What do you think?
Rate this book
A Thousand Years Of Pain
When the Kinshuk kingdom is embroiled in a war that might wipe out their legacy from the face of the earth, Atharv, a young man responsible for the King's safety, begins to have recurring dreams in which he always hears a voice calling him to the forest of Viparitavana. The voice promises to show him a sure way to win the war and escape the certain defeat the kingdom seems to be facing.
Will he heed the words of the voice? If he does, what does he find within the forest that can help him?
Most importantly, can he trust the voice from his dreams?
Find out in this story that spans across a thousand years.
Will he heed the words of the voice? If he does, what does he find within the forest that can help him?
Most importantly, can he trust the voice from his dreams?
Find out in this story that spans across a thousand years.
116 pages, Paperback
Published December 31, 2021
3 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 22, 2022
I think it's important that I highlight how I came across this book and what the last star stands for.
I met the author of this book on Church Street, last week, I bought this book, a signed copy, directly from him. As a writer myself, I understand the apprehensions prior publishing and the nervousness post it, I understand how difficult it is to put the final full stop and send it ahead, he ended up publishing the book in such a short time which is much more than I can say about myself.
While we spoke, I happened to ask him what he thinks about his book, he was super modest but he said one thing 'my friends say the book is too short, it should've been longer'. Honestly that's what I loved the most about it. Usually a lot of mesmerizing descriptions and large plots seem appealing, however, it didn't feel like that was absent in this book at all, it didn't feel like I was missing descriptions or I needed the plot to be larger. It was short and well planned.
I'll first list the things I liked about the book. I love that the plot was laid, the writer seemed to know what he was doing with the characters since the start and the writing was confident like that, we were aware that the plot is laid down and there is suspense awaiting yet, he didn't give away a lot about the plot. Another thing I personally liked was that though the first half of the book was amateur in the sense of writing style, sentence build-up and perhaps editing, I loved the last quarter of the book and I feel it made up for it. In terms of build up and strong suspense the last quarter was a hit.
When one closes the book, one leaves satisfied.
The writing and the author's note was really raw, I am not sure how I feel about it, yet its something I happened to observe and something I could relate to as a writer.
Surely as a first book, it was a pleasant read, looking forward to more!
I met the author of this book on Church Street, last week, I bought this book, a signed copy, directly from him. As a writer myself, I understand the apprehensions prior publishing and the nervousness post it, I understand how difficult it is to put the final full stop and send it ahead, he ended up publishing the book in such a short time which is much more than I can say about myself.
While we spoke, I happened to ask him what he thinks about his book, he was super modest but he said one thing 'my friends say the book is too short, it should've been longer'. Honestly that's what I loved the most about it. Usually a lot of mesmerizing descriptions and large plots seem appealing, however, it didn't feel like that was absent in this book at all, it didn't feel like I was missing descriptions or I needed the plot to be larger. It was short and well planned.
I'll first list the things I liked about the book. I love that the plot was laid, the writer seemed to know what he was doing with the characters since the start and the writing was confident like that, we were aware that the plot is laid down and there is suspense awaiting yet, he didn't give away a lot about the plot. Another thing I personally liked was that though the first half of the book was amateur in the sense of writing style, sentence build-up and perhaps editing, I loved the last quarter of the book and I feel it made up for it. In terms of build up and strong suspense the last quarter was a hit.
When one closes the book, one leaves satisfied.
The writing and the author's note was really raw, I am not sure how I feel about it, yet its something I happened to observe and something I could relate to as a writer.
Surely as a first book, it was a pleasant read, looking forward to more!
April 10, 2022
This book had a lot to offer and I'd like to know what else. But for something written in a month, I was hooked. Moyeen sold his books on Church Street and I can only respect that hustle. Look forward to more from him.
January 5, 2022
this book is brilliantly written and amazingly captivating. in the core of it, is a message we're searching. loved it!
October 8, 2024
Being a self-published book, it is prone to errors and typos here and there and for those reasons, I will be ignoring them for this review.
I met the author on Church Street where he was selling this book and as the cover indicated back then, he has already sold 7,000 copies. On the other hand, he also claims to have written this book in a month and talks about quitting writing if the sales don't pan out in the foreword. Considering the fact that this book is not a complete story no matter how you look at it, waiting for a sequel might be a fool's errand.
