Welcome to Book Cover Justice's stop on the Trade Winds to Meluhha Virtual Book Tour! You can find the list of all other blog stops by clicking the image above.
Trade Winds to Meluhha by Vasant Davé
From Goodreads:
In the year 2138 BC, Samasin worked as a stable boy with a wealthy Babylonian named NERGAL. One day he was falsely implicated in the murder of a foreign trader. Tipped off by Nergal's divorced wife ELATI about risk to his life, he fled to the distant land of Meluhha in search of SIWA SAQRA whose name the dying man had uttered. During the voyage, he met a beautiful damsel, VELLI. He fell in her love but was dismayed to find that she was still devoted to a person who had jilted her. He also met ANU, a Mesopotamian woman who concealed her identity because she was determined to search out a couple of faceless men for revenge.
On the way, Samasin learnt about a board etched with ten glyphs (actually excavated on the site of Dholavira) and with Anu's help deciphered them, leading to an adventure in the ravines of the Saraswathi. He faced a series of obstacles including a few which almost killed him. Then he found that they were manoeuvred. Finally when he met Siwa Saqra, he learnt that there was more to the murder in Babylon than met the eye.
Circumstances brought all the characters together in Babylon when with awe they discovered the stark reality about the trade between Meluhha and Mesopotamia, and the brain behind it. A trial before Babylon's Council of Elders ended in a serious counter-allegation that jeopardized the lives of the judiciary itself. That was when Anu spoke up and the villain escaped. A hot pursuit ensued beyond the Lower Sea. The narrative ends in some happy weddings.
On the way, Samasin learnt about a board etched with ten glyphs (actually excavated on the site of Dholavira) and with Anu's help deciphered them, leading to an adventure in the ravines of the Saraswathi. He faced a series of obstacles including a few which almost killed him. Then he found that they were manoeuvred. Finally when he met Siwa Saqra, he learnt that there was more to the murder in Babylon than met the eye.
Circumstances brought all the characters together in Babylon when with awe they discovered the stark reality about the trade between Meluhha and Mesopotamia, and the brain behind it. A trial before Babylon's Council of Elders ended in a serious counter-allegation that jeopardized the lives of the judiciary itself. That was when Anu spoke up and the villain escaped. A hot pursuit ensued beyond the Lower Sea. The narrative ends in some happy weddings.
My Thoughts:
The Setting: This novel takes place in 2138 B.C. I originally thought this might become an issue for me because honestly, history and geography aren't really my friends. I was wrong. The author does such an amazing job describing places and scenes that I could fully picture it all in my head. Down to the last detail, we are given such a clear, amazing view of what life would have been like all that time ago.
The Storyline: Even though the main storyline of this book is Samasin's search for the true murderer of the crime for which he has been blamed, so much more is happening. There's murder, adventure and even love. Samasin's travels will keep you glued to the pages and anxious to see what happens to him next.
The Writing: With all the information given to us in this book, I was a little surprised at how easy it was to read (after I got familiar with the names, of course lol). Davé's writing flowed nicely and was never weighed down with unnecessary "filler". Davé clearly did a lot of research for this story and it showed. Not only was it entertaining, but it also provided quite the history lesson. The blending of the two was expertly done.
Overall, Trade Winds to Meluhha was a pleasure to read. I usually don't read historical fiction so I have to say I'm glad I gave this one a chance. I believe these is something in this book for everyone, no matter what your genre of choice is!
Thank you to Vasant Davé for the opportunity to take part in Trade Winds to Meluhha's Virtual Book Tour!
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Tiffany, Thank you for reviewing my historical novel 'Trade winds to Meluhha'. In case your esteemed readers have any question either about the book or the location of its setting (i.e. ancient Indus Valley Civilization), I would be pleased to answer.
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