Author: Raghu Srinivasan
Publisher: Hachette India
ISBN13: 9789350095744
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 512
Source: Personal Copy

The Avatari is an intense trail through a mythical kingdom. Legend has it that only those chosen by destiny can gain entry into Shambhala, which is believed to hold the ancient wisdom. The story begins with a golden metal piece, which a character picks up, while on an expedition to the Himalayas in the 1930s. His grandson delivers it to a Laotian monastery in the late 1950s. This piece then gets stolen. Upon the request of a monk, Henry Ashton, a retired British Army Officer and his team sets on a life-altering journey to retrieve it and prevent it from being misused.
The group follows the trail, risking the perils of the inhospitable deserts of Ladakh, turmoil in Pakistan and the rugged mountains of Northern Afghanistan, where the Afghan War is at its height. But they are up against a deadly adversary with seemingly unlimited resources, who will stop at nothing to get possession of the ancient secret a secret that, if revealed, could threaten the very fabric of civilization.

The author etches out each of his characters beautifully, with great detailing. He picks his words with utmost care. It is a brilliant narrative, switching between numerous time period, locations and characters. On the surface it looks like it is a quest for a very valuable artifact, which if misused threatens to destroy everything. But going deeper reveals that it also serves as a timely lesson in history and somewhere along the way, highlights the human costs of violence and war. Srinivasan portrays the paradox between karma and freewill subtly yet beautifully.

Raghu Srinivasan is a serving officer in the Indian Army. His tenures have seen him patrol leech-infested tropical jungles, stare across the expanse of the African savannah and spot snow leopards in the Karakoram ranges. He is also the newest entrant on the brilliant Indian thriller writers list.

Read The Avatari for drama, read it for suspense, read it for a journey in to the magical imagination the author has!

Rating 4.5/5