The story itself is quite nice. It has a lot of twists and turns and ends on a vague cliffhanger. More of a thriller with themes of ancient India and callbacks to Hindu Mythology. However, there are also many historically inaccurate details such as the existence of candies and a generally inconsistent tone to the dialogue that more or less breaks the flow from time to time.
The narration and dialogue are good. But I have an issue with the pacing. It takes nearly half the book to set up the actual premise of the story and there are a few sections where I felt that the author could expand things a little more.
The chapters also don't have any structure to them and if they were to be properly divided, there would most likely be anywhere between three to four chapters in total except for the nearly 20 that the book has. The ending is a huge cliffhanger, but the story isn't likely to be continued, which is a pity. Although, given the pacing and the length, I wouldn't mind seeing this book turn into a self-published 40 book episodic franchise of sorts.
The problem with the chapters also extends to the plot itself where the book more or less concludes at the start of the second act.
It also has a lot of illustrations and a poem, but all the artwork is AI generated. I personally don't mind AI art and this honestly seems like one of the good ways to use it. The poem, on the other hand, has no meaning to it.
In the end, I'll say that while the story of this book is good as is and has a lot of potential, it could use some structure and direction and it will become much better for it. It's not a bad read. But given everything, it's not that good either. Could be better.
I met the author on Church Street where he was selling this book and as the cover indicated back then, he has already sold 7,000 copies. On the other hand, he also claims to have written this book in a month and talks about quitting writing if the sales don't pan out in the foreword. Considering the fact that this book is not a complete story no matter how you look at it, waiting for a sequel might be a fool's errand.
The story itself is quite nice. It has a lot of twists and turns and ends on a vague cliffhanger. More of a thriller with themes of ancient India and callbacks to Hindu Mythology. However, there are also many historically inaccurate details such as the existence of candies and a generally inconsistent tone to the dialogue that more or less breaks the flow from time to time.
The narration and dialogue are good. But I have an issue with the pacing. It takes nearly half the book to set up the actual premise of the story and there are a few sections where I felt that the author could expand things a little more.
The chapters also don't have any structure to them and if they were to be properly divided, there would most likely be anywhere between three to four chapters in total except for the nearly 20 that the book has. The ending is a huge cliffhanger, but the story isn't likely to be continued, which is a pity. Although, given the pacing and the length, I wouldn't mind seeing this book turn into a self-published 40 book episodic franchise of sorts.
The problem with the chapters also extends to the plot itself where the book more or less concludes at the start of the second act.
It also has a lot of illustrations and a poem, but all the artwork is AI generated. I personally don't mind AI art and this honestly seems like one of the good ways to use it. The poem, on the other hand, has no meaning to it.
In the end, I'll say that while the story of this book is good as is and has a lot of potential, it could use some structure and direction and it will become much better for it. It's not a bad read. But given everything, it's not that good either. Could be better.
June 17, 2023
Amazing writing for a first book. Such good characters and storyline in such a small novella.
Highly recommend who needs something quick and easy to read
Highly recommend who needs something quick and easy to read
November 2, 2022
**3.5
Full of twists which kept me going one chapter after another. It was a good read :)
Full of twists which kept me going one chapter after another. It was a good read :)
April 29, 2024
For a first book from a self-published author, it's not bad.
It is short enough to be finished in an afternoon, and the story is simple.
The prose could've been much better, and the author could've spent more time proofreading and editing. I noticed a few typos too (that I didn't mind too much).
For me, a more glaring issue was the pacing.
The book should've done a better job of convincing me that the King (or Kabir, or Atharv) are as important and righteous as they're made out to be. I'm also unconvinced that
I found the writing to be a bit silly at times.
The opposing faction in the war—the Bakula—had no personality, and did not make a compelling villain. They were only described as being "devious". So devious that they would carry out mass rapes and torture infants. But not devious enough to murder the king because somebody sounded a war horn to "pause" the battle until another day.
It is mentioned that the viparitavana forest stretches out "for a few million kilometers" (the earth's diameter is 12,000 kms), and yet, Atharv is able to make a round trip from the "deepest part of the forest" on horseback in six days?
Throughout the book, I found the exposition to be a little too on the nose.
As an example, here's a passage from the final chapter:
"You shall achieve all that you set out to achieve, for you are destined to rule the entirety of this world. That is the reason behind your resurrection, and that is why we serve you."
The AI generated images were by far my least favorite thing about the book.
