The Secret of the Nagas.

"The opposite of love is not hated. Hate is just love gone bad. The actual opposite of love is apathy. When you don't care a damn as to what happens to the other person."

"The Secret of The Nagas" is the second book the "Shiva Trilogy", by Amish Tripathi. The plot of this book is carried forward from where it was left in the first book of this trilogy and revolves around the Nagas, initially in the plot Nagas are presumed as evil by Shiva but later on, he learns that they are not the true evil. This book is also full of surprising twists like the first book of this series "The Immortals of Meluha".

The twists in this series are going to be a very unpredictable one and will come totally out of blue and you will be left surprised. The ending of this book is going to be very shocking and you will be very eager to start the last and the concluding part of the trilogy "The Oaths of Vayuputras" to understand the ending of "The Secret of The Nagas".

This book is also enriched with the simplicity of language and a very easy and simple narrative style just like the first series of the trilogy. This book has a blend of action and philosophy along with a touch of humor. It also shows the sinister side of some of the characters from the first book of this trilogy, "The Immortals of Meluha."

"I don't believe anything till I've seen the proof. For anything without proof, I think we should believe the theory that gives us peace. It doesn't matter whether the theory is true or not."

The writing is at a pace in which you'll enjoy every story and every incident. The secret can be guessed by the time you progress through the story. The most loveable aspect is that Amish neatly weaves his own perceptions of the story in the actual story we already know. The character of Sati is shown to be very intense and passionate. The bonus track of Parvateshwar - Anandmayi is a cherry on top.

Amish is well versed in the subject. He tries to add a modern touch to the well-known Shiva Purana. He uses everyday English to make the book enjoyable for the regular masses. The sequel is as good as the first book, with the only difference being that this one is more loaded in suspense and nail-biting moments than the first one. More characters are introduced into the plot and some unbelievable revelations are made to startle the readers.

However, the plot contains some loose ends, which hopefully will be addressed in the last installment of the trilogy. Certain conversations between different characters are too lengthy and the reading process starts to get mundane. The presence of a number of characters in the story makes it difficult for the readers unfamiliar with the Shiva Purana, to keep up with the fast-paced nature of the plot.

However, its characters stay on with you long after you have finished reading the book and it is fairly hard to resist thinking about what the third and final edition has in store for Shiva and his tribe.

---