You know how they say “the journey is more important than the destination”? Well it seems like the writer took it quite seriously. Although the plot was pretty interesting, after a point, the story lost its momentum and became monotonous because it stuck to a flat plotline: the whole “journey to Shambhala” charade. With some fairly predictable twists, the book stays true to its genre. And like any other mystical adventure, the book has a hero who needs to save the world in his own way, a sidekick with the real skills, a man and a woman who initially hate each other but later end up falling in love, several masala action sequences, a few “not at all relevant to the plot” fights, some fairly irreparable damage to a rich side-character and deaths of some others.The story is set in the year 1986. The protagonist, Henry Ashton, is a retired British Army officer who lives in Yorkshire Dales with Duggy, a retired Ghurkha Sergeant, receives a letter from a monk he had befriended while staying at a monastery in Laos, requesting him to retrieve “a treasure” that has been stolen from the monastery and has fallen into the wrong hands. Thus along with Duggy, he looks for people who can accompany him on this mission and comes across Susan, a mathematician from Oxford obsessed with Shambhala for some personal reasons of her own. They also hire Peter, a mercenary on the run from the US government and the best guide possible, who was aware as to how to tackle situations in warzones and other possible obstacles that they’d find. They travel from one warzone area to another, facing various hindrances, defeating the bad guys on their way in search for Shambhala based on clues that Susan helps to decipher.Although the plot is interesting, the story seems a little stretched at various points. There was way too much back story for all the events that took place and the lack of a linear time line made the story look more than just a little abrupt. Random characters were given too much airtime.Normally, meticulousness is a very good aspect in a book but you have to know when it gets more than required. At a lot of war sequences, the details about the weapons, the scenario, and the bad guys became unnecessary padding for the book.Summing up, though the plot was engrossing, it wasn’t enough to keep the reader glued to the book.Originally reviewed at Vaultofbooks.com, a close-knit community of fanatical readers. We are looking for perceptive readers who can write well, and we are eager to provide lots of free books in exchange for reviews. Shoot us a mail at contact@vaultofbooks.com

Phew , that is the literal reaction which i had after I finished the book.A long long book..The Books starts by the Teacher getting killed by a disciple in a monastery , Another Monk killing himself while delivering a note to Henry Ashton.The journey taken by Ashton and duggy to the mythological place.Enter Susan and Peter the accomplice of ashton in the adventure.Josh Wando taking the same adventure for is redemption , CIA getting involved .With CIA enters operatives , Hamilton and lots and lots of people.The adventure takes us through , London to Africa to India to Pakistan to Afghanistan and ends up near Afghanistan-china border.what i liked1) The great details with which the author has built up major characters. -- the story of Ashton from malaya to vietene to laos and the techings he has in laos. -- Susan and the reason why she gets involved -- Peter and his history and operative and his nature and experience. -- Josh wando and his motive2) The details with which each encounter has been explained . -- the Afghanistan dera border event -- the climax and the fight3) Each character has been explained and built up properly.4) The places have been described beautifully (I am tempted to take the trek myself :))5) The language is simple and nice.what i dint like1) There are lots of subplots which were not required.2) Lots of diversion from the main story and could be avoided.3) The length of the book and difficulty to move on from irrelevant parts.4) The name of the book does not have any relevance till the end.Overall a good debut by the author , who has done good research and makes be believe lots of rituals and events. Just that i got bored of subplots and the length i give it 3.5 / 5Devil D

A retired British Army Officer, a retired Gorkha Sergeant, an Oxford mathematician and an American mercenary come together for an adventure of a lifetime. When a treasure is stolen from a Laotian Monastery, these people come together to track it and stop it from being misused. The story is fanned out from England to the United States to Tibet to Laos to Africa to India and Pakistan, covering a major part of the world. And that is not all… The story also spans over different timelines.The characters of the story are well fleshed out. Each character has a distinct trait that makes him/her stand apart from their counterparts and gives them a unique identity. Even some of the supporting characters come out strong in the story. The plot is a rather intricate one that plays over different continents and over different timelines. Yet the author has managed to paint a very clear picture of the story. It would have been rather easy to get lost and confused but the clarity with which the author has narrated the story not only makes it easy for the readers to follow it but is also easy to get engulfed in this world where Shambala exists. The dialogues, the action and the detailed description of the settings and the background are well done and all of them add different flavours to the story.It is really difficult for a reader to accept that this is a work from a debut author because such seamless spinning of a tale is usually expected from a much more seasoned author. I will be keeping an eye out for the next book from this author while you guys go and pick this one up.

This was quite a treat - a very well-written, well researched action-adventure-thriller by an Indian author. In keeping with other bestsellers in this genre, the 'quest' is for the secrets Shambhala is supposed to hold. The book begins with an intriguing murder sequence and the suspense and action build up very well against the backdrop of the history, legends and mystical aura surrounding Shambhala and the Kalachakra. Possibly due to the author's experience as a serving army officer, the war and action sequences are realistic and gripping. Hopefully, this is only the first in a series of such books. Look forward to more from the author!