I'm usually a fan of illustrations in books, but the ones I found in this were inconsistent with the material. This is typical of AI generated art, but perhaps the author shouldn't have used AI to generate images. I get that not everyone can hire an illustrator, but AI imagery works towards a book's detriment, and reeks of lifeless slop generated by slot machines.
Some inconsistencies I still remember:
1. The portrayal of Atharv diving into the well made no sense. Some animals had hilariously disfigured faces, and how were they lunging *out* of a deep well?
2. The map of two kingdoms had labels that didn't mean anything, and I couldn't relate it to the story in any way. I couldn't even tell if either of the two kingdoms was on the map.
3. There are two images in the book that depict a Kinshuk soldier. One of them looks like a Japanese soldier's uniform, while the other is more resembling of a Knight's armor. Neither feels appropriate for an ancient Indian setting.
4. In the first chapter, there's an image that depicts Kabir and Atharv next to each other. Atharv is so short he doesn't even reach Kabir's kneecaps.
The only image that wasn't butchered was the King's silhouette in the second chapter.
I felt that the book would've been better off without inconsistent AI artwork.
It just cheapened the experience.
My personal preference is: Artwork made by a human artist > No artwork at all > AI generated slop.
With some improvements, the book can be a good read for children getting into literature and fiction.
My review might have come off as harsh, but I think that constructive criticism is more useful than sycophancy. Hopefully the author will take this review in good spirit, and do a splendid job with his next book. I'd be willing to read his next work, if only to see how he will have improved.
It is short enough to be finished in an afternoon, and the story is simple.
The prose could've been much better, and the author could've spent more time proofreading and editing. I noticed a few typos too (that I didn't mind too much).
For me, a more glaring issue was the pacing.
The book should've done a better job of convincing me that the King (or Kabir, or Atharv) are as important and righteous as they're made out to be. I'm also unconvinced that
I found the writing to be a bit silly at times.
The opposing faction in the war—the Bakula—had no personality, and did not make a compelling villain. They were only described as being "devious". So devious that they would carry out mass rapes and torture infants. But not devious enough to murder the king because somebody sounded a war horn to "pause" the battle until another day.
It is mentioned that the viparitavana forest stretches out "for a few million kilometers" (the earth's diameter is 12,000 kms), and yet, Atharv is able to make a round trip from the "deepest part of the forest" on horseback in six days?
Throughout the book, I found the exposition to be a little too on the nose.
As an example, here's a passage from the final chapter:
"You shall achieve all that you set out to achieve, for you are destined to rule the entirety of this world. That is the reason behind your resurrection, and that is why we serve you."
The AI generated images were by far my least favorite thing about the book.
I'm usually a fan of illustrations in books, but the ones I found in this were inconsistent with the material. This is typical of AI generated art, but perhaps the author shouldn't have used AI to generate images. I get that not everyone can hire an illustrator, but AI imagery works towards a book's detriment, and reeks of lifeless slop generated by slot machines.
Some inconsistencies I still remember:
1. The portrayal of Atharv diving into the well made no sense. Some animals had hilariously disfigured faces, and how were they lunging *out* of a deep well?
2. The map of two kingdoms had labels that didn't mean anything, and I couldn't relate it to the story in any way. I couldn't even tell if either of the two kingdoms was on the map.
3. There are two images in the book that depict a Kinshuk soldier. One of them looks like a Japanese soldier's uniform, while the other is more resembling of a Knight's armor. Neither feels appropriate for an ancient Indian setting.
4. In the first chapter, there's an image that depicts Kabir and Atharv next to each other. Atharv is so short he doesn't even reach Kabir's kneecaps.
The only image that wasn't butchered was the King's silhouette in the second chapter.
I felt that the book would've been better off without inconsistent AI artwork.
It just cheapened the experience.
My personal preference is: Artwork made by a human artist > No artwork at all > AI generated slop.
With some improvements, the book can be a good read for children getting into literature and fiction.
My review might have come off as harsh, but I think that constructive criticism is more useful than sycophancy. Hopefully the author will take this review in good spirit, and do a splendid job with his next book. I'd be willing to read his next work, if only to see how he will have improved.
January 10, 2023
So I picked up this book after meeting the author, and oh boy! What a read it was!
The story plot is fantastic, and the author knew exactly what he wanted his characters to be like.
The protagonist of this story is Atharv, a young man responsible for the King's safety. He hails from the Kinshu kingdom, and his family has been a part of the royals for generations. His father is training him to protect the king in all circumstances.
