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Labyrinth: Short Stories
The Labyrinth consists of 15 stories, each belonging to a different genre. This is to keep you on the edge with each turn in the alleys of the Labyrinth.
Labyrinth: Short Stories is an array of fifteen tales that cover genres like adventure, romance, paranormal, fantasy, history, and many more.
Summary Of The Book
Labyrinth: Short Stories, published in 2012, is a collection of fifteen short stories written by various Indian authors. Each tale belongs to a different genre and era, thereby giving this book a unique and refreshing feel. Labyrinth: Short Stories starts off with The Martyr, which has been written by Mainak Dhar. It revolves around young Kemal who finds himself in the middle of a war in Afghanistan. Puppet Show, by Aditi Chincholi, explains how a doctor cannot find a way to break a spell that has been cast over the natives of a valley.
Bagheera Log Huts takes readers into the heart of an Indian jungle, where the search for a wild cat turns into an unexpected adventure. Shawn Pereira’s I'll Be Back describes an out-of-body experience, which shows how things can take a downward spiral when one is caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Aditi Chincholi’s second story, Sym World, is set in a fantasy land which the protagonist Kyoto has willingly entered, but cannot find a way out. In Mortified, written by Jeevan Varma, readers will find themselves in a small Indian township where a mortified Sharmaji is going to be attacked. This is followed by Crashing Impacts, a tale of love and sacrifice that spans almost ten years.
Rishabh Chaturvedi’s The Night Of The Wokambee describes how Revant is in a quandary when a strange creature visits his house every night. Both Mists of Time by Niharika Puri, and Russkaya Rulyetka by Shawn Pereira, illustrate how a person makes impulsive decisions when he is overcome with rage and jealousy. Candies shows readers that the pursuit of love is filled with ups and downs. Travel Through The Night, authored by Rishabh Chaturvedi, follows the protagonist into dense sugarcane plantations, where he encounters strange spirits who block his path. A Day of Battle is set during the great epic battle of the Mahabharata, and the author Abhishek Dwivedi shares stories of the bravery of some of the best warriors that this world has ever seen. The next story, Farming On Facebook by Sushant Dharwadkar, takes a huge time leap, and shows how the present generation is unaware of the real world, as their focus lies only on the screens in front of them.
About The Authors
Labyrinth: Short Stories has been written by Mainak Dhar, Richard Fernandes, Jeevan Verma, Rishabh Chaturvedi, Niharika Puri, Aditi Chincholi, Abhishek Dwivedi, Sushant Dharwadkar, Rohit Das, and Shawn Pereira. They are a part of the initiative by Litizen.com. Professionally they are accountants, chefs, media professionals, doctors, and students.
Labyrinth: Short Stories is an array of fifteen tales that cover genres like adventure, romance, paranormal, fantasy, history, and many more.
Summary Of The Book
Labyrinth: Short Stories, published in 2012, is a collection of fifteen short stories written by various Indian authors. Each tale belongs to a different genre and era, thereby giving this book a unique and refreshing feel. Labyrinth: Short Stories starts off with The Martyr, which has been written by Mainak Dhar. It revolves around young Kemal who finds himself in the middle of a war in Afghanistan. Puppet Show, by Aditi Chincholi, explains how a doctor cannot find a way to break a spell that has been cast over the natives of a valley.
Bagheera Log Huts takes readers into the heart of an Indian jungle, where the search for a wild cat turns into an unexpected adventure. Shawn Pereira’s I'll Be Back describes an out-of-body experience, which shows how things can take a downward spiral when one is caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Aditi Chincholi’s second story, Sym World, is set in a fantasy land which the protagonist Kyoto has willingly entered, but cannot find a way out. In Mortified, written by Jeevan Varma, readers will find themselves in a small Indian township where a mortified Sharmaji is going to be attacked. This is followed by Crashing Impacts, a tale of love and sacrifice that spans almost ten years.
