Reviewed : Tantra by Adi



I had been reading some serious books (The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes) & was looking for something light after that.And so when Tantra was put up for review, I opted for it. A female vampire hunter in Delhi-sure I was in! And the book did surprise me. While I won't say that this would win a Booker or something, but it is definitely packed with enough masala to make into a movie or a TV series perhaps?

To begin with the story line about vampires brings to mind..you guessed it-Twilight! You need to get past this if you want to enjoy the book.It isn't much about vampires than about ancient Hindu mythology. Looks like Mr.Adi has done his research well. Now lets talk about the female protagonist.

Anu Aggarwal at first sight would seem the normal NRI material. Her accent, love for leather pants & kick-ass attitude doesn't betray who she is-a guardian. Her job? Roam the streets in the moonlight hunting down vampires.Sounds cool huh?But it's not always what it looks like.Sure she is trained, sure she can take down the fastest of these demons. But what about her loved ones?Having lost her boyfriend to a vampire, she is determined to seek revenge & lands up in Delhi in pursuit. But Delhi being Delhi, she finds herself in the midst of politics & social circles wherein she must meet & select a groom for her! 

Her colleague is Amit,a jovial happy-go-lucky chap who would rather blend in a BPO than a center for hunting vampires. He may not be the best hunter around but is a loyal friend to Anu & helps her adapt well in the new city. The lighter moments in this book mostly come from the banter between these two. The other source of humour is Anu's aunt, who as is expected of aunts, is obsessed over her niece's marriage. 
The villain is a tantric practitioner parading as a holy man. Baba Senaka has all the traits of a leader,soft spoken with a commanding aura.But underneath he is an arrogant man corrupted with power & out to unleash his tantric tricks causing a disaster that only Anu can now stop.
So guys don't let the title or the back cover discourage you. Tantra by Adi makes for quite a good read. I'd gladly give it 3/5
P.S: I don't like the cover art much, too childish!



The characterization in Tantra is very well done. Not too much & not too little. The people who play supporting roles like Anu's cousin Smiti haven't been totally ignored but just been given a sufficient background. 

What I liked :
The pace of the story, this book of 335 pages is a page turner.
The visualization provided, one can easily imagine what the author meant ( special effects Ramanand Sagar kinds)
What could have been better:
Choice of topic-but as the author is a fan of Indian religious history, it's ok.






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Comments

Deepak Kripal said…
I have been hearing some good reviews about tantra. 3/5 from you sounds good to me. I guess it is time I should read this one. Thanks for the review dear.

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