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The Cryptic Key
What you see are not what they are.
What could be the reason for a software engineer to go missing? There are no motives, and the police turn up a blind alley. That is when a freak telephone call arouses the suspicion of the missing person’s brother-in-law, Krishna. Together with his friends, he starts to dig deeper. Things start to unfold – they find something. There are notes tucked away in the attic. Notes that have mysterious inscriptions in Sanskrit.
They talk about an encryption technique. They talk about a secret way. To what? A portal? A lost city? Or hidden treasure? Or the God Particle? Are all these mere myths or is there something beyond?
Overwhelmed by the research, a group sets out on a quest to find the missing person, using the trackers in his notes.
But they are not the only ones…
What could be the reason for a software engineer to go missing? There are no motives, and the police turn up a blind alley. That is when a freak telephone call arouses the suspicion of the missing person’s brother-in-law, Krishna. Together with his friends, he starts to dig deeper. Things start to unfold – they find something. There are notes tucked away in the attic. Notes that have mysterious inscriptions in Sanskrit.
They talk about an encryption technique. They talk about a secret way. To what? A portal? A lost city? Or hidden treasure? Or the God Particle? Are all these mere myths or is there something beyond?
Overwhelmed by the research, a group sets out on a quest to find the missing person, using the trackers in his notes.
But they are not the only ones…
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2017
6 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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June 19, 2018I came across this book when I was looking for books to review in one of the readers' groups I belong to. This book had immediately caught my attention. The Cryptic Key, written by Seshadri Subramaniam, is a mythological thriller similar to the likes of Ashwin Sanghi and Dan Brown. When the protagonists' brother-in-law goes missing, the characters in this book are set off into a wild goose chase that involves many, many different mythological elements.
It took me a while to finish this book due to my schedule not allowing me time to read. But, when I got into it I really enjoyed the book. The plot thickens quickly, leaving no word unused to jump right into the plot; there is a variety of different plot lines as well, so readers need to read with a keen eye to pick up all of the nuances in the book and remain on top of the story. The best thing about this book isn't the plot line or the characters though. Rather, it is the small details sprinkled throughout the book that make it worth the read. I was especially intrigued at mentions of the Katapayadi scheme. I am familiar with this decoding as a Carnatic music student; the raga classification system uses Katapayadi to assign numbers to all 72 of the ragams in the Melakarta system. I was never even acutely aware of how massive the Katapayadi scheme's reach is in our history and Puranic literature. Subramaniam uses these forms of well-researched details to his advantage to make this an especially intriguing read. Whenever any mention of history or research or even slokas occur, I immediately was in awe of the detail this author presents to create an extremely believable and gripping tale.
I especially really liked the use of ambiguousness with some character perspectives. The gatekeeper and other characters never really get their full characterization which definitely added to the excitement of the book- these characters bring about the climactic aura that was present in the ending. One thing that dampened the storytelling however was the quick switches of perspective; the quick switches in perspectives would cut the flow of the storytelling and make it hard to dive back into the flow of the story. Had these switches been avoided, the novel would have read even more crisply. Nonetheless, this book still maintains originality and was extremely well-written. For those who appreciate the art of succinct writing styles, they would definitely enjoy this novel. Even those who simply enjoy a good thriller would thoroughly cherish the reading experience that comes with this book. Above all though, mythology-thriller aficionados will simply grab onto this novel and never let go.
The Cryptic Key, therefore, is a well-written novel that can be appreciated regardless of tastes and background knowledge and can be applauded for its detail to history and the research put into building a realistic setting.
It took me a while to finish this book due to my schedule not allowing me time to read. But, when I got into it I really enjoyed the book. The plot thickens quickly, leaving no word unused to jump right into the plot; there is a variety of different plot lines as well, so readers need to read with a keen eye to pick up all of the nuances in the book and remain on top of the story. The best thing about this book isn't the plot line or the characters though. Rather, it is the small details sprinkled throughout the book that make it worth the read. I was especially intrigued at mentions of the Katapayadi scheme. I am familiar with this decoding as a Carnatic music student; the raga classification system uses Katapayadi to assign numbers to all 72 of the ragams in the Melakarta system. I was never even acutely aware of how massive the Katapayadi scheme's reach is in our history and Puranic literature. Subramaniam uses these forms of well-researched details to his advantage to make this an especially intriguing read. Whenever any mention of history or research or even slokas occur, I immediately was in awe of the detail this author presents to create an extremely believable and gripping tale.
I especially really liked the use of ambiguousness with some character perspectives. The gatekeeper and other characters never really get their full characterization which definitely added to the excitement of the book- these characters bring about the climactic aura that was present in the ending. One thing that dampened the storytelling however was the quick switches of perspective; the quick switches in perspectives would cut the flow of the storytelling and make it hard to dive back into the flow of the story. Had these switches been avoided, the novel would have read even more crisply. Nonetheless, this book still maintains originality and was extremely well-written. For those who appreciate the art of succinct writing styles, they would definitely enjoy this novel. Even those who simply enjoy a good thriller would thoroughly cherish the reading experience that comes with this book. Above all though, mythology-thriller aficionados will simply grab onto this novel and never let go.
