The last two weeks have been an adventurous ride as I enveloped myself in the thrilling Vikramaditya Veergatha series by Shatrujeet Nath, the national bestselling mythofiction author. I’ve completed the first two books in the series and I’m about to pick up the next.

The Vikramaditya Veergatha series is an interesting mix of history, mythology, mystery and adventure which has been well-written without becoming a wordy and tedious read. Despite the book being 400+ pages, it is simply unputdownable.

The books have an interesting cocktail of intriguing characters who come alive before your eyes. The author has finely etched out every character in the book and not just Vikramaditya. Thus, he has made sure that he evokes deep emotions from the readers for the challenges and successes of every character.

The plot is fast-paced with twists and turns that make you hold your breath. The book is a page-turner with intriguing plots and sub-plots that have been brilliantly woven together to give the readers a memorable reading experience.

Some of the things that I wanted to highlight in this series are:

• The battle scenes – I have read my fair share of mythology before I finally gave it up. One of the main reasons for that was my disillusionment with the descriptions by most authors of this genre especially while describing battle scenes. This is where Shatrujeet shines. His battle scenes are the right mix of pulsating adventure, gore and magic without dreary descriptions that put you to sleep.

• The Myth – My other grouse with the recent mythofictions is the absolute disregard that some authors have with time periods and inventions. When I read that Shiva put on his backpack or Draupadi drove a car, it puts me off. I can understand that many readers love that and I am not judging their tastes. This is just my personal preference and Shatrujeet sticks to the original myth. He does not take weird liberties.

• Myriad Hues – The reason I had loved mythology as a child was the capacity of the stories to give rise to myriad hues of emotions. Romance, adventure, mystery, horror – Shatrujeet’s book has them all and in the right dose.

• The Vethal – Since it was Vikramaditya’s story, I was expectantly waiting to meet the Vethal and Shatrujeet does not disappoint. We meet the ‘ghoul master’ in all his glory.

• The Conclusion – Every book ends with the main plot pulling us deeper into the series. Some sub-plots are resolved while others are still open. Therefore, I strongly recommend reading the book chronologically. I don’t think it would be as much as a treat if you jumble the order of reading.

If you are a fan of mythofiction, this is one book that you shouldn’t miss. It takes you back to a time when honour and courage had more value than love and life. With the right mix of history and mythology, fantasy and legend, Shatrujeet’s series will enthrall you.