Here’s the second part of Sukh D.H. Khokhar’s blog.
The novel has earned acclaim from critics and readers alike.
Quoting from one of the casual website reviews, “Browsing your website and going through the powerful imagery is an exhilarating, mind-gripping experience. The beautiful images with vibrant colors have mystical qualities which make the characters very engaging and mysterious to the readers. This mystical quality urges the readers to learn more about the characters. The poetry and excerpts are quite exceptional which suggest that the author’s first language may be English because her use of English poetry is deep, spiritual, clear and creates vibrant images and vivid scenes in mind.”
The historical background of the author and her connections to the history are fascinating. She derives her inspiration for the book from the life and times of her Great-Grandfather, Captain Ram Singh, who served as the ADC of Viceroy Lord Curzon and Maharaja Bhupindra of Patiala. He commanded a contingent of 100 Sikh army men to England in 1902, to participate in the Coronation of King Edward VII and had the distinct honor of being a royal guest for twenty–two days. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire and the title of ‘Sardar Bahadur’ meaning Brave Heart. The proceedings of the event are recorded in the Victoria & Albert Museum in England. He was a freedom fighter who displayed enormous courage in standing up for the cause of recovering the “Keys of the Golden Temple Treasury” from the British in 1920, following the Jallianwala Garden massacre in 1919. The book chronicles the eye-witness account of the spectacular ‘State Durbar’ organized by the reigning Viceroy, Lord Curzon in 1902.
The novel is really exceptional. It takes you into the realm of fantasy—into the mysterious world of demons, angels and ghosts and their spiritual journey through the dark-side into light. The story is mystical, historical, lyrical, spiritual, magical, and powerful. The verses are absolutely stunning. The three long verses: ‘I am a Demon. I am a Ghost’, ‘Step with me into the Magic Land’ and ‘He Touched Me’ are incomparable.
The opening verse sets the tone for the metaphysical imagery that follows all the 37 episodes contained in twelve chapters. There’s a preview of the first three episodes on the author website. The novel can be easily serialized in magazines, TV shows. Every episode leaves one hungry for the next episode. It is same with the verses; each verse is more beautiful than the previous one.
Shannon Tyler from Xlibris wrote in her book review: “Reading your book was a mystical and wonderful experience. It’s the type of book you could read repeatedly and enjoy it even more. Your book is truly extraordinary. There’s no doubt that your book has a potential of becoming a bestseller. One can tell the labor, dedication and passion the author put in writing it. I am stunned by your paintings! They are very intricate in details and they’re all so wonderful. I am truly honored to be one of the first few people who have seen your masterpiece.”
In essence, The Mystery of the Rose is a tale of romance, intrigue, and obsession exploring the magical connection between the physical and the metaphysical; matter and spirit; good and evil; demon and divine and ultimately undeniably compelling connection between the power of forgiveness and the gift of deliverance—the deliverance from the cycle of life and death leading to the state of NIRVANA . . . the ultimate peace.
It would be most befitting to conclude with the following website review: “I received this book as a Christmas gift. It has become one of my most valued treasures. The Mystery of the Rose: The Return of the Prince is a fascinating book from a very talented writer. The book totally captures your attention. It transports you to a fascinating era of magical adventures—you can’t put the book down—and when you finish it, you want to read it again and again. The portrayal of the characters is so powerful and magnetic that you feel drawn to them. The love story and the historical part are totally riveting. I felt like I was there in that era. I cried with characters—I felt their joy, their pain and ecstasies. The portrayal of Gandhi and the gradual rise of the Indian independence movement is intriguing. The couplets at the beginning of every chapter are profound and magical. I visited the author website and felt amazed at the beautiful paintings which are not included in the paperback edition. I’m planning to buy the EBook edition to see the paintings with every chapter. My heart throbs with excitement each time I see the beautiful images on the Google. Every painting is magical. I commend the publisher—Leadstart Publishing and Xlibris for bringing out a superb quality book and a very talented author.”
For more information on this book and ‘Dark Mystery’ (a sequel to the Mystery of the Rose) visit Author website: www.mysteryoftherose.com
Thanks to Xlibris author Sukh D.H. Khokhar for sharing her magnificent work and literary journey here on the Xlibris Blog. Read the first part of her blog here.
More Xlibris authors are featured on the Xlibris Indie Authors Roundup.
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