Book Review: The Treasure of Kafur by Aroon Raman
Author: Aroon Raman
No. of Pages: 405
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Pan MacMillain
I had reviewed the first novel by Aroon, The Shadow Throne, earlier last year and was delighted to hear from him when he sent me a review request for his second book. I had enjoyed the first book and liked the book blurb of the second. The second book is very unlike the first one and it almost surprises you that both these books with such a diverse theme have come from the same author.
The Treasure of Kafur has been 'lost' for centuries and certain individuals protect its secret. A tyrannical man with ruthless ambitions to rule the country needs the 'funds' to put his plans to action and a kid (who knows the secret of the treasure's hiding place) gets the responsibility of reaching out to Akbar for protection as well as damage-repair. This is the basic premise and plot of the novel … but this is not what makes the novel such a delight to read. It is the way the story develops and the characters play their part that makes it a surprising read.
Aroon has a very interesting and descriptive writing style which makes it easy for the reader to visualize what he/she is reading. This makes the book not only easy but also enjoyable to read.
The second aspect that makes ToK very interesting is the cast of characters – which includes animals … a cow, ravens, a very large parrot (more like parakeet) and so on … They are the constant and loyal companions of our protagonist (the kid with the secret) and they all communicate telepathically. This aspect makes the story very very interesting as these animal companions protect the 'kid' from the evil forces. For me, this was the most enjoyable part of the book – reading about this motley crowd of animals and their interactions with the story.
As the story moves forward, more characters get intricately involved in the story. The ones you assumed will be in the background suddenly come to the fore-front. This is pleasantly surprising and adds to the overall reading pleasure.
You finish the book with a pretty fresh feeling. You end up surprised … wondering that you read something completely unexpected. And you are happy that you read it.
I would readily recommend Treasure of Kafur to anyone who reads fiction. Mind you, this is not a treasure hunt story. The story has a treasure but much more than that the story is about the politics, about royalty, about a special gift, about the companions of the hero-kid and his friends ... and of the Emperor and the King ... of fierce loyalty and friendship.
I liked the cover design too. It has probably nothing to do with the plot or the story (or might have something to do) … but I just like it.
The book ends on a note, where there is a potential to have a sequel – something I would love to read considering the way I am impressed by this one.
Ratings on Book Review Parameters:
Cover Design: 3.0 / 5
Writing Style: 4.0 / 5
Characters: 4.5 / 5
Story / Plot: 4.0 / 5
Climax: 4.0 / 5
Overall: 4.0 / 5
Nice book by an Indian author ‘Mr. Aroonraman’. The Treasure Kafur was the best historical fiction I’ve read and the characters are so well defined. The author tells the story through in a way keeps one focused and the story line is amazingly composed together. The book is very alive and happening all throughout out. I think Aroon Raman has hit the sweet spot.
ReplyDeletei liked the review... want to read this book...i like historical fiction and the cover page is very appealing...
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