Blog Tour: Review- Immortal by Krishna Udayasankar

Summary-

'Death is certain for all who are born...or is it?

Professor Bharadvaj is more than just another whisky-loving, gun-toting historian-for-hire. Behind the assumed identity of the cynical academic is a man who has walked the earth for scores of years. He is Asvatthama - the cursed immortal, the man who cannot die.
When Professor Bharadvaj is approached by the enigmatic Maya Jervois to search for a historical artefact unlike any other, he is reluctant to pursue it. The object in question, the Vajra, is rumoured to possess incredible alchemical powers, but the Professor does not believe it exists. After all, he has spent many lifetimes - and identities - searching for it, in a bid to unearth the secret to his unending life.

Yet, as the evidence of its existence becomes increasingly compelling, the Professor is plunged into an adrenaline-fuelled adventure that takes him from the labyrinthine passages beneath the Somnath temple to the legendary home of the siddhas in the Nilgiris, and finally into the deserts of Pakistan to solve a confounding puzzle left behind by the ancients.

But who is behind the dangerous mercenaries trying to thwart his discoveries at every step? And is the Professor - a legendary warrior in a long-ago life – cursed to walk the path of death and bloodshed forever?

Release date: September 2016

Published by: Hachette India

Page numbers: 408

Review-

Though I am not a big mythology reader I was looking forward to reading Immortal by Krishna Udayasankar. The summary sounded good and something I hadn't read before plus I always wanted to read something by Krishna Udayasankar and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I did enjoy Immortal as a whole. The writing was amazing. But I did have some issues with it as well. So let's get to it.

So the story starts off with an introduction to Professor Bharadvaj. He is a historian who can find any historical artifact you want for a price. What only a few know is that Professor Bharadvaj is actually Asvatthama- an immortal being who was cursed a long long time ago. I found the Professor's character to be super interesting. Though Professor Bharadvaj was just one of the many identities of Asvatthama it was one he could relate to the most. Asvatthama had so many human qualities and emotions despite being an immortal.

The journey of Professor Bharadvaj starts when Maya comes to him for help in search of the Vajra. It is a historical artifact which may lead them to the discovery of immortality for humans. Joining them in their journey is Manohar, the Professor's friend who helps him in such missions. This journey takes them to several places with loads of action and adventure. They also have to face a ton of difficult enemies and obstacles in their way. I enjoyed the whole action adventure part of the book. Krishna Udayasankar has done a ton of research and it shows. Historical events are melded perfectly with science and reason and it was fascinating to see that.

I had also liked Maya's character in the beginning. She came off as a strong and dynamic woman who could hold her own against the Professor. But sadly for me, her character completely fizzled out for the second half of the book. It just seemed like she was present like a mannequin without a real purpose later on. Another issue I had was that the cover of the book gives away a major spoiler. It is not that difficult to figure out what's going to happen once you start reading because the cover gives it away so easily. 

Those were the two things which really bothered me while reading the book. Other than that the book moved at a steady pace. Like I said before, Krishna Udayasankar's writing is really good. Her research is on point and it is great to dive into this world. I enjoyed Asvatthama's adventures and felt like I was right there with him going through the ups and downs. Immortal was a good read for me.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Hachette India in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.