Rishabh Chaturvedi’s The Night Of The Wokambee describes how Revant is in a quandary when a strange creature visits his house every night. Both Mists of Time by Niharika Puri, and Russkaya Rulyetka by Shawn Pereira, illustrate how a person makes impulsive decisions when he is overcome with rage and jealousy. Candies shows readers that the pursuit of love is filled with ups and downs. Travel Through The Night, authored by Rishabh Chaturvedi, follows the protagonist into dense sugarcane plantations, where he encounters strange spirits who block his path. A Day of Battle is set during the great epic battle of the Mahabharata, and the author Abhishek Dwivedi shares stories of the bravery of some of the best warriors that this world has ever seen. The next story, Farming On Facebook by Sushant Dharwadkar, takes a huge time leap, and shows how the present generation is unaware of the real world, as their focus lies only on the screens in front of them.
About The Authors
Labyrinth: Short Stories has been written by Mainak Dhar, Richard Fernandes, Jeevan Verma, Rishabh Chaturvedi, Niharika Puri, Aditi Chincholi, Abhishek Dwivedi, Sushant Dharwadkar, Rohit Das, and Shawn Pereira. They are a part of the initiative by Litizen.com. Professionally they are accountants, chefs, media professionals, doctors, and students.
221 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
4 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Mainak Dhar
58 books277 followersAfter finishing his schooling at Modern School, Barakhamba Road and his under-graduation at Hindu College, Delhi, Mainak Dhar graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He has spent two decades in the corporate sector — starting with Procter & Gamble in India. He spent eighteen years with P&G, fifteen of them outside India across the Asia Pacific region. In 2014, he moved back to India as the CEO of the India operations of a major consumer products multinational.
A self-described cubicle dweller by day and writer by night, Mainak is also the author of over a dozen books, some of which have been bestsellers in India and abroad. These books have been translated into Turkish, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, German and Portuguese. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Puja, and their son, Aaditya. When not at work or with his family, he can usually be found working on, or thinking about his next book. Learn more about him and contact him at www.facebook.com/AuthorMainakDhar.
A self-described cubicle dweller by day and writer by night, Mainak is also the author of over a dozen books, some of which have been bestsellers in India and abroad. These books have been translated into Turkish, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, German and Portuguese. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, Puja, and their son, Aaditya. When not at work or with his family, he can usually be found working on, or thinking about his next book. Learn more about him and contact him at www.facebook.com/AuthorMainakDhar.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 20, 2012
Labyrinth is a collection of short stories by various writers published under the umbrella of litizen.com. An anthology of short stories by lesser known Indian writers sounded very exciting, but I was also skeptical about how the stories will be. I feel short stories are difficult to get right than novels because you have fewer words to convey your message to the reader. Thankfully, many of the authors manage to do just that.
The book opens with Mainak Dhar’s The Martyr which starts off like any other short story about Islam and Jehad, but takes an ironic twist in the end which just leaves you sad. Aditi Chincholi’s Puppet Show, one of the best stories in the book, sets an eery, creepy tone that makes you have goosebumps. The plot, the tone, the climax – everything about this story is just right. I will definitely look forward to reading more stories from the same author.
Some stories lack the same hold on the plot, like Rishabh Chaturvedi’s Bagheera Log Huts, which I felt was a bit too long for what the story wanted to convey. Shawn Periera’s I’ll Be Back is just the opposite: it is so short, it ends before you even get into the story. The idea of this story is interesting and the author could have developed it more.
With Sym – World, Aditi Chincholia proves she can handle a different genre with the same confidence. She weaves a story of virtual reality where the thin line between reality and virtual world fades and the worlds merge into one. I enjoyed this story thoroughly and was wondering how the author would end this. I was a bit disappointed with the climax, but after hindsight, the story could not have had a better ending. Jeevan Verma’s Mortified provides a comic twist to what could have been a tragic end and gets a chuckle out of you. Richard Fernandes’ Crashing Impacts tugs at your heart and makes you think and question about moral issues and guilty conscience.
Rishabh Chaturvedi’s The Night of the Wokambee sets the eerie tone back and takes us into an edge-of-the-seat ride only to give a neat twist to the story. Niharika Puri’s Mists of Time deals with adultery and moral issues with an emotional punch. Rohit Das Candies is a nice, little story which could have been developed better. Rishabh Chaturvedi’s Travel Through the Night gives us a taste of the supernatural world and has a nice twist in the end.