Years passed by, and the Kinshu Kingdom kept growing and winning battles. But today, the fight was tough, and they were on the verge of defeat. In between this intense war, Athrav heard voices in his sleep, calling him into the dense forest outside the kingdom. Athrav seeks permission from the King and goes towards the forest, only to return with something magical. What was this magical thing? Who wins the battle? There are a lot of twists in the story after this point.
Though the story is fantastic, knowing that this book was the author's first attempt, it was a little amateur in writing style, story build-up, sentence formation, and editing. But the story plot covered up for it.
Towards the last quarter of the book, with all the twists I didn't feel like putting the book down. The suspense was well-made and ended with a bang.
The story plot is fantastic, and the author knew exactly what he wanted his characters to be like.
The protagonist of this story is Atharv, a young man responsible for the King's safety. He hails from the Kinshu kingdom, and his family has been a part of the royals for generations. His father is training him to protect the king in all circumstances.
Years passed by, and the Kinshu Kingdom kept growing and winning battles. But today, the fight was tough, and they were on the verge of defeat. In between this intense war, Athrav heard voices in his sleep, calling him into the dense forest outside the kingdom. Athrav seeks permission from the King and goes towards the forest, only to return with something magical. What was this magical thing? Who wins the battle? There are a lot of twists in the story after this point.
Though the story is fantastic, knowing that this book was the author's first attempt, it was a little amateur in writing style, story build-up, sentence formation, and editing. But the story plot covered up for it.
Towards the last quarter of the book, with all the twists I didn't feel like putting the book down. The suspense was well-made and ended with a bang.
Read
January 8, 2022Your search for a quick good read ends here!
A thousand years of pain is the type of book that's difficult to put down once you've gotten going, with many different plots that overlap and bind together by the gripping ending. As a
seasoned consumer of suspense novellas, it kept from any part being obvious and doled out twists as the book progressed.
However, the ending does have a big twist.
I assume that the author has a plan, because the ending of this has left me with oh so many questions xD
The letter to the readers at the end gives the book a quaint personal touch giving the readers a little insight into the authors life which personally was my favourite.
If you have to make a choice between watching a movie or reading a novella both of which would take you approximately the same amount of time, you should defenitely, without a doubt pick this one up!
A thousand years of pain is the type of book that's difficult to put down once you've gotten going, with many different plots that overlap and bind together by the gripping ending. As a
seasoned consumer of suspense novellas, it kept from any part being obvious and doled out twists as the book progressed.
However, the ending does have a big twist.
I assume that the author has a plan, because the ending of this has left me with oh so many questions xD
The letter to the readers at the end gives the book a quaint personal touch giving the readers a little insight into the authors life which personally was my favourite.
If you have to make a choice between watching a movie or reading a novella both of which would take you approximately the same amount of time, you should defenitely, without a doubt pick this one up!
August 12, 2022
'A thousand years of pain' - but a thousand reasons to cherish the work.
Honest Review:-
Yes, though it seems that some parts of the story seem to be written with the intent to expedite it's end. But, as a reader to whom short stories and poems interests more, this is simply amazing. I am spellbound at the creativity, thinking capability, storytelling, characterization, mood setting, and the stage setting ability of the author. I feel all this makes the author and his work eligible of many appreciations and applauses.
Because I tend to imagine everything I read or listen, this read got me thrills, made me emotional, filled me with anger, gave excitement, made me hopeful, opened my mouth wide open, terrified me as well. It is basically the complete package I look for and would really recommend anyone who has even 2-3 hours of time to invest the same to read this.
Honest Review:-
Yes, though it seems that some parts of the story seem to be written with the intent to expedite it's end. But, as a reader to whom short stories and poems interests more, this is simply amazing. I am spellbound at the creativity, thinking capability, storytelling, characterization, mood setting, and the stage setting ability of the author. I feel all this makes the author and his work eligible of many appreciations and applauses.
Because I tend to imagine everything I read or listen, this read got me thrills, made me emotional, filled me with anger, gave excitement, made me hopeful, opened my mouth wide open, terrified me as well. It is basically the complete package I look for and would really recommend anyone who has even 2-3 hours of time to invest the same to read this.
November 23, 2022
I feel the book needed more time to be written. The author has the basic plot down, and it seems like they ran out of time after figuring it out.
I'd have really liked to see a much heavier book with more "real" characters. To be fair, the author does admit to these shortcomings in the epilogue. I only say this again because I feel disappointed.
