The Secret Of The Nagas

Amish Tripathi

 

The Secret of the Nagas is the second novel of the Shiva trilogy series by the Indian author Amish Tripathi. The story takes place in the imaginary land of Meluha and narrates how the inhabitants of that land are saved from their wars by a nomad named Shiva. It begins from where its predecessor, The Immortals of Meluha, left off, with Shiva trying to save Sati from the invading Naga. Later Shiva takes his troop of soldiers and travels far east to the land of Branga, where he wishes to find a clue to reach the Naga people. Shiva also learns that Sati's first child is still alive, as well as her twin sister. His journey ultimately leads him to the Naga capital of Panchavati, where he finds a surprise waiting for him.


The Secret of the Nagas was in high demand before its release, with 80,000 copies pre-ordered. The book quickly reached the top of best-seller listings, selling 95,000 copies the first month, before going for a re-print. Over 1.7 million copies of the Shiva Trilogy (The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras) books have been sold and a gross retail sales of over 40 crore (US$6.9 million). Although the book was commercially successful, The Secret of the Nagas received mixed reviews from critics. While it received praise for its "impressive conception" and story development, it also received criticism for Tripathi's usage of non-literary language.

The first book ended on a rather surprising note and I must warn you, the second book ends on a shocking one. Starting over from where Sati was left under attack by a Naga, the episode turns into a dramatic action sequence. From there, the story picks up and Shiva and Sati both start their journey from Swadweep to Kashi and several other kingdoms, with just one motto in mind- to find the evil Naga who killed Shiva’s best friend Brahaspati. Vengeance is the only thing on Shiva’s mind and he will not stop at any cost. For this, he is ready to make a deal with any devil. His dark path is surely to lead him on till the gates of the serpent kingdom.
In this journey, Shiva and his team come across the fact that an evil plague is rising everywhere and certainly, in most of the kingdoms, it has already risen. Simultaneously, a prince is murdered, an entire kingdom is dying and treachery seeps in from the most unexpected place- the perfect kingdom of Meluha!