The Mystery Mountains by Aurijit Ganguli – Book Review

One may call it the latest trend that contemporary authors are looking into the past to bring unknown, secret, lesser-known, oblivious incidents, turning points, and historical and mythological perspectives to the fore through their novels. Many have succeeded in drawing the attention of readers and critics. Others tried for lesser impact. One such author is Aurijit Ganguli. His debut book The Shambala Sutras became popular among contemporary readers for its quality in research and its compelling storyline. His second book, The Mystery Mountains, offers the same elements with more intensity. This book will make anyone strongly believe that folktales, ballads, and chants are not something to entertain kids. They are deep. They carry culture. They contain the history of bygone days. They transfer knowledge. And of course, they are not mere myths. They hold many secrets within them. We need to hear or read them, again and again, with full attention and do deep research to decode the hidden codes, clues or secrets. 

Because this book explores and reveals some of the events of history (from the author’s perspective), it involves thorough research. It demands a sufficient amount of your time to read scriptures, theses and research papers, understand them, analyse numerous data points, make notes, sort important information and eventually incorporate them into a story that runs in the present time. After reading this book, you will know how passionate the author is about our history and research. He has incorporated the tiniest pieces of information on the topics included in the book.

The storyline that this novel follows is quite intriguing. One certain day, when Miguel (a leading voice in the world of Anthropology and Archaeology) was giving his presentation at the International Conference of Archeologists and Anthropologists, he revealed his discovery that apart from the cataclysm, human interventions played a major role in causing and sustaining the Great Flood thousands of years ago. This revelation created a sensation in the world. His phone was never stopped after that. And a few days later, he got abducted. Who has kidnapped Miguel, and for what reasons? Is there any connection between his new findings and his abduction? Who will support him? Will his search lead to further new discoveries? What danger will be faced on his mission? Aurijit has wonderfully answered these questions through intriguing sequences of events. And it is certainly worth a read. Especially, the parts that refer to the Great Flood and human intervention have been written with precision, backed by research and in the special style that Aurijit has mastered for the good of the readers!

The most striking thing about this book is that it is a compulsive book. It creates a sense of urgency and compels you to read it. You cannot keep it half-read. As I began to read this book, I was pulled in by the centripetal force the book has. Every episode made me more curious, and I was losing myself completely in the world Aurijit created right from the beginning. I was trekking with Lisa, Arjun and Marcos in the Andes Mountain ranges. I was roaming with them in the lanes of Puno, Lima, Cusco and Juliaca. I was enjoying a boat ride on Lake Titicaca. I was resolving mysteries with them. And I was thoroughly enjoying it. The way author manages to keep the book a page-turner from the very start to the very end. Not many authors can do that!

At last, it is the theme of this book that draws your attention. And it is Aurijit’s writing ability that adds fuel to it. Aside from this, bold and courageous characters give it needed acceleration. The book gets you involved in an adventurous, amazing journey filled with action and suspense through the author’s apt choice of words, powerful vocabulary and clarity in delivering a fitting conclusion that aptly concludes the fast-paced narrative of the novel. Overall, this book makes a great read for everyone. And once you are done, it will make you do further research on the facts and information given in the book for better understanding. (I did the same.)

You can get a copy of this novel from Amazon India and read it right now. Click the link below to get to Amazon and make the purchase. 

Buy the book from Amazon – click here 

Review by Nidhi for The Last Critic