Book Reviews

Book Review: Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi “A unique perspective into the tales we’ve read and heard since centuries”

Have you wondered how long does an average person in his twenties or thirties spends time on technological devices? It ranges somewhere between 5 to 8 hours. While most of us are bound to use these devices for work or studies, we really need to consider how much this impacts our overall health. And by health, I mean both physical and emotional well-being. When I gave this some serious thought, I came to a decision that I need to spend fewer hours on technology. And what else to direct my mind to than the wonderful world of books? So, it was decided. I started a ‘Reading 52 books challenge’ in which I would read one book a week for the 52 weeks of the year. And this is the review of the third, fourth, and fifth books that I read in this challenge. Read on to know more.

Note-Our writer Anjali Kesavan has taken 52 weeks Reading challenge, so we will be publishing book reviews for all the readers out there! -Team Godofsmallthing. You can also check out some more book recommendations from our end like and hey! Each link will open in a new tab so you don’t have to miss out on reading this review 🙂 If you want to read some more book reviews! Head over to our book review section and explore lists of fiction, non-fiction, dystopian, and other recommendations. Book Reviews by Godofsmallthing

Table of Contents

How I came across the book series Shiva Trilogy

Shiva Trilogy book by Amish Tripathi
Shiva Trilogy book by Amish Tripathi. Image by PaperYards

I have a passion for exploring the mythology and ancient sciences since childhood. I first heard of the Shiva trilogy book series from a fellow bibliophile, while in school. At that time, I promised myself to give it a read once sometime in the future. But soon later, I forgot all about it. Then years later, I put up an Insta story where I welcomed good book recommendations. Guess what a majority of people recommended? The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi. That’s when I decided I’m going to read this book and I’m doing it now, (because you know, I could forget again!). Since I wasn’t really confident about buying all three books together, I initially bought only the first book, i.e., The Immortals of Meluha. Not so surprisingly, I was really impatient for Amazon to deliver the next two books after I finished reading the first. It was that good.

Shiva Trilogy book review

shiva trilogy by amish tripathi
Book by Amish Tripathi: Shiva Trilogy

Shiva Trilogy is the story of an ordinary tribal from Mount Kailash and his journey toward becoming the Mahadev i.e., the God of the Gods. As the name suggests, Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi consists of 3 books in a series format. They are:

  1. The Immortals of Meluha
  2. The Secret of the Nagas
  3. The Oath of the Vayuputras

Since I read the books in one book a week format as part of my challenge, it’s only fair that I present a separate review for each of the books. So, here goes!

1. The Immortals of Meluha review

The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi
The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi

I read The Immortals of Meluha in the third week of my book reading challenge. In this first book of the trilogy, we meet Shiva, a young man who lives in Mount Kailash with his tribe. He is an ordinary guy just like you and me. However, deep in his heart, he knows that he is meant for great and extraordinary things. That’s when he stumbles upon a mystical place called Meluha and its equally enigmatic people. The Immortals of Meluha basically sets a background as to why Shiva is eligible to become the Neelkanth, the Mahadev that he is meant to be.

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The first book, according to my opinion, is well-written. The description and detailing are impressive, especially when it comes to the war sequences in the final chapters. Another one of my favorite sections from this book is the chapter where Sati’s dance lessons are described. The author also manages to give a good idea of the geography of India during the time period in which the book is set. The cliff-hanger used in the final chapter succeeds in enthusing the reader to know what might happen in the second book.

Some lines and excerpts from The Immortals of Meluha that I found most appealing

Whatever appears as the unshakeable truth, its exact opposite may also be true in another context. After all, one’s reality is but perception, viewed through various prisms of context.

“… the most powerful force in a woman’s life is the need to be appreciated, loved and cherished for what she is.

Flexibility in a society allows change, so that all its members have the space to discover their true selves and grow to their potential. And if every person in a society achieves his true potential, society as a whole also achieves its true potential.

Tarak was watching Sati closely, confident that he was going to slowly bleed her to death. He believed that the knife was in her left hand. He waited for her to move right, then left, which she did in a swift veer. Expecting her left arm to come in, he sliced with his right hand. Sati neatly pirouetted back. Before a surprised Tarak could react, Sati had leapt to her right and brought her right hand in brutally onto Tarak’s chest.

How much would I rate The Immortals of Meluha?

On a scale of 10, I would rate The Immortals of Meluha with an 8. Do I recommend this book to fellow readers? Sure. It’s a great read if you love fantasy fiction.