That being said, kudos to the author for actually writing and publishing a book. I just wish they priortized more on leaving an impact in the reader's mind.
While this might be a personal achievement for the author, it does little to the reader. Perhaps this book is a great stepping stone for the author to write better books.
Best wishes!
I'd have really liked to see a much heavier book with more "real" characters. To be fair, the author does admit to these shortcomings in the epilogue. I only say this again because I feel disappointed.
That being said, kudos to the author for actually writing and publishing a book. I just wish they priortized more on leaving an impact in the reader's mind.
While this might be a personal achievement for the author, it does little to the reader. Perhaps this book is a great stepping stone for the author to write better books.
Best wishes!
December 4, 2022
Kudos to Moyeen , Our new author from Namma Bengaluru.
Writing and storing telling on point, the book keeps you hooked , it's a light read of 120 pages which you finish in few sittings but the characters and story stays with you .
Looking forward for a sequel to see what fate brings to kinshuk kingdom
Writing and storing telling on point, the book keeps you hooked , it's a light read of 120 pages which you finish in few sittings but the characters and story stays with you .
Looking forward for a sequel to see what fate brings to kinshuk kingdom
September 4, 2022
The book is very fast, doesn't hold much of a description which is the best part of it, we have seen almost all authors doing it which sometimes makes the book boring, but not in this case, I liked it a lot and wish him all the best for the next one.
March 13, 2023
Came across the author at Church Street, where I bought this book from him. Got to respect that hustle.
A very pleasant and quick read, looking forward to more from Moyeen. Kudos on a wonderful book.
A very pleasant and quick read, looking forward to more from Moyeen. Kudos on a wonderful book.
March 22, 2023
I met the author at church street and for the first time without knowing anything about the book, i got it. To my surprise it was actually a decent read and I really hope Moyeen completes this series.
This book is a classic case of pure hustle.
This book is a classic case of pure hustle.
November 23, 2024
I gave an extra star just for the effort the author is personally putting in to sell his books. It takes courage to write a book, but it takes even more courage to stand on the street and sell your own book.
This book was an easy read, short and crisp writing, and decent storyline.
This book was an easy read, short and crisp writing, and decent storyline.
May 3, 2022
This is the first book by the author. Seems like a children's book.
November 19, 2022
It's really good to write this in a month.
But yeah, i wish you could take some more time and build the characters more.
But yeah, i wish you could take some more time and build the characters more.
March 6, 2023
Amazing book for all ages
And has more suspense
And has more suspense
January 8, 2024
Pleasant and engaging read.
It's what you can expect from an author devoting 1 month to his work.
It's what you can expect from an author devoting 1 month to his work.
March 8, 2024
creative story, interesting artwork. needs editing.
June 22, 2024
Surprisingly good. A twist to the Hindu mythology. The last few pages left me wondering when and if the second part is the book would be published.
August 4, 2024
A great story narrated with really surprising suspenses & twists.
October 29, 2024
Every time the journal readers are stuck well this is what you could turn up for little change
August 4, 2024
Like most people, I found out about the book from the author.
It's an okay read.
The characters could be a bit more cherished.
The plot, a bit more detailed.
And the illustrated pages ripped off.
It's an okay read.
The characters could be a bit more cherished.
The plot, a bit more detailed.
And the illustrated pages ripped off.
February 7, 2023
Sometimes you just sorta grab the option that is flown across and landed on your lap. Everybody will get an opportunity but it depends on who responds to it first.
A thousand years of pain - @moyeen_vn
A tale of two kingdoms. A perfect coffee read. A good way to enhance your storytelling ability if you love to tell stories you read. This story majorly revolves around a young man who is willing to do anything for the kingdom and finds a cure for the ongoing war. He ultimately finds it but couldn't really bench on the primal thing that is needed to end the war. When the universe lays it him, was ge willing to take it?
A thousand years of pain - @moyeen_vn
A tale of two kingdoms. A perfect coffee read. A good way to enhance your storytelling ability if you love to tell stories you read. This story majorly revolves around a young man who is willing to do anything for the kingdom and finds a cure for the ongoing war. He ultimately finds it but couldn't really bench on the primal thing that is needed to end the war. When the universe lays it him, was ge willing to take it?
March 22, 2024
To be fair, it was a decent story with some good twists.
Given it’s author’s first book, I must say bro is onto something.
Let him cook. 💀
Given it’s author’s first book, I must say bro is onto something.
Let him cook. 💀
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews