Book review: Young author Prithviraj Phalke delves into the land of adventures in his book Jaljali
'Jaljali: The Witch with God Power' is an adolescent's take on the eternal fight between good and evil. Written by teenage author Prithviraj Phalke, the novel delves into the complex choice of using one's superpowers for good or for bad deeds.
The protagonist, Prince Prithviraj, named after the author himself and who gets involved in mysterious and adventurous incidents, is the story teller.
The Prince possesses superpowers, which he uses to fight Jaljali, a wicked witch who is said to have acquired her powers from the God Mahabali.
God Mahabali is rumoured to be still alive but missing. While some people believe in the myth, others deny it.
It is a story of discovering oneself – a quest for identity.
From the bewildering days when the Prince had no idea who he was, or why he had all these powers to the time when all the secrets were revealed.
This quest for self, drives, not only the Prince, but also the God in hiding.
Why is God Mahabali hiding? Does he come back? Who, exactly, is the “hopper”? What secret lies behind Jaljali’s immense powers? Will ‘good’ triumph over ‘evil’? You have to read the book if you want to know the answers.
Some of the adventures, clashes and duel scenes bring to mind popular cartoon series such as Chhota Bheem.
The final duel in the novel reminds one of the final battle between Harry Potter and Voldemort from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2).
From superpowers, to interventions by various Gods, to nail-biting suspense, this book is filled with entertainment for young readers.
Priced at Rs 350, the book will make a perfect gift for that little dreamer at home.
Readers can grab a copy from flipkart.com, amazon.in and power-publishers.com.
(Reviewed by Sangeeta Chatterjee)
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