Review of Frontiers of Karma -The Counterstroke


Title : Frontiers of Karma -The Counterstroke


Author : Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran





Blurb : War till death and beyond...
Seventeen century Hindustan. The Sunni Mughals rule the north even as the Deccan lies under the rule of the Shia kingdoms.
At a time when jagirdar Shivaji, a Maratha landholder from the western Deccan, is busy eliminating the self-serving, native landlords, Aurangzeb, third in the line to the Mughal throne, declares war on the Shia kingdoms. Shivaji does what no one has done before: he plunders Mughal terrain while Aurangzeb bathes the Deccan in blood. Aurangzeb hates the audacity of the kafir. It can set a dangerous precedent but first, he must forge a bloody path to the Mughal throne.
Frontiers of Karma is the story of Raja Shivaji’s passion to create a swaraj for his people and Emperor Aurangzeb’s pathological obsession to eliminate Shivaji and his ideology. The Counterstroke is the first part of the trilogy delineating Shivaji’s astounding confrontation with Aurangzeb’s brilliant politics.


About the Author : The author is a microbiologist and has worked for food and pharmaceutical companies in marketing as well as business development in countries like Germany, India and the United Arab Emirates. She was also a freelance health columnist for a leading newspaper in the Gulf for several years. Now she is a full time writer and pursues farming as a hobby.


My View : Frontiers of Karma The Counterstroke is a historical fiction. The kooky title of the book doesn’t propound anything about the book to its readers; but the attractive cover gives a clue that the story may be related to a king or kingdom or maybe a war.


The story revolves around two main protagonists named Shivaji and Aurangzeb. The prologue of the book was written so well that it will definitely fill the reader with the excitement to locate more in the book and discover it. The description of the places is done in a commendable way and it looks realistic; the details in the book are fascinating to read. The book offers different facets about Shivaji’s character and promises to provide a sail through the incidents of his life. The blurb of the book does not unravel so much about the book but it is enough to set the readers on reading track in no time.


I am not a history lover but this book was written in such a manner that it will definitely attract its readers. The beauty of episodes described in book clearly shows the research authoress has done; there is no doubt that the authoress had put on her efforts to glean all the information flawless so as to pen down a story on the beam. Articulation of the sentences is very much impressive and catchy that will definitely prod a reader to trace out the reading track.


The story was written so wonderfully and the narration of the story was up to the mark; I found a smooth flow while reading the story and this was because of the good narration which author had submerged in the book while writing. I was completely hooked to the book from the beginning till the end. Authoress has done a neat characterization in the book.


There are a few typing mistakes here and there which will detach a reader from the reading journey thus resulting in losing the focused attention. Such mistakes should be dig out to make the story more compelling. I locate that the some of the chapters in the book are slow paced but the theme which the book holds is admirable.


A nice read! Recommended to history lovers.



Rating : 4/5


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