Where to get The Immortals of Meluha?

The Immortals of Meluha is easily available online, in case you find it difficult to buy it from a bookstore, owing to the pandemic.

2. The Secret of the Nagas review

The Secret of the Nagas book by Amish Tripathi
Shiva Trilogy: The Secret of the Nagas book by Amish Tripathi

The Secret of the Nagas was the fourth book that I read as part of my book reading challenge. This book starts in continuation to where its predecessor ended. Here, Shiva comes closer to what he’s been searching for all along true evil. Up until this point, Shiva had many people around him who believed that he is the Neelkanth, while he himself doubted that. In this book, Shiva finds himself eligible to become a Mahadev; where he identifies himself as one capable of destroying evil. He also reunites with his complete family as the chapters progress.

In The Secret of the Nagas, you receive answers to many questions that left you bewildered in the first book. One of the highlighting aspects of this book is the element of surprise that has been used very skillfully. One can also not unsee the element of emotion that subdues you in multiple chapters. Perhaps this alone makes The Secret of the Nagas the best book of the trilogy, in my opinion. I particularly adore the chapters which emphasize the relationship between the two sons of Sati. Once again, the fight sequences have the true potential to enthrall you beyond words.

Some lines and excerpts from The Secret of the Nagas that I found most appealing

“…. sometimes the mind makes you believe what you want to believe.”

“Justice exists for the good of the universe. To maintain balance. It does not exist to ignite hatred among humans.”

“… the opposite of love is not hate. Hate is just love gone bad. The actual opposite of love is apathy. When you don’t care a damn as to what happens to the other person.”

“The liger turned towards the couple and growled.

Sati drew her sword. ‘Noooo!’

‘No, My lady!’ screamed Kaavas.

But Sati had already jumped over onto the ground. She charged towards the lions, sword held high. The lions turned towards her, surprised, forgetting about the cleaner and his family. Then the liger registered Sati. He roared loudly. And, his pride charged.

The Kashi soldiers jumped onto the ground after Sati, inspired by the sheer bravery displayed by their leader.”

“Truth doesn’t have to be liked. It only has to be spoken. Speak it out. The truth may hurt you, but it will set you free.”

How much would I rate The Secret of the Nagas ?

On a scale of 10, I would rate The Secret of the Nagas with a 9.5. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read and I heartily recommend it to all book-lovers.

Where to get The Secret of the Nagas

If going to a bookstore to get The Secret of the Nagas is difficult right now, you may easily order it online.

3. The Oath of the Vayuputras review

The Oath of the Vayuputras book by Amish Tripathi
The Oath of the Vayuputras book by Amish Tripathi

For my book reading challenge, I chose The Oath of the Vayuputras to read for the fifth week. The final book of the Shiva Trilogy serves the purpose of closure. It provides answers to every mystery sown across all three books. Even though evil has finally surfaced, Shiva still has much more to know before waging a war. Before the end, he has to go back to his beginning, to the land of Pariha. All the characters that have been introduced to this point have significant roles to play in the final war.

Perhaps the biggest of all three books, there are a number of war sequences in The Oath of the Vayuputras. However, to be completely honest, I was very disappointed with the ending of this book. In my frank opinion, I felt that such an impeccable story does not deserve this ending. In the author’s perspective, Shiva was not a God from the beginning. He grew to that standard after going through a challenging journey. This character development is evident throughout the series. However, in the end, Shiva behaves completely contradictorily to what he learned and became through this character development. This was really unexpected. Whenever I reread the series, I stop reading a few chapters before the ending. Apart from this particular point, everything else seems satisfactory in comparison to the previous two books.

Some lines and excerpts from The Oath of the Vayuputras that I found most appealing

“… the universe lives within us in a minute model of itself.”

“Shiva smiled. ‘Sometimes, faith can lean towards over-simplicity.’

Gopal smiled in return. ‘Maybe simplicity is what this world needs right now.’”

“… good and evil are two sides of the same coin. That one day, the greatest good will transform into the greatest evil.

… Our greed in extracting more and more from good will turn it into evil. This is the universe’s way of restoring balance.”

“… the purpose is not the destination but the journey itself. Only those who understand this simple truth can experience true happiness.”

“If you aren’t back to where you began, all it means is that the journey isn’t over. Maybe it will take one lifetime. Maybe many. But you will end the journey exactly where you began. That is the nature of life.”

How much would I rate The Oath of the Vayuputras?

