Chetan Nikam

Ashok and the nine unknown, the book is written by young writer Anshul Dupare. A historical fiction book with a mythological touch. It revolves around Ashok and his secret league of nine experts with a prime focus on peace, avoiding war or battle in the future. But after reading, I felt it’s not much relevant to a league. The writer used myths and facts about Ashok in the book cleverly.

The book starts from the end of the Kalinga war. On the battlefield, Ashok tried to save the injured from both sides. He offers help to injured Kaligian soldier Amartya, who refuses and jumps into the Daya river while cursing Ashok. He wakes up, finds his brother Vatsal saved him and has lost his eye and hand. He knows about Ashok’s efforts for the peace and stabilization of Kalinga and gets angrier. He thinks Ashok is a power-hungry man and just acts to be a peace lover after the disastrous war, destruction, and mass killings. He fails to meet him, in Toshila, because of the failed attack on  Ashok.

In the Pataliputra, Ashok identifies Amartya when he sees him in court. Amartya asks, “why he did this? and demands justice”. He explains, “brutal and cruel behavior of the Ashok’s soldier, who killed his wife and little son! and he tried to save them, the soldier cut his hand. Finally, he ends up stabbing in his right eye, leaving him in pain”. After this, he leaves for the Mayong, a land of Witchcraft and Wizardry located on the banks of Brahmaputra, ensuring Vatsal is in safe hands.

Ashok knows who can do this much cruelty with women and children. He summons Girika, in charge of a torture chamber, named by people as Ashok’s Hell. Arrogant Girika accepts his cruelty in war and tells Ashok is responsible for his behavior and cruelty. Ashok order to burn the torture chamber, locking Girika inside.

Ashok tells Radhagupta to find nine experts on different subjects that may use for destructive purposes. The nine subjects are propaganda and psychological warfare, physiology, microbiology, alchemy, communications, gravitation, cosmology, light, and sociology. He explains the importance of these subjects for peace, and he read about these in a book gifted by Yin and Yang. After some years, Radhagupta brings Propaganda and psychological warfare expert Arunoday. The Kalgian man, physiology expert Vatsal. Microbiology expert Manorath. Alchemy expert Harshvardhan. Communication expert, beautiful and brave girl Karnika. Gravitation, light, and cosmology experts Ravi, Yashvardhan, and Sukumar. Last one, sociology expert Sarthak. Ashok tells them, “he doesn’t want more wars, killings, and their knowledge to use for destructive purposes. They will be nine unknown and live a normal life, with continuing their research in respective subjects. The only motive of their life will be peace and save humanity.”

In Mayong, Amartya becomes friends with Rihon, the young student. He tells him the secrets of the In Mayong, Amartya becomes friends with Rihon, the young student. He tells him the secrets of the mantra, the effects of urja on it, and how he met Bezji, a respected leader of the Mayong’s people and runs a gurukul. He restores Amartya’s body parts and taught him the mantra and witchcraft. Mayong is famous for black magic and medicine, with every family having their own secret mantra and hidden treasure of manuscripts. Suddenly, one gurukul student gets killed when he went to retrieve his family’s hidden manuscript. The people suspect Amartya, but Bezji trusts him and doubts it is an act of Chinese travelers. After this, four Dragons attack Mayong and start killing and destruction. Bezji tells people, this attack is for stealing knowledge and manuscripts. Peoples with their power kills three dragons. In Gurukul, Rihon’s parents get killed, and he shocks knowing Bezji is doing all this. When he goes to the cave for help, he finds Amartya is talking to someone. Amartya attacks him because he lied to people. He accepts mistakes and tells him Bezji’s truth and the destruction going on in Gurukul. Angry and possess Amartya kills him.

Xu, a patient learner and an excellent leader of 20 people, is helping Bezji. Angry Xu, tells ” he lost 15 of his 20 men. Each dragon having five men”. Bezji tells him, “he is having all sacred texts except the mantra with which one can possess a spirit.” When Amartya comes there, he tortures him brutally and tells “he can’t kill him because of the curse of immortality. His motive was to get all the mantras, and manuscripts.” Amartya recites the mantra to possess spirits and gets the energy of thousands. Bezji gets angry because he was unable to learn this mantra and is helpless due to this. Amartya kills him with extreme cruelty and the fourth dragon.

Xu runs and writes