Shawn Periera’s Russkaya Rulyetka takes you on a roller coaster ride full of emotions: morose, anger, hatred, frustration and more. A well written story which leave a huge impact on the reader. Sushant Dharwadkar’s Farming on Facebook paints an ironic picture of the great divide that exists in India between the haves and the have-nots.
Abhishes Dwivedi’s A Day of Battle and Risabh Chaturvedi’s The Labyrinth take us into the world of mythology, the former Indian and the latter Greek. Both these stories were new to me, so I particularly enjoyed both of them.
If you are looking for some refreshing writing from the local authors along with you daily cup of tea, pick up this book and you won’t be disappointed. There are some very promising writers featured here and I can’t wait for the next anthology to be released.
The book opens with Mainak Dhar’s The Martyr which starts off like any other short story about Islam and Jehad, but takes an ironic twist in the end which just leaves you sad. Aditi Chincholi’s Puppet Show, one of the best stories in the book, sets an eery, creepy tone that makes you have goosebumps. The plot, the tone, the climax – everything about this story is just right. I will definitely look forward to reading more stories from the same author.
Some stories lack the same hold on the plot, like Rishabh Chaturvedi’s Bagheera Log Huts, which I felt was a bit too long for what the story wanted to convey. Shawn Periera’s I’ll Be Back is just the opposite: it is so short, it ends before you even get into the story. The idea of this story is interesting and the author could have developed it more.
With Sym – World, Aditi Chincholia proves she can handle a different genre with the same confidence. She weaves a story of virtual reality where the thin line between reality and virtual world fades and the worlds merge into one. I enjoyed this story thoroughly and was wondering how the author would end this. I was a bit disappointed with the climax, but after hindsight, the story could not have had a better ending. Jeevan Verma’s Mortified provides a comic twist to what could have been a tragic end and gets a chuckle out of you. Richard Fernandes’ Crashing Impacts tugs at your heart and makes you think and question about moral issues and guilty conscience.
Rishabh Chaturvedi’s The Night of the Wokambee sets the eerie tone back and takes us into an edge-of-the-seat ride only to give a neat twist to the story. Niharika Puri’s Mists of Time deals with adultery and moral issues with an emotional punch. Rohit Das Candies is a nice, little story which could have been developed better. Rishabh Chaturvedi’s Travel Through the Night gives us a taste of the supernatural world and has a nice twist in the end.
Shawn Periera’s Russkaya Rulyetka takes you on a roller coaster ride full of emotions: morose, anger, hatred, frustration and more. A well written story which leave a huge impact on the reader. Sushant Dharwadkar’s Farming on Facebook paints an ironic picture of the great divide that exists in India between the haves and the have-nots.
Abhishes Dwivedi’s A Day of Battle and Risabh Chaturvedi’s The Labyrinth take us into the world of mythology, the former Indian and the latter Greek. Both these stories were new to me, so I particularly enjoyed both of them.
If you are looking for some refreshing writing from the local authors along with you daily cup of tea, pick up this book and you won’t be disappointed. There are some very promising writers featured here and I can’t wait for the next anthology to be released.
March 9, 2025
I enjoyed reading this book. It is a collection of many short stories. Some stories are quite good and are fun to read. Some are average. But overall, I liked the book. The stories cover a wide range of genres including thriller, mystery, comedy etc. Since it has many short stories, we do not need to complete it in a single seating or two to avoid the breakage of the flow of reading. This is because the stories are independent of each other and therefore, we can resume the other stories whenever we want.
October 16, 2013
I always get excited when i read short stories because for me it is much more difficult to write than a novel. The writer has limited space to develop a story and then conclude it too which really makes it quite difficult.
This book also is a similar collection of short stories where litizen.com has done a wonderful job by bringing first time writers and then put it all together. A real commendable effort for sure.