On a scale of 10, I would rate The Oath of the Vayuputras with a 6.5. For a person who has read and admired the first two books of the Shiva Trilogy, the third book is a must read.

Where to get The Oath of the Vayuputras

The Oath of the Vayuputras is now available online so that you can easily access it in this pandemic situation.

What I did like about Shiva Trilogy?

Shiva Trilogy books by Amish Tripathi
Shiva Trilogy books by Amish Tripathi

One of the main things I admire in the book series is the storyline. Although completely contrary to the mythological legend, the author has a great sense of imagination to create such an impressive plot. Most of the characters have a depth to them that enables the reader to feel what they go through, to empathize and traverse their journey along with them. The series explores the emotional element very well. The narrative is so good that it is only natural that one gets really pumped up during a war sequence or all welled up during a sad moment.

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The author gives great importance to the philosophical aspect of things. This is perhaps the only thing that pacifies my disappointment about what I did not like about the series (explained in the next sub-heading). I absolutely love the conversations that Shiva has with the Vasudevs, throughout the three books. These are really deep and thought-provoking sections from the book which when read carefully can help you have a newer perspective about life. Another notable point is the interpretation of evil. The final point that cannot be left out without praise is the description of the war episodes.  The preparations, the strategies, and of course the valiant action scenes… You actually feel like being a part of the troops!

What I did not like about Shiva Trilogy?

First of all, here, the author reimagines the legend we have heard and read in mythology. While I’m all praise of the imaginative prowess, I also wonder if it does true justice to the original story. The author has borrowed certain names of characters like Shiva, Sati, Nandi, of places and rivers like Ayodhya, Kailash, Saraswati, and of objects like Somras from mythology. Then with a beautifully crafted story, he fits these names into this story like aligning pieces into a puzzle. To express what I feel this looks like, I would say, even though the new puzzle looks charismatic, the old picture from where the pieces were borrowed, as anybody can guess, now looks distorted. I wonder if the story would have been a greater success had it been written independently without hinting that it is related to the original mythological legend.

I guess that the author intended to introduce Hindu mythology to the young generation through his works. Though that purpose was served, many people now wonder if the story mentioned in the book series is the true story. More than once have I come across questions on the internet where people ask if which is the real story, the one said in the book series or the one mentioned in mythological books. I think this confusion could have been avoided. That being said, I respect how much research must have gone into the creation of this book series. Because even to reimagine, one needs to know well about the original story.

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Genre, style and narrative of the book series

The Shiva Trilogy is a book series of the fantasy fiction genre. Set in a time period centuries ago, it portrays the journey of a man from being a commoner to becoming a God. The author uses a simple style to tell the story which can be enjoyed by everyone alike. In fact, the style is very much in accordance with the normal conversation style we use in our day-to-day life. Third-person omniscient narration is used in the series, i.e., the author independently narrates the story to the readers. One additional feature about the narrative is that one can find that the story keeps switching between different scenes within the same chapter. If you love fantasy fiction, this book series is a great choice for a one-time read.

About the author

Amish Tripathi is one of the most renowned authors in India today. Recipient of several prestigious honors like the Kalinga International Literary Award, Tripathi was once a banker before he started writing professionally. He mostly writes in the fantasy fiction genre that has roots in Indian mythology and history. Some of his finest works include the Shiva Trilogy book series and the Rama Chandra book series. Other works by Tripathi are the Indic Chronicles, Immortal India, and Dharma, the final two of which are of the non-fiction genre. A successful writer, Amish Tripathi is also one of the most loved Indian authors among the young readers of our country.  

Where to get the Shiva Trilogy books?

Currently, we are all in a situation where a trip to the bookstore doesn’t seem possible. But our fellow bibliophiles needn’t worry. If you want to get hold of the Shiva Trilogy books, you can easily get them online.

For whom is this book series for?

The Shiva Trilogy is an ideal read for anyone who likes or is interested in Indian mythology. Additionally, if you have a general passion for books from the fantasy genre, you will surely love this book trilogy. I hope all of you would give this book series a chance to awe you. To conclude, I am eternally grateful to you for taking a few minutes from your precious time to read this humble book review. I wish you a great reading experience! Thank you!

One thought on “Book Review: Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi “A unique perspective into the tales we’ve read and heard since centuries”

  • Shivanshi Bhatia

    The Shiva Trilogy is indeed the most suggested book. Having said that, now I need to read it just because of my interest in Indian Mythology. Being a writer, it’s important for me to upskill my writing and so I am definitely going to read it.

    Reply

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