When Yudi, Tiina & Rai embark on a mission to save the universe, they come up against the ruthless Shaitan who is determined to stop them at any cost. But they soon realise they have a bigger enemy - themselves. So they must learn to trust each other and overcome their fears as they fight their way towards the ultimate showdown.
Partially set in a dystopian Bombay of the future, The Destiny of Shaitan is a coming of age story, painted against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world.
Yudi, Tiina and Rai are destined to come together, for they are the Chosen Ones. It falls to them to save the universe from the powerful Shaitan, who is terrifying, and utterly merciless. Driven by greed, and fear for his own survival, Shaitan bulldozes his way through the galaxy, destroying anything that gets in his path, including his lovers and his own children. The battle between the Chosen Ones and Shaitan is a classic, epic encounter. Hated and feared by all, Shaitan must win this fight to keep his power. The stakes are high, the combatants are determined, and no matter what the outcome their lives will be changed for all time.
Welcome to a post-apocalyptic India… Yes that’s right! In India!! All the post-apocalyptic books that I have read are based in the west, often making me wonder why no other country, or continent for that matter, ever survive an apocalypse? I mean doesn’t ‘end of the world’ actually mean end of the rest of the world but the west? It seems, Ms.Hariharan heard my musings and wrote a book on it!
Yep, so for a change, welcome to a post-apocalyptic India where instead of zombies, we have really angry Gods & Goddesses going on a rampage.
Set in a futuristic dystopian Bombay (present day Mumbai), the storyline follows the lives of three individuals – Yudi, Rai and Tiina (nope, that’s not a typo – her name is actually spelt with double ‘I’).
They are all from different places, I will not disclose their original locations, destined to come together to save not only the Earth but the universe from the power hungry Shaitan. The protagonists soon realize that they are not only fighting against the Shaitan but also against the darkness within themselves. Will they be able to do what it takes in order to defeat this ‘devil’ who is hell bent on destroying anything or anyone in his path to ruling the universe?
The character development is amazing. Each primary character has their own background that they come with and then grow as a person throughout the book. Maybe Rai got a bit neglected on that front, but that’s okay. I liked Yudi and didn’t like Tiina so much. The author has mixed in Indian Mythology quite well specially the ‘curse’ parts. In Indian Mythology, Gods are well known for granting boons with loopholes and cursing – with loopholes too! The plot is interesting and fast paced. The author has managed to create a story that will probably keep you stuck to its pages right until the end. At no point did it seem to be dragging, in fact my only complaint is that the ending came a bit too soon.
Overall this book covers a lot of topics – from mythology to space-travel to teenage drama to family issues. It’s a great YA-post-apocalyptic-dystopian novel that has something to offer to a lot of people.
P.S: Today we are celebrating 'Diwali' - the festival of lights in India. Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. These lamps are kept on during the night and one's house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome.
About the Author
While born in India, Laxmi Hariharan has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong and is now based in London. She has written for various publications including The Times of India, The Independent, Inside Singapore, Inside Hong Kong and Asian Age. Indian mythology inspires her work. When not writing, this chai-swigging technophile enjoys long walks in the woods, growing eye-catching flowers and indulging her inner geek.
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Hi Debdatta, thank you so much for the great review! It made my Diwali. I am hard at work on Return to 7 Islands (the next in the series) this novel takes off from where The Destiny of Shaitan, ends. In this Tiina leaves Arkana to land in a futuristic Bombay—now reduced by a tsunami to its original seven islands. She is reunited with Rai (so this where I develop Rai's character a lot more) and helps him defend Bombay from the clutches of Sharmila, Shaitan's daughter! Thanks for your support Debdatta, I really appreciate it.
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