I like fiction thrillers a lot. They keep you glued to the book
from the moment you begin to read and until you reach the last page. Aroon
Raman's latest book Skyfire fulfils the above statement for the most part. I
have not read his earlier ones, but it appears from this book that the same
characters continue their quest but in a different case.
I need to be a bit careful in review as this book is a fiction
thriller and anything that I mention in this review should not become a
spoiler. The plot is simple - there is a crime happening and there is a natural
phenomenon happening. Appreciations to
the author for including two issues that plague the society today: child
trafficking and weather change. I am awed by the HAARP that forms the core theme of this book. Except for these concepts, the book largely
reminds me of many Tamil films that I have seen while growing starring the
superstar. Here, our hero Chandra, a journalist performs that role.
I am sorry,
but I have to be critical of the problems that the book has if it doesn’t reach
the No.1 Bookseller place. Every thriller should leave hints to make readers guess who
could be the suspect. At the same time, it also must leave more hints to
confuse the readers about the possible suspect that makes it more interesting
till we reach 95% of the book. In Skyfire, the author leaves a very obvious
clue when you are halfway and more clues later and that’s a huge mistake in my opinion. But, this does not prevent you from reading further or minimizes
the interest. And, how can all the security people move to the other side during the climax?
If you have read Ashwin Sanghi’s Sialkot Saga, you will probably
remember how Bhutan appeared for its positive role. Here, you will be surprised
that how a small country like Bhutan can be used easily to thrust illegal
technologies to bring down the world. The scenes narrated at Kala mill spreads
a horror in our mind, but at the same time, they was hardly any justification
of why those horrendous events happened (that’s a missing link certainly). The
buildup of events from Gopal missing to Pagal Bhai to Arab Sarai is all narrated
extremely well and runs good throughout the book.
All in all, a nicely written fiction thriller that misses narrowly
on few most important points! Sure you can buy it and enjoy it though!
My rating 3.5 / 5 - for the theme, characters and the language.
PS: This book was received, read and reviewed as part of
Flipkart’s Blogger Review Program
