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Fighter Cock by Sidharth Singh

Publisher: Penguin eBury Press
Pages: 256
Price: Rs. 299 INR(paperback), Rs. 180 INR(Kindle edition)
ISBN: 978–0143450887
Buy here: https://amzn.to/3m7eRu9

My take on the book:

Sher Shah Suri has relocated to Shikharghar to work under the raja in his poultry farm. He has agree to move to this forsaken place due to pressure from his mentor Anna after a rundown with other Mumbai underworld gangsters. Shikhargarh was known to have terrain that is highly unfavorable for agricultural activities, a dam construction that was left incomplete by the earlier rulers and administration, making cock rearing the only livelihood and the weekly cock fights the only source of entertainment for the residents, who bet heavily.

The Karianath cock breed that the raja bred was the undisputed winner in these fights, till Teja, the illegal son of the raja arrived in Shikhargarh bringing along the Aseel breed cocks that started winning over the Karianaths. Teja hopes to get the next MLA seat for the constituency to permanently pull down the raja’s power. Kanya Kumari a young beautiful teacher stays in Bombeli district near to Shikargarh and teaches the locals vocational courses in a small school. Kanya was famously known as Vish Kanya among the locals after the three men she married died with a mysterious fever within a week of marriage.

As Sher Shah is forced to take shelter in Shikarghar to escape his past, he gets entangled in the fight for power between the raja and Teja, while having fallen madly in love with Kanya. What is the past that made Sher Shah land here? Will he be able to stay away from the charm of Kanya and be unperturbed by the power games forms the rest of the story.

The story is set against the backdrop of a rustic place with a unique premise of a present-day raja whose life majorly revolved around cock fighting. The author does a fabulous job in bringing alive the rough terrain, as the reader is effortlessly transported to Shikhargarh. While the story majorly revolves around cock fighting, it is a metaphor for the power play that happens in the land.

The back story of Sher Shah and his lineage, and that of Kanya, are very interesting and are seamlessly tied into the narration. The story is extremely fast paced keeping the reader on the edge; the cock fighting sequences and other action sequences are vividly described. Though there are many characters in the raja’s fort, in Sher Shah’s poultry farm, and in Shikhargarh, the authors take care to give everyone the required footage. The intrigue around the protagonist is well developed as Mr. Suri’s traits are slowly revealed as the story progresses.

The numerous twists and turns are bound to leave the reader spell bound. Pick this one for an adrenaline pumping experience, of a story that has the perfect mix of all the ingredients of a blockbuster read.

My rating:

5/5.

This review is part of the Blogchatter Book Review Program.

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