The Land of Ataraxia: Genesis by S S Merce is a fantasy thriller that takes the readers on a journey to the mystery land. The novel starts with a voyage and ends at a magical place where things are not very clear, rather vague and multiplied in terms of mystery. The adventurous story will keep the readers engaged. Modern readers take interest in reading adventure and mystery stories, and the novel will be satisfactory on those fronts. However, the pace of the story may distract them at some point. We will look at various aspects of the novel in this book review for Indian Book critics. 

Storyline:

The book follows Captain Magellan and the crew. They try to navigate their way in search of their a lost friend, Sinan. They pass through the land of Ataraxia, a magical land created by Primordials and Ancients. The setting is lucrative for readers interested in reading fantasy fiction. Captain Magellan is a young and talented Captain. In their journey, they met Rayleigh and Chloe, who are siblings and possess some magical and devastating powers. 

The entire crew gets through many obstacles and magical traps on their voyage. The descriptions of the events are colourful but dull in terms of the pace of the narrative. The readers will have to be patient if they want to taste the ripe fruits of the narrative in terms of its culmination and fulfilment. There was fire everywhere, and they cannot find a way to come back. This magical place consists of six different realms with unique powers and different species existing there. The crew was horrified to witness all such things and regretted their decision to come in search of Sinan. However, the captain was smart enough to hold things right. He used his wit and real-time decision-making prowess to keep things together and navigate out of danger. How and when, why and where, whom and what… these questions will keep the readers absorbed in this long and tiring novel.

Observation:

The novel is a fantasy thriller narrated in a lucrative language that young readers may find hard to cope with. This novel will certainly get the attention of those who are serious and patient enough to let the story unfold, at its pace. The novelist has tried hard to match the writing style of those age-old novelists who used to create textual beauty… Conrad was one of those who come to my mind. 

Verdict: 

The Land of Ataraxia: Genesis is an interesting story that might have been told differently if you ask me. However, the novelist has tried to match the grandeur of the story with the language as well. This attempt might sound like music to the ears of those who constantly want to read something that matches their ‘high’ expectations. However, for young readers, this stunt by the author might distract them from the novel at certain points. Young readers want to know how things happened and when. They are seldom interested in knowing the beauty of the way things happened and elongated details of wine falling on the deck and someone grabbing it out of another’s hand… And therefore, it all comes down to the preferences of the readers. If you want to read an interesting story but in a standard way, do get a copy of this book and the author will offer a treat! 

You can get a copy of the book from Amazon India. Click the link below: 

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Review by Manish for Indian Book Critics