Aadhi andhamilladha kaala vellathil karpanai odaththil yeri, nammudan siridhu prayaanam seiyyumaaru neyargalai azhaikirom!!(Translate: We welcome our readers to get into the boat of imagination and go sailing down the flood of source less, endless time.)
I have read this line countless times. And this chapter tens of times. But I never got to finish the book.
Finally, I finished part one. And, I could not wait to finish all five!
Tamil books are generally fast reads. But historical fictions are a different story. Which is why it took me so long to pick this book up and not give up. And it’s definitely worth it.
It was a little difficult to keep track of the characters and their names. Many a times I went back the pages to check the names and the stories around them. And when it was too much, I started noting down the names and made a family tree tracing relationships. 🙂
Part one – Pudhu Vellam (New Floods) serves as an introduction to the characters and the conspiracies against the throne of Chozha kingdom. We travel along the protagonist, Vandhiyadhevan, who is on his way to deliver a message to the king Parandhaga Sundara Chozhan and the princess Kundavai, from the crown prince, Aadhitha Karikalar, who is also our hero’s good friend. Rest of the story is how he makes enemies along way, how he extricates himself from the difficult situations tactfully and how he finally meets the king and the princess. There is also a hint of an airy romance between him and the princess. We get to see this bravery. We get to see the world before thousands of years through his eyes. We see the things he sees. We get to enjoy the things he enjoys. We get to see the richness of the lands, gardens, rivers, oceans, temples, buildings, people, language, behavior and much more.
What I did not like much is the fact that the author talks directly to us, rather than the characters talking to us or even amongst themselves. This interrupts the story flow. However, this part did set the right tone for the rest of the books – that I have picked up the second part right away.
The book one was a good start though it did not live up to my expectations. But I have been told it only gets better once the plot thickens.
Until the next part.. Happy reading 🙂