Book Review: The Rozabal Line

The Rozabal Line is a theological thriller that revolves around the popular speculation that Jesus visited India. Looking at the cover, we know that the story is related to Christianity and Christ. But when we read through the pages we understand that the novel has managed to touch all the major religions and has drawn a link between all of them, strengthening the claim that all religions evolved from one. The Rozabal Line is the debut novel by Ashwin Sanghi. Initially published under his pseudonym Shawn Haigins the novel was published in 2007. An interesting thing about the name Shawn Haigins is that it is the anagram for Ashwin Sanghi. Ashwin has used many anagrams in his novel too. One such anagram is ‘Isabel Madonna’, for ‘Osama Bin Laden ‘.

Plot and Summary

The novel can be described as a sequel to the Da Vinci Code and it takes the Da Vinci Code a step further. Set in different countries, The Rozabal Line begins with the murder of Professor Terry Acton. Before being murdered he had passed over some secret documents to Vincent Sinclair. Were those documents the reason for Acton’s death? Is that why the Crux Decusuta Permuta is following Vincent? Why is the Crux Decusuta Permuta funding the Isabel Madonna Trust? What is the role of the Illuminati in these happenings? These are some of the questions that arise in the readers mind. To find answers to these questions, the reader has to wait until the climax.

The Rozabal Line is a perfect mixture of history, myth, conspiracy, faith, fact and fiction. Ashwin has succeeded in blending fiction with fact in a way that it is difficult for the reader to separate the two. The peculiarity of the Rozabal line is that several stories go parallel to each other (or they seem parallel to the reader) until they intersect at the climax, everything making perfect sense.

Conclusion

The novel is great and exceptionally thrilling. Even though it gets boring at some places, the author has managed to attract the reader till the very end. Moving to the climax, it is a bit surprising. Some unexpected twists take place and we get to understand who the real heroes and who the real villains are.

The last five to six pages are completely boring and it is just the repetition of the facts. Repetition of content is seen throughout the book. Overall anyone who liked the Da Vinci Code is sure to like it too.

Publisher: Krishna Prasad - 07:17:00

Book Review: The Krishna Key

Great has been the speculation that Krishna was a mythical character rather than a historical character. Krishna Key, the third novel by Ashwin Sanghi, is a stunning anthropological thriller, that tries to unfold the secrets of the Mahabharata and establish Krishna as a historical character rather than a mythical character. The book is full of twists and turns that is sure to keep the reader engrossed till the very end. Anyone who has read the Krishna Key is sure to compare it with Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. If you ask me, the book is an Indian version of the Da Vinci Code and Saini is an Indian answer to Robert Langdon,

The book is a really fast paced eventhough over stuffed with some facts. The author has done a lot of research for the book which is evident from the below statement.

"Krishna was the eighth Avatar of Vishnu – a manifestation of a form of energy that we shall call Vish. The exact opposite energy of Vish is Shiv. While Vish, creates and preserves, Shiv destroys. They are the two faces of same coin."

"The Philosopher is more important than the stone."

Ashwin has also covered the topics such as ‘the Taj Conspiracy’, the significance of 108 to the Hindus and the magical power of ‘Om’. He has also made some wicked comparisons in the book, like nuclear bomb to the brahmasthra and BARC (Baba Atomic Researh Centre) to Shivaling and has also tried to provide some scientific explanations to the vedic knowledge.

Plot And Summary

The plot is not a complicated one. Major part of the story has been narrated through the eyes of the protagonist Ravi Mohan Saini. Like many other thrillers, the novel begins with a murder- the murder of Varshney, Saini’s close friend. Saini is accused of murdering him, to steal a sacred seal, which is supposed to be the key to the elixir of life- the philosophers stone. Saini escapes the prison with the help of his student Priya and goes about the process of trying to solve the mystery and find the elixir of life. As the investigation continues Saini finds himself in the midst of many dangers which he is able to overcome, with little assistace from his lady partner.

Characters

All the characters in the book except Saini, Radhika, and Priya are dumbfounded and do not have any major role. They just come about , say something and disappear.The book would have been letter if they were a littlestronger and if they had contributed more.

Climax

Climax is the most disappointing part of the Krishna key. Everyone waits for something great to happen ,but everything comes down to this weak climax.But if you ignore the climax the book is definitely worth the price and will keep you entertained till the end.

After finishing the book you will still have one unanswered question-‘’Is it really fiction?”.

Publisher: Krishna Prasad - 06:54:00