The Ultimate Showdown
As the cover of this book says, 'This is the beginning of the end, Sword of Shiva is the ultimate battle between the Dharma and Adharma, the righteous and the unrighteous. Returning from his journey to Mahendragiri Mountains, Kalki realizes that for the time he was gone, his brother was taken as a prisoner and is about to be executed.
Alongside this, the city was about the face a ghastly war between The Naga Queen- Manasa, and Lord Kali. Kalki decides to join Manasa’s army to defeat Kali and free his brother Arjan.
Between all of this, the Avatar of Vishnu comes across a truth, a truth that has the power to alter his course of actions and his decisions. Destined to fight the Adharma, Kalki realizes it is not that easy to go to war and come out victorious.
Arjan: The Unexpected Lion
Arjan, being a prisoner throughout the time while Kalki was gone, comes out as different from the earlier portrayal of his character. Being the unsung hero in the eventual climax, Arjan is shown as a warrior, lover, and righteous man to whom people start looking up.
His character tends to gain importance from Part 2 but rises to shine in Part 3. The characters of Kalki and Arjan start to coincide in this part, in contrast with Part 1 where they were shown as opposites. Their love for each other emphasises the emotional element in this ultimate climax.
My View
For me, by the last book, the titles themselves started to depict the contexts of the books. Like the Avatar of Vishnu showed realisation, the Eye of Brahma showed looking within for answers and power, Sword of Shiva depicted war for righteousness.
The main characters in this part are Kalki, Kali, Arjan, and Manasa. Manasa plays the perfect ally for Kalki by giving him the support he needs to battle and maintain her position as the queen of the army. Outlining strong political and battlefield knowledge, Manasa shows how a queen with the right calibre might lead better than a king.
Like in Part 2, Kali takes up his place as the anti-hero, and Kalki affirms his place as the hero in this part up until now, Kalki is shown as a boy trying to cope with the fact that he is the Avatar of Vishnu and trying to prove himself good enough to be the eventual hero. This part shows him as the hero who takes initiative, is reliable for these people, and is confident to battle Adharma.
Rating for Kalki- Sword of Shiva: 3.8/5
For people who are interested in fantasy, mythology, and epic tales, this is a definite read for you. The trilogy compels you to keep reading till the end. You might require a higher threshold as these books are lengthy, but turning page to page won't be difficult if you are interested in this genre.
Written by: Simran Mahon
0 Comments