Title: The New Dewtas (The Rise Of Rudra)

Author: Suraj Kothiyal

Genre: Mythological Fiction

Blurb as on Goodreads:

Neer, the head priest of the Himalayas, is troubled by the horrifying visions in his dream. On Ganga Maiyya’s behest, he embarks on a journey to the doomed island of Bali. The island, plagued with cyclic torments of Sekala and Neskala and suffering from constant rainfall, faces an imminent danger of drowning in the sea. However, Neer’s power was no match for the strong evil forces that kidnapped the king and the queen, activating the volcano of Mt Agung. With the neighbouring king of Java on his toes to attack and conquer the struggling island of Bali, will the gritty prince Erlangga, assisted by Neer, be able to save his kingdom? Read to find out how people turn towards the new dewtas introduced by Neer as the end becomes evident and how Eka-Dasa-Rudra helps in arousing the most furious energy of this world, Rudra.

My Take:

Like any other mythological fiction, this book is also about Good triumphing over the evil. Neer, the head priest of Himalayas is constantly disturbed by the horrifying visions of a doomed island and it’s people drowning in the flood.

So he embarks on a journey to help the people of that Island by warning them about the upcoming danger. On his sail to that Island, he met Prince Erlangga with whom Neer shared about his visions.

Soon Erlangga identifies that Neer’s visions were about his kingdom Bali which was currently cursed by the evil spell of the witch Rangda. How the duo destroys the evil forces and establishes a new kingdom under the rise of the new dewtas is the story.

The usage of language is simple and easy to understand. The names of the characters are bit difficult but you will get used to it once you get along with the story. I liked the way how the author presented the central characters.

Through his vivid narration, the author will take you to the city of Kulub. Everything told in this book is new in every aspect which I had never heard about or came across. From the beliefs and rituals of the Balinese to the weird system of burying all the dead along with the King after his demise.

The bravery of the prince Erlangga and his commander Kebo Chiwa had been shown well. Though Kebo Chiwa knows about the prophecy of his death. He was set on to serve his order. Amidst the spitting lava of Mt.Agung Prince Erlangga was hell-bent to perform Eka-Dasa-Rudra ritual to save his people from Neskala.

The illustrations in each chapter will help you get a clearer picture of the descriptions. Overall, it’s an interesting read. It hooked me till the end.

My Rating: 3/5

Purchase Link: Amazon Paperback