The Treasure Of Kafur
Rating: 3/5
Title: The Treasure Of Kafur
Author: Aroon Raman
Genre: Fiction, Literary, Indian History
Pages: 400
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN-13: 9789382616122
After reading the Shadow Princess, I felt the need to divulge in more of Indian history and therefore, called for this book. This is the first time I was reading Aroon Raman and was waiting to find out if we had another Amish Tripathi in our midst. Here goes the summary of this book.
The story is about a boy named Dattatreya, who sets out on a perilous journey to save his grandmother, Ambu, whom the cruel king of Khandesh, Asaf Baig has kidnapped. The people of his kingdom are suffering due to his selfishness as he continues to demand more taxes to fill his treasury. He is also looking for the "Treasure of Kafur" which would enable him to take over the current emperor Akbar. The treasure was hidden years ago by Lieutenant Malik Kafur after raiding south Indian kingdoms. Ambu has known the location of this treasure and has kept it well hidden in the deep abyss of her mind. She gets visions now and then and hence, senses the danger that the ruthless king is after her. Nevertheless, she is made a prisoner in his fort. Thus begins Datta's journey to reach Agra because Akbar alone can help and save his grandmother from Baig. Datta travels with his animal friends with whom he can telepathically communicate. There is an old and wise tortoise - Manas, the entire raven clan and a cow, Aditi, to help him out. They are later joined by Sheherezad, a huge parrot with blue and golden feathers, who knows the whereabouts of their journey. After facing great obstacles and crossing the unforgiving terrain, they manage to reach Raja Man Singh, Akbar's ally, who gives them shelter. Here, Datta makes new friends in Ahilya, Man Singh's daughter and Dilawar, a soldier in the Mughal army. Meanwhile, Asaf Baig blackmails Ambu to get her secret out. He engages the dangerous man eaters, Taraks, behind Datta to finish him off. Through the course of the story, we find that the treasure makes its way to Baig's hands. Did Ambu finally succumb and give up on the one secret she has been holding onto all this while? Will Asaf Baig take over Agra and seal the fate of his already suffering citizens? Readers will have to find out. No spoilers here!
The book has been a bestseller and frankly, it is not boring or lengthy. But from my point of view, the story line was weak. It took time to grasp in the beginning. Also, talking telepathically to animals was a little over the top, if you ask me. Besides, during Datta's stay at Agra he is trained for wars, which was unnecessary as it wasn't pivotal to the story. Simply put, although there were some loop holes, the narration and characterization were well depicted and that's what makes this book readable.
To answer my own question in the beginning of the post, sadly, I cannot say that I have found another Amish Tripathi. Although both the authors had well researched stories, the Shiva Trilogy was much faster and more engrossing than this one. Of course, I am not trying to be judgmental here but Amish has set the bar so high that subconsciously I tend to compare. My bad!
Overall, an OK read but will read another Aroon Raman only if I have something less interesting.
Title: The Treasure Of Kafur
Author: Aroon Raman
Genre: Fiction, Literary, Indian History
Pages: 400
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN-13: 9789382616122
After reading the Shadow Princess, I felt the need to divulge in more of Indian history and therefore, called for this book. This is the first time I was reading Aroon Raman and was waiting to find out if we had another Amish Tripathi in our midst. Here goes the summary of this book.
The story is about a boy named Dattatreya, who sets out on a perilous journey to save his grandmother, Ambu, whom the cruel king of Khandesh, Asaf Baig has kidnapped. The people of his kingdom are suffering due to his selfishness as he continues to demand more taxes to fill his treasury. He is also looking for the "Treasure of Kafur" which would enable him to take over the current emperor Akbar. The treasure was hidden years ago by Lieutenant Malik Kafur after raiding south Indian kingdoms. Ambu has known the location of this treasure and has kept it well hidden in the deep abyss of her mind. She gets visions now and then and hence, senses the danger that the ruthless king is after her. Nevertheless, she is made a prisoner in his fort. Thus begins Datta's journey to reach Agra because Akbar alone can help and save his grandmother from Baig. Datta travels with his animal friends with whom he can telepathically communicate. There is an old and wise tortoise - Manas, the entire raven clan and a cow, Aditi, to help him out. They are later joined by Sheherezad, a huge parrot with blue and golden feathers, who knows the whereabouts of their journey. After facing great obstacles and crossing the unforgiving terrain, they manage to reach Raja Man Singh, Akbar's ally, who gives them shelter. Here, Datta makes new friends in Ahilya, Man Singh's daughter and Dilawar, a soldier in the Mughal army. Meanwhile, Asaf Baig blackmails Ambu to get her secret out. He engages the dangerous man eaters, Taraks, behind Datta to finish him off. Through the course of the story, we find that the treasure makes its way to Baig's hands. Did Ambu finally succumb and give up on the one secret she has been holding onto all this while? Will Asaf Baig take over Agra and seal the fate of his already suffering citizens? Readers will have to find out. No spoilers here!
The book has been a bestseller and frankly, it is not boring or lengthy. But from my point of view, the story line was weak. It took time to grasp in the beginning. Also, talking telepathically to animals was a little over the top, if you ask me. Besides, during Datta's stay at Agra he is trained for wars, which was unnecessary as it wasn't pivotal to the story. Simply put, although there were some loop holes, the narration and characterization were well depicted and that's what makes this book readable.
To answer my own question in the beginning of the post, sadly, I cannot say that I have found another Amish Tripathi. Although both the authors had well researched stories, the Shiva Trilogy was much faster and more engrossing than this one. Of course, I am not trying to be judgmental here but Amish has set the bar so high that subconsciously I tend to compare. My bad!
Overall, an OK read but will read another Aroon Raman only if I have something less interesting.
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