Friday, September 4, 2015

Book Review of Brutal by Uday Satpathy

I normally don’t review books on my blog. Read my last post for the reason I don’t review books. But when a new publisher BGB (who I had not heard about) approached me to review their first book, I was intrigued by their publishing process (its unique and I will blog about it soon) and I wanted to showcase their concept and approach to publishing, to writers in India and abroad. In India as there are so few publishers, I feel that we must give new publishers a chance to show what they have to offer to writers and readers. And when I read the prologue and the first few chapters, there was no saying no. I broke a rule and reviewed a book I had enjoyed reading.
The prologue of Brutal, a thriller published by Bloody Good Book and Westland Books, hooked me from the first word. Brutal, written by Uday Satpathy is India’s first crowd-curated novel. The cover as well as the title sends a chill down one’s spine.
It must be said that Uday has been Brutal with his readers. He has written a fast paced thriller that you need to swallow in one gulp. There is no respite for the reader once they start reading. They just have to finish the entire book in one sitting.
The book starts with crime reporters covering the trial of Nitin Tomar, a school teacher who has murdered eleven of his students. While being led into the courthouse, amidst tight security, the school teacher is gunned down in broad daylight. An obscure militant outfit claims responsibility.
Two crime reporters Prakash Sinha and Seema Sharma who were assigned to cover the trial think otherwise. As these two ace journalists follow the story, they uncover an entire nest of sinister motives, with ruthless people who would do anything to achieve their goals. Their search leads them to the forests of Bandhavgarh, where a similar incident happened 8 years ago.
Prakash and Seema are hurtled from one destination to another at breakneck speed, with a deadly assassin chasing them. One by one, all their leads are killed, leaving them alone, to face their ruthless enemies. The action unfurls at a speed that gives the readers no time to take a deep breath.
The several sub-plots: a doctor on a mission to destroy humanity with a deadly drug, a powerful family who is hell-bent on bringing countries to the brink of a war with their evil agenda, a business magnate who is scared of all the skeletons tumbling out of his closet, all these plots intersperse to make the story that much more intriguing.
At no point does the author let the pace slacken. Holding the plot firmly in his hand, the author with his crisp writing, short chapters that are easy to read, ensures that the readers are constantly sitting on the edges of their seats.
I loved the characters of Prakash Sinha and Seema Sharma, two reporters who make it their mission to rid society of the evil that has infiltrated it and is threatening to destroy it. Both Prakash and Seema, with their own demons to tackle, are absolutely believable and make an immediate connection with the readers. 
Uday Satpathy is a writer I will be watching with interest. Infact, I would go as far as saying, that I won't be surprised if his book will soon be turned into a movie or the fact that Prakash will feature in more books.

P.S. Check out the Bloody Good Book website to know what crowd curating is all about.



18 comments:

  1. I guess Rashmi Pillai is the person behind BGB? I follow her page on FB so I get some updates. Will try to read this book sometime, thanks for the reco. I like the concept of crowd-voted books, but it can become tiring to read many different stories on the laptop/mobile screens. I hope they'll release these stories as eBooks so we can read them on Kindle, etc.

    Destination Infinity

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    1. @Rajesh, its Rashmi Bansal and Niyati Patel. BGB brings out the Ebook, while Westland publishes the hard copy. I am sure you can read it on Kindle.

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  2. I'm really curious about their concept and process now.

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    1. @Alex, they have a unique concept, I hadn't heard of it before. Do check their website.

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  3. Fast-paced thrillers are my favorite escape reads. I just checked to see if Brutal is available in the U.S. and and happy to report the ebook version is already on sale.

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  4. This book sounds wonderful! I think you have every right to break your own rule if it's something you really love. Yay for finding something that pleased you so much!

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  5. This was such a good review. I normally don't like crime thrillers, but you certainly made this one appeal to me.

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  6. This sounds really intense. I like thrillers. I'm glad you shared this with us.

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  7. Sounds like a well plotted intense thriller! As a Westerner it would be interesting to read a crime novel set in India. I'm going to have the check it out!

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  8. You're making it sound quite intriguing...love that!

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  9. I do a brief review of every book I read each month on the last Friday of that month...but they're all positive. If I don't like a book, you'll never hear about it (usually because if I don't like a book, I stop reading by chapter three!). But every now and then an author's blog tour requires a review to participate, so I have to break the rule.

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  10. Sounds like an intense book. I'll have to read more about the publishing process they use in India. Sounds interesting.

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  11. So this novel is in English, I assume? I may just have to put it on my reading list.

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  12. Thanks for the review and info. I'd not heard of crowd curating before.

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  13. I loved the interview with Uday, it was so interesting. I especially liked that he's a plotter (I am too) but leaves openings for expansion so he can have a "free brush and use any colour." That's a great way of putting it!

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  14. Wonderful interview. I totally relate to cut, cut, cut!

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  15. Sounds like a good read. I watched the West Memphis Three the other night. It was sort of similar, and a good reminder to keep an open mind about the guilt of someone.

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