The Cryptic Key, therefore, is a well-written novel that can be appreciated regardless of tastes and background knowledge and can be applauded for its detail to history and the research put into building a realistic setting.
June 13, 2018
My husband recommended this book to me as he thought it would fit my genre.
What's my take on the book?
It's an interesting read, starts with a good plot and the narration keep the reader engaged. However, the book starts dragging once the characters in the book reach the village - Sundarapuri. The sideline story around sandalwood smuggling does not add any value. The plot again picks up post the character enter the secret city of Kubera. It would have been good if the writer could have elaborated more on the group's discovery of Alakapuri.
Overall an average book.
What's my take on the book?
It's an interesting read, starts with a good plot and the narration keep the reader engaged. However, the book starts dragging once the characters in the book reach the village - Sundarapuri. The sideline story around sandalwood smuggling does not add any value. The plot again picks up post the character enter the secret city of Kubera. It would have been good if the writer could have elaborated more on the group's discovery of Alakapuri.
Overall an average book.
November 1, 2018
Watch the video review on my Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-wSH...
Read the review on my blog - https://www.bookgeeks.in/the-cryptic-...
The Cryptic Key is a book that not only proves to be a good entertaining read but also makes for an informative one. The author assembles an outstanding cast of diverse characters. However, big or small, all these characters make for an interesting read. The author extensively uses many subplots and side characters to its advantage. For fans of Ashwin Sanghi and Dan Brown, this book will surely make for a good read, only with much less complexity.
I like the way the reader is made to second guess all the time. I was certainly hooked right till the end. There are certain issues with the climax but it can be ignored in the light of the overall reading experience. My final verdict will be to go for this book.
Read the review on my blog - https://www.bookgeeks.in/the-cryptic-...
The Cryptic Key is a book that not only proves to be a good entertaining read but also makes for an informative one. The author assembles an outstanding cast of diverse characters. However, big or small, all these characters make for an interesting read. The author extensively uses many subplots and side characters to its advantage. For fans of Ashwin Sanghi and Dan Brown, this book will surely make for a good read, only with much less complexity.
I like the way the reader is made to second guess all the time. I was certainly hooked right till the end. There are certain issues with the climax but it can be ignored in the light of the overall reading experience. My final verdict will be to go for this book.
July 26, 2018
I was hooked on to the book for 2 days and inspite of my hectic schedule my mind wandered back towards what would be next. There are quite a few sub-plots and they merge beautifully to create an engrossing mystery. The various facets of human life are portrayed nicely.
I was literally in the shoes of the characters until I finished the book.
The ending was a surprise and it took few days for me to come to terms with it. Overall, it is a very hard-to-put-down book.
Hats Off for the superb read!!!
I was literally in the shoes of the characters until I finished the book.
The ending was a surprise and it took few days for me to come to terms with it. Overall, it is a very hard-to-put-down book.
Hats Off for the superb read!!!
November 8, 2018
An interesting read..The book kept me occupied for hours.A must read for anyone who enjoys mythological or historical thrillers. Although the reading through book is interesting, the ending is bit disappointing. I had expected more on what happens to characters when they enter the city of Alakapuri instead of just getting lost in the city. This brings to the concept of different dimensions that needed more explaining. Hoping for sequel given the ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2017
Note: This is an ebook. So keep your kindle reader or ipad ready.
Recommended by a colleague who was a friend of the author, and I got a copy of the book for a review.
A compelling plot and pace. The first chapter enticed me to plough further, and I finished the entire book in one night.
Not overly descriptive but just right enough for my taste.
Reommended.
Recommended by a colleague who was a friend of the author, and I got a copy of the book for a review.
A compelling plot and pace. The first chapter enticed me to plough further, and I finished the entire book in one night.
Not overly descriptive but just right enough for my taste.
Reommended.
November 22, 2018
Ending didn’t make sense
Story was ok but what about the ending? Did not make sense. Why did abyss go mental? When Krishna and Vai left home didn’t they inform family? They would be looking for them? In fact the more I think about it the more ridiculous this story is...
Story was ok but what about the ending? Did not make sense. Why did abyss go mental? When Krishna and Vai left home didn’t they inform family? They would be looking for them? In fact the more I think about it the more ridiculous this story is...
November 5, 2017
Overall good read, scripting and unexpected end, so looking forward to the next sequel.
April 26, 2019
Ending?????
Not clear ending.... Disappointed after reading for such a long time... Good read but should have ended with better clarity
Not clear ending.... Disappointed after reading for such a long time... Good read but should have ended with better clarity
October 29, 2017
An excellent book filled with adventurous spirit and mysteries to keep us hooked to the book. The author knows to connect mysteries with our ancient hindu temples which are infact true. Looking forward for more books from this author.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews