The Curse of Surya is the first novel by author Dev Prasad and tells the story of an Indian news reporter from Singapore, who returns to India to cover a major story, but in a twist of fate, gets mistaken as a terrorist, and finds herself on the run, along with a Welshman and an old French gentleman. The only way they can prove their innocence is to find the object they were accused of trying to steal, and giving it willingly to the authorities. But finding this object may not be easy.
The story is rather interesting, even if some of the events and plot twists are quite far-fetched. But assuming a certain amount of willing suspension of disbelief, it is an enjoyable and exciting adventure that would be quite at home in an Indiana Jones movie. There is a considerable amount of research that has gone into the history and topography of the places described. This adds an interesting layer of a factual setting to the fictional situation. In fact, the very idea of an adventure set in India, dealing with Indian historical artifacts, is a rather appealing one, as it moves away from vague exotica and instead explores temples, palaces, and artifacts as parts of a living cultural history.
However, sometimes, the author makes it a little too obvious what the next twist is going to be, through hints like, “The events that were to follow would make his worst fears come true.”
The characters are quite likeable although a little flat. The main characters fit the standard tropes of what an ideal hero/heroine/villain/cop is supposed to be, which makes them neither terribly remarkable nor remarkably terrible. There isn’t much in-depth character development either, with the characters just responding to their immediate situation.
It was encouraging to note, though, that the heroine turned out to be quite a capable and strong lady who held her own, and saved the hero’s life on at least as many occasions as he saved hers. Unfortunately, she and her friend were introduced appearance first, personality next, which struck a rather uncomfortable chord, in an environment where reducing women to their appearance is all too common.
The writing style is simple and enjoyable, although there are points where the English is imperfect - and you end up with Englishmen saying things like “You should try some green tea, good for health.” There are also some logical flaws; for instance, when a man gets shot at point-blank range (he’s close enough to hear the trigger being squeezed) but the bullet only pierces him “after a few seconds”. It shouldn’t have taken that long if the assailant had thrown the bullet at him by hand. That gun should be fired for inefficiency.
Nevertheless, the book was a pleasant read because of its pace, the inclusion of history and mythology and the suspense that keeps the reader interested and curious to know what happens next.