Book Review – The Last War & Other Stories -Theliteraturetoday

THE LAST WAR and other stories by author Sambit Daspatnaik. The artwork in the book is also by the latter. It is published by Evince Publishing and was released on 29th January 2020. 

War doesn’t determine who is right, only who is left. All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal. Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding. There is no morality in war. Morality is the privilege of those judging from the distance. War is only death and destruction.

Do you like reading Science- fiction? Do you like reading futuristic books? Do you like reading fantasy fiction books? And do you like reading Mythological fiction books?  What if we get all this in 1 book itself?! 5 fantastic, fabulous stories penned down beautifully in a single book! 

The first story, “THE LAST WAR” is the lengthiest of the lot. It has 9 chapters and is based of mythology. The year was 2080 BCE… The epic Mahabharata war that was fought thousands of years ago between the Pandavas and the Kauravas was thought to be the last. The descendants of the Pandavas and the Kauravas (Pauravas) faced a mammoth invasion by the Gandharvas. The Pauravas had to face new challenges to save the land of Bharata (Ancient India). New lessons were learned, old secrets were unveiled and new allies were made. Would the Pauravas be able to save the city of Moenjo and Hariapa? Would the Ancient Aliens (the sky Gods) really come to their rescue? This story has a map in the beginning to demarcate Bharata, the way it was in 2080 BCE. It talks about the last Ice Age. There is use of vernacular language in the story.  The meanings are given alongwith the words instead of in a glossary which is placed normally at the back of a book. This way is much more convenient and gives ease to the reader. The old names of places, mentioned in the story are also written alongwith their new and present names for easy understanding of the reader. This story talks about deivi astras ( divine celestial weapons). The narration is very descriptive and engaging. The story is mind boggling and the writing style is intriguing and it literally gives goosebumps to the reader. The story ends with a family tree showing the Pandavas and the Kauravas Ancestry. The story has pictures and illustrations for amplified effect. The story’s ending gives way to a story to be told in the future. This story is in itself capable of being written as a standalone book. 

Let’s talk about the second story now, “GENESIS”. Can we really rely on an extra-terrestrial object as the source of unlimited power? What would be the repercussion? This story talks about space ships, orbiting around twin stars ‘Orlos’ and ‘Diana’ at the far end of the Orion constellation. It talks about the discovery of a small planet thousands of light years away. There are drones and robots in the story. It is based on a futuristic view of earth. There is a nuclear explosion that happens in the story too. What will happen now? Will life cease to exist? We get answers of all these questions here.

The third story, “THE HOLY TEMPLE OF EULA” is very interesting too. A team of researchers went to an alien planet that was inhabited by humanoid species. However, they were faced by an imminent danger. Would Captain Hari get an answer to the imminent threat that lies ahead for his crew? Every story in the book starts with a picture. It talks about an alien humanoid species with spiritual extra- sensory perception. It focuses on Telepathy as the main mode of communication. I am intrigued with the varied concepts and the story line on which this book is based.

The fourth story, “BLINK” talks about spaceships, humanoids evolved from the feline family and vision. Anna hated her eyes, until their space ship met with an imminent danger. But what you think as a curse can turn out to be your greatest blessing in a blink of an eye.

The fifth and the last story “RESURRECTION” is way beyond imagination. It talks about resurrecting the Sun. It talks about our planet Earth and the planet Mars too. What if our Sun was on the verge of extinction? And what if we could resurrect our dying star? 

Sambit Daspatnaik offers a collection of Science Fiction stories and fantasies to trigger our mind to explore the unexplored and to ask What If! 183 pages of amazing, hair- spiking 5 stories clubbed together in a book. The book is available for INR 260/- paperback and for INR 119/- for kindle edition. A fantastic read showcasing the author’s vivid imagination.

Ratings: 4.5/5

Author Name:  Sambit Daspatnaik
Book Title: The Last War: & Other Stories 
Publisher: Evincepub Publishing (29 January 2020)                          Paperback: 183 pages                                                                   Buy Book: Amazon  Store                                                  Reviewed by  Noor at Theliteraturetoday

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