As soon as I opened the package containing the book, the cover caught my sight with its beautifully blending colors and the magnificent design of a keep at the center of the cover. The blurb on the back did the trick which it is supposed to do. It enticed me to dive in the book immediately. The mysterious Azmoqian weapons and unearthing of an old forgotten legend are all that you need to get yourself immersed in the book.
I have always felt envious about fantasy writers who can create the entire new universe with all the complexities like geography, society, culture, economics and add a dash of mysteries to it like a cherry on top. When I realized that Age of Azmoq is Rajamayyoor Sharma’s debut novel, I got extremely jealous. Now as you know about my jealousy about his talent, you must have got some idea about the fabulous world he has created in this book. The book is a story of a Villasboro lad who is out on the quest of getting the justice for his loved ones. But as the title says, “Age of Azmoq, Book 1: The Valentian Imperium’, this is just the first book of the series. We are in for a long journey through this fantasy world containing rarest and most coveted metal, Azmoq. Though I am not much of a book series fan, I am very excited for the next one.
The way Sharma open up the secrets throughout the book is the most fascinating part. You are told only those things which you need to understand the events described in next few pages. Small nuggets of knowledge about mysteries and legends from past are revealed on a ‘need to know’ basis. Along with these nuggets, you get the staple doses of wisdom. It’s not unique to find such small bits of wisdom in a fantasy, we have had the wisdom of General Iroh in Avatar: the last airbender. Rajamayyor has mastered the same perfect blend. I like the contrast between the protagonist’s optimistic nature who wants to put everything to the good use in spite of the whole world is busy in the power struggle and putting the Azmoq in use only for its destructive powers.
I am very thankful to Rajamayyor that he did the amazing thing of self-publishing the book. I have few suggestions for the printing and font. The small font makes it bit tough to read but thanks to the captivating plot, I didn’t even think of leaving it halfway. Being a mapmaker by profession, I am very much aware of the difficulties in designing a cool map even of the known world. However, illustrators had done a great job of producing a map of a fantasy world. It would have been great and more easy to understand the geography if the map could be printed in a larger size. Other illustrations in the book are as cool as the map.
I am glad that even after doing MBA from IIM Bangalore and engineering from a prestigious BITS Pilani, Rajamayyor has not walked on the set path of writing same old ‘on-off college romance’ novels. Instead, he came up with this amazing idea of creating a series of novels which will be a tale of Azmoqian legends and mysteries which can make you most powerful in the world if you wield it. All in all, It’s a wonderful enticing read. Go grab your copy from nearest bookstores or hit on the links below.
My rating: 3.5/5
Paperback
Publisher: Self Published (2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1976882087
ISBN-13: 978-1976882081
Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 2.8 x 20.3 cm
It’s a day 2 and after our trip to the Scottish stories, it’s a time to hit the roads in Chicago to meet Mr. Ben Marcus. Ben was born on 11th October 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Ben has been writing short stories, essays in leading American periodicals. Ben has been fascinated by some wonderful storytellers like Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, Donald Barthelme, Richard Yates, Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Bernhard, Padgett Powell, J. M. Coetzee, Kōbō Abe, Gary Lutz, and George Saunders.
I am intrigued by the book because of the span it covers in terms of the writing of the story. The way it deals with loneliness, isolation, death and frustration in dark, funny and unique way puts this book on my TBR list.