There are 15 short stories and every single one is different from the other which really makes it an interesting read. The Martyr, Sym - World, Mortified, Mists of Time, Candies, Russkaya and a Day of Battle were the best ones there. Amazingly all these writers managed to do complete justice with the story even though they had few pages to do all. Rest were also good even though I have not put their names here.
I will definitely look forward to the next book from litizen as they are doing a super work by providing a platform to all those individuals in India who generally don't get a chance to get their own creation published.
This book also is a similar collection of short stories where litizen.com has done a wonderful job by bringing first time writers and then put it all together. A real commendable effort for sure.
There are 15 short stories and every single one is different from the other which really makes it an interesting read. The Martyr, Sym - World, Mortified, Mists of Time, Candies, Russkaya and a Day of Battle were the best ones there. Amazingly all these writers managed to do complete justice with the story even though they had few pages to do all. Rest were also good even though I have not put their names here.
I will definitely look forward to the next book from litizen as they are doing a super work by providing a platform to all those individuals in India who generally don't get a chance to get their own creation published.
August 23, 2015
The best part about Labyrinth is it doesn't conform to any one genre.. Its like listening to a set of your favourite songs in the 'shuffle' mode, not knowing which one is coming next in line..
Same is true about the lengths of the stories.. Where on one hand stories like Crashing impacts, Sym-World, Travel through the night build the plot to keep the reader glued to the book; others like A day of battle, Farming on Facebook, Candies deliver the punch in very few words..
Same is true about the lengths of the stories.. Where on one hand stories like Crashing impacts, Sym-World, Travel through the night build the plot to keep the reader glued to the book; others like A day of battle, Farming on Facebook, Candies deliver the punch in very few words..
May 5, 2013
All stories had a similar blueprint,apart from that i really liked this book. Few stories were incredible
July 28, 2016
Most of the stories are too long, beyond toleration and even comprehension..over all it is very a boring collection of short stories.
April 13, 2019
I loOVED THIS BOOK! There was variety, imagination, newness... and what not, in this riveting collection of short stories. I read this book around six years ago, came across this here and couldn't stop from reviewing. Maybe this is why i created this account, lel { purpose found, yay, ♪(┌・。・)┌}.
Though there were few parts which weren't quite as good as the rest, you'll just feel like sky rocketing through them, but that shouldn't be a problem. All the nice ones get tiring at a time. So feel free(nah, it's 140/-) to nosh this up and heighten your insomnia. It's worth it, worth the dark circles.
PS: Meanwhile i'm trying to obtain my copy from the forgotten corners of my bookshelf to re- read.
Though there were few parts which weren't quite as good as the rest, you'll just feel like sky rocketing through them, but that shouldn't be a problem. All the nice ones get tiring at a time. So feel free(nah, it's 140/-) to nosh this up and heighten your insomnia. It's worth it, worth the dark circles.
PS: Meanwhile i'm trying to obtain my copy from the forgotten corners of my bookshelf to re- read.
February 25, 2024
Good anthology from Indian Writers
April 3, 2020
I had picked this short stories collection long back and like most of my books just got around to reading it just few days ago. I should have picked it sooner. The stories are varried and different but all are good. I liked Labyrinth, Martyr and everything actually. Very much liked this collection. You should pick this too.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
February 24, 2016
A great attempt by Indian writers !!
This book is simple and covers different genres which is surprising and a delight to read.
The book starts with one of my favorites, The Martyr by Mainak Dhar which is harsh , hard hitting and leaves you sad.
Both the short stories by Aditi Chincholi , Puppet Show and Sym-World will take you to a different world. Both these stories are fresh , unique and will certainly be most appreciated in the lot.
Travel through the Night, Night of the Wokambee and The Labyrinth by Rishabh Chaturvedi will leave you spellbound. However, Bagheera Log Huts by the same author is long and stretched unnecessarily and not that impressive.
Russkaya Rulyetka is again a great story with a lesson. It is beautifully written and certainly one of my favorites.
Other favourites are Crashing Impacts , Mists of time, Candies and A day of battle.
This Book is definitely worth reading.
This book is simple and covers different genres which is surprising and a delight to read.
