a conniving schemer with the entry of M0ng in her husband's life, she plays the role of the 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' to the hilt when she puts an end to M0ng in a macabre manner. And everyone else too who had given her a raw deal. 

Although I empathized with M0ng, Biyu had grey shades which I admired more and made  her realistic.

Death comes as a brutal end in both the incarnations of Ghriz and M0ng marked by deception and stately conspiracies. The holy stone goes missing from Dhruv's possession everytime and time is running out. 

The Senses are not very pleased and want to recover it before the evil forces annihilate the universe and all life forces along with the Senses from it. 

(Maybe this expounds the theory that we're living in a simulated matrix and we create our own realities with it ? And without the senses, the entire universe would collapse unto itself?) 

Meanwhile in the present incarnation, Dhruv is battling to save his marriage which has hit rock-bottom, but seeing the futility of it, both he and his wife Juthika  decide to part ways amicably. Dhruv is able to recover a part of the stone as he goes along, while the other piece is still in possession of the evil forces. 

Will Dhruv trace it before the clock stops ticking?

Will he be the saviour of our Universe?

Will he succeed in his mission this time?

Who are the evil agents in this present lifetime?

Are some of the characters in his present life the same vile ones from his existence as Ghriz and M0ng?

Can he recognise the good from bad this time or fall prey to double-crossing again?

The story ends as a cliffhanger with the promise of a duology or a trilogy on the horizon. 

Waiting with bated breath to read more of Dhruv's adventure on this treasure hunt…and if possible to be introduced to the remaining two Senses and a couple more of his past lives as well.

The author has taken care to lay a strong foundation for each of the supporting characters.

Every twist and turn the story took had ample logic and reasoning behind it. Everyone had their moment to shine with meaty roles, even though the story revolved around M0ng, Dhruv and Ghriz.

Kudos Tanima !💚

Well rounded off with all ends tied up nice and good. If this was a movie, it would be a blockbuster! 

And I already have your autograph to flaunt…so I'm one lucky girl🤩 

Good luck and best wishes to The Sorcery Of The Senses to have a roaring success 💚✨

©️ Sangeetha Kamath 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHAPTER 1: THE JADE SHAMBHALA

SANGEETHA KAMATH
This post is Chapter 1 of short story series titled The Jade Shambhala. Tasseography is as old as time. The stories in the tea leaves will leave you in a spin, while the healing tea that precedes it anchors you like gripping oak roots. Every day for the next seven days, Xiu-Ying will welcome a new traveler seeking refuge from their heavy burdens, reading their futures in the settled leaves and guiding them toward peace as the seasons shift on the ridge. Welcome to The Jade Shambhala Tea House!                               CHAPTER 1                            EARLY SPRING  Ko-San Tê Bai Mudan (White Peony and Red Dates) The morning mist in the rolling hills of the 1980s Taiwanese countryside did not rise; it dissolved, burning away into thin silver threads under the persistent warmth of the early spring sun.  The Yun-Shan Ridge grew f...
2 comments
Read more

QUEST FOR THE BEARS (DAY 18, LETTER Q)

SANGEETHA KAMATH
                      CHAPTER 17             QUEST FOR THE BEARS  The next day, the pigs trotted off to spread mischief in the woodland, their ricky-ticky steps scuffing the damp path into a mess of overturned leaves and broken twigs. Goldwynn stayed crouched behind the wonky rain barrel until the sound of their pig-trouble thinned, then thinned again, then dissolved into the larger quiet of the trees. She didn’t move right away. The woods had a way of listening after the pigs left, as if it wasn’t sure they were truly gone. The air held its breath with her. When she finally stood, the silence felt heavier than noise. No birds called. The light came down in broken pieces, the sun playing hide-and-seek through beech and alder, dappling the forest floor with spools of pale gold. The ground under her boots was soft and cold, a black earth that smelled of truffles gone to rot and old rain. It stuck to ...
6 comments
Read more

THE BIG BAD WOLF( DAY 17, LETTER T)

SANGEETHA KAMATH
                          CHAPTER 16                    THE BIG BAD WOLF  The pigs snarled like proper rascals, fixing their cold steely eyes on the Wolf's cottage. How dare he refuse to part with his cottage! When the pigs demand, it's given to them---no questions asked! Porkinn limped, Baconne was soggy, Swinedell rubbed a sore bump on his head, but they were far from defeated. Swinedell snorted, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "Wolf thinks 'e's posh, don't 'e? " Baconne sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring. "We want the cottage!” He growled. Porkinn cracked his fingers, his sly glance darting about.  The pigs crept towards the back door, their footsteps silent on the soft grass. They spotted the Wolf through the kitchen window, stirring a pot of steaming stew for dinner. They kicked the door in, the wood splintering jaggedly. The latch gave in....
6 comments
Read more

RUTHLESS REVELATIONS (DAY 16, LETTER R)

SANGEETHA KAMATH
                            CHAPTER 15                RUTHLESS REVELATIONS The Three Little Pigs stood triumphant in the whimsical cottage's living room, surrounded by mismatched furniture and waltzing dust motes. Baconne , Porkinn , and Swinedell grinned at each other, puffing out their chests like gangsters. Baconne swaggered closer to the makeshift bar. "You know," he said, stroking his shoulder, "the Big Bad Wolf wasn't so bad after all, was he?" His grin split wide, showing a gold-capped tooth. The pigs snorted, their belly laughs vibrating the chandeliers above. Swinedell poured three tiny glasses of wild truffle liqueur with a theatrical flourish. "Cheers to us!" he growled, hoisting a glass. "We wanted his posh cottage for ourselves. Wolfie mutt was just defending his pad." His eyes glinted like cheap jewels. Goldwynn's face paled. She stammered as she whispered, " Wha...
4 comments
Read more

CHAPTER 2: THE JADE SHAMBHALA

SANGEETHA KAMATH
      This is a part of a short story series titled The Jade Shambhala. 7 days, 7 stories, 7 different exotic tea blends from the Far East and unique tea leaves reading for each. Welcome to the tea house!                             CHAPTER 2                      LUNAR NEW YEAR          Kim-huan Tê ( Golden Lily Oolong) The early spring air hanging over Sian-Phô village was heavy, smelling faintly of spent sulfur from the Lunar New Year firecrackers and the cold, sharp scent of wet pine needles.  Up on the Yun-Shan Ridge, the festive red lanterns hanging from the eaves of the low wooden cottages were damp and water-logged, their brilliant scarlet dye bleeding slowly into the persistent gray mountain mist. The holiday had just ended, and while the rest of the village was settling into the quiet hope of a new agricultural...
Post a Comment
Read more