Author: Tejaswini Sundar
Publisher: BUUKS
Format: Ebook
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
"The King laid waste as his army took siege/ The city of good fortune, now lay there, barren."
These beautiful lines from a poem at the very outset not only indicates a mayhemic situation waiting to reveal itself in the upcoming future but also prepare the much needed ground for this amazing story to gradually unfold itself to the readers. The idea of introducing the story with a poem that works just like the Greek Chorus in the tragic dramas of sophocles to give the readers a glimpse of the impending danger is so beautifully and artistically done in this work that it reminds me the very first scene from Shakespeare's Macbeth where the witches foretold about the kingdom of scotland and said in a prophetic tone,
" Fair is foul and foul is fair/ Hovering through the fog and filthy air"
The story of 'Sangam: The Awakening' takes us on a journey to the kingdom of Devaprastha, where the king Agilan is very sick and bedridden and his chief minister Manikandan is performing all the administrative duties under his guidance. But though apparently everything looks normal and in proper order in this kingdom, the actual situation is quite opposite. When chief minister Manikandan observed the unnecessary and suspicious affinity between his staff Kapilan and the chief of finance Maran, he sensed that something is not right. But his suspicions gets solidified when he recieved the news that Keeran, the village chief of Arulgraman has been brutally assassinated by General Selvaratnam under the direction of Maran. Besides, Maran has also met the king of the neighbouring kingdom of Vivekalayam, but their purpose of meeting is still unknown.
Will Manikandan be able to save his King and the Kingdom from the upcoming danger?
Will King Agilan be able to save his kingdom from the invaders?
To get the answer you have to go through this excellent tale of courage, sacrifice, betrayal and revenge.
The first thing that I absolutely loved about this novel is the complex plot construction. It is not an easy task to weave a story with so many characters in a large plot as there always remain a slight chance of messing everything up, but author Tejaswini has truly done a commendable job in presenting the story with no loose ends. All the events are interconnected and the story runs in medium pace.
Secondly, the way she has described the places and the characters is truly fantastic. The detail description helps the readers understand the strengths and weaknesses of the characters in a better way. Her eye for detail in the description of the kingdoms, surrounding nature and the people makes it an interesting read.
Besides, the character construction is equally good. Especially the character of Manikandan is done in such an amazing way that you will fall in love with his wisdom and aura. Similarly the development of female characters in this work also deserves praise. The characters of the village chief's daughter Saaranya, Jayashree and Queen Kanika are done with depth and precision.
Overall, it was an interesting read. I would definitely recommend this novel and encourage everyone to go through it. I give this novel 4.5 stars for the narrative style, plot and character construction and the overall presentation.
Happy Reading
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