The Immortals of Meluha is the first novel of the Shiva trilogy series by Amish Tripathi. The story takes place in the imaginary land of Meluha and how they are saved from their wars by a nomad named Shiva. It begins with the Meluhan king Daksha inviting tribes to stay at his country, one of them being Shiva's tribe. They soon come to recognize Shiva as their fabled saviour called Neelkanth, after he devours a poison which turns his throat blue. Shiva decides to help the Meluhans in their war against the Chandravanshis, who had joined forces with a cursed group called Nagas. However, in his journey and the resulting fight that ensues, Shiva learns how his choices actually reflected who he aspires to be, and how it led to dire consequences.
Tripathi had initially decided to write a book on the philosophy of evil, but was dissuaded by his family members, so he decided to write a book on Shiva, one of the Hindu Gods. He decided to base his story on the fundamental concept that all Gods were once human beings; it was their deeds in the human life that made them famous as Gods. After finishing writing The Immortals of Meluha, Tripathi faced rejection from many publication houses. Ultimately when his agent decided to publish the book himself, Tripathi embarked on a promotional campaign. It included a live-action video being uploaded on YouTube, and giving the first chapter of the book as free digital download, to entice the readers.
Ultimately, when the book was published in February 2010, it went on to become a huge commercial success. It had to be reprinted a number of times to keep up with the demand. Tripathi even changed his publisher and hosted a big launch for the book in Delhi. The Immortals of Meluha went on to sell over 125,000 copies, making it one of the best-selling fiction novels of 2010. It was also critically appreciated, although some of them noted that Tripathi's writing tended to lose focus at some parts of the story.
My ratings : 8/10 ( Nice Book to read )