The book starts with one of my favorites, The Martyr by Mainak Dhar which is harsh , hard hitting and leaves you sad.
Both the short stories by Aditi Chincholi , Puppet Show and Sym-World will take you to a different world. Both these stories are fresh , unique and will certainly be most appreciated in the lot.
Travel through the Night, Night of the Wokambee and The Labyrinth by Rishabh Chaturvedi will leave you spellbound. However, Bagheera Log Huts by the same author is long and stretched unnecessarily and not that impressive.
Russkaya Rulyetka is again a great story with a lesson. It is beautifully written and certainly one of my favorites.
Other favourites are Crashing Impacts , Mists of time, Candies and A day of battle.
This Book is definitely worth reading.
May 27, 2013
A new initiative, this book particularly intrigued me because of the names behind it. Each and every story gives you a small glimpse into the life of India. Some stories are short, others not so short. However, at the end of every story, you are left asking for more.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves and appreciates short stories and has recently completed a heavy book.
I am a fan and would definitely get the next edition.
Thanks
Aurindam
about.me/aurindamm
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves and appreciates short stories and has recently completed a heavy book.
I am a fan and would definitely get the next edition.
Thanks
Aurindam
about.me/aurindamm
June 4, 2012
This is an awesum book. I read it on my kindle. It has stories writtten by authors allover the world. I loved the book cover too...The stories make you think after reading..Loved Dr merryfloat , a real crazy crazy doc in a crazier town , Farming on facebook almost bought a teardrop-it's a simple story and shows how screwed up we have all become in todays day and age..
June 4, 2012
labyrinth short stories is a very interesting book.Each story has something to offer and comes from a diff genre so it it not boring and monotonous.A good read when u just want to read something for fun and not sink into for days. A must for short story lovers the best thing about this book is if u r interested in writing u can also get published with them.
July 7, 2013
I picked up this book after reading the reviews but to say the least I was disappointed, barring 2-3 stories other stories were a waste of time. Some stories picked up quite nicely but the end was a damp squib.
However, certain stories are well written, my personal favourites being
Sym world, travelling through the night, end of the battle.
However, certain stories are well written, my personal favourites being
Sym world, travelling through the night, end of the battle.
May 5, 2013
A great collection of stories plucked from different branches of life. But last story "Labyrinth" was really a disappointment. No proper research was done. To own the story, the writer bends to much of known aspects of the myth....
August 20, 2013
Some of the stories were actually quite good, but for most part you could tell this was a collection of stories from amateur writers. Enjoyable in part but some stories were just too painfully bad to even read.
April 5, 2015
This book is one of the best anthologies by Indian authors till date.My favourite stories from this book are:
THE MARTYR
PUPPET SHOW
I'LL BE BACK
CANDIES
SYM-WORLD
THE LABYRINTHFARMING ON FACEBOOK
Each story is so imaginative and different that you will immerse yourself in it.
THE MARTYR
PUPPET SHOW
I'LL BE BACK
CANDIES
SYM-WORLD
THE LABYRINTHFARMING ON FACEBOOK
Each story is so imaginative and different that you will immerse yourself in it.
October 4, 2015
There is just something about short stories that gets me satisfied. Maybe I am the attention deficit generation type. Who can't push through a thick novel. Some stories in here were pathetic but the few awesome ones more than compensated for the bad ones.
Read
June 21, 2012Be prepared to be awed by this short story collection by a sprinkling of Indian authors.
January 28, 2013
Some of the stories were real though provoking, some quite abstract and some other just jumbled thoughts.
But still I have a great hope for almost all the authors.
But still I have a great hope for almost all the authors.
February 8, 2013
This is a nice drive to publish stories of part time writers. Some of the stories are excellent. Worth a read.
April 3, 2013
some of the stories are actually good... the book is not very well edite though...
July 2, 2013
Some really clever plots.
January 9, 2015
Varied genre and localized style. Puppet Show, Sym - World \m/
Litizen.com's collection is promising.
Litizen.com's collection is promising.
September 10, 2016
some stories are really nice.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews