Goodreads blurb: An atheist city-slicker unleashed on a medieval holy village…
A simpleton village priest’s boy who blindly worships and guards a pantheon of Gods and Their traditions…
Strange things happen when their worlds collide!
This is a tale of that turmoil on a lonely night in a jungle, when the ghosts you never knew till a few hours ago are let loose on the ghosts that you always carried within, unknowingly.
Welcome to the unholy clash of beliefs, fears and frailties with unknown Gods and demons. A clash that will test your convictions. A clash that will rabidly claw and unmask your subconscious, leaving you naked and paralyzed in front of your demons – in a climax that is as ambiguous as it is certain…
Welcome to the madness of ‘Lucifer’s Lungi‘… where What-You-See-Is-NOT-What-You-Get…
————————————
At the outset let me confess that I am not a fan of the ‘horror’ genre of books or movies. I really don’t know why but this genre gives me the ‘heebie-jeebies’ like nothing else does. Although my rational mind is quite clear that the authors and filmmakers go for the jugular and resort to cheesy tactics just to scare the stuffing out of readers and viewers, for whatever reason, I almost always take their bait and end up getting really scared out of my wits. You just have to talk to my wife about our experience watching ‘The Shining’ a few years ago and she will more than agree that I am just not cut out for the ‘horror’ genre at all.
That being said, I had read enough good reviews about Nitin Sawant’s ‘Lucifer’s Lungi’ and was trying to get a hand on the same for quite a while now. So when Nethra from Fablery approached me and asked me as to whether I would be interested in reading and reviewing the same, I immediately jumped at the opportunity and agreed to do so. And do I regret it now….not even for a moment!!
The main protagonist is somebody who has made it a habit to get out of the city every weekend and travel (literally backpack) to destinations picked at random. On one such trip, he ends up in a village filled with temples with tall spires and people who regale him with taller tales as well. While the four people he meets show him around the village, take him to the temples and tell him stories of their Gods and Demons, the atheist pragmatic protagonist takes all these stories with a pinch (nay, a whole bottle) of salt.
However, his whole belief system and confidence go for a toss when he comes face to face with what the locals believe is the worst possible thing to walk the face of God’s green earth. How he deals with this unanticipated encounter forms the wonderful climax of this lovely short book.
A couple of things I really loved about this book was the fact that even though it dealt with relatively serious issues such as personal belief systems and atheism, the author managed to put his points across in a light-hearted manner. He walks the fine line between being respectful of his readers’ belief systems and putting his pragmatic protagonist’s point across very well. So much so that most readers will easily step into the shoes of the protagonist at multiple points in the narrative. And that to me is where the author scores maximum brownie points.
Because I want to pen down a spoiler free review, I cannot discuss more about the climax, but suffice to say that the last chapter well and truly takes the cake and forms the perfect finale to the narrative. In more ways than one it is as anti-climactic as it is climactic. And that is precisely what makes it a perfect ending as well.
Do read this breezy book and am sure you will be left with a smile on your lips and a contented feeling of having read a well written novel.
—————————
So, what are you waiting for? Click here [Link] to purchase the book from Amazon India. Yes, I will earn a small commission if you purchase it by clicking on the link above, but it doesn’t increase your purchase price.
—————————-
This review has been commissioned by Fablery Publications who published the book, but is a completely independent review free from any bias per se.
=================
| Name | Lucifer’s Lungi |
| Author/s | Nitin Sawant |
| Publisher | Fablery Publications |
| Year published | 2014 |
| ISBN 13 | 9788192893709 |
| Goodreads link | Link |
| Flipkart link | |
| Amazon link | Amazon |
Mahabore's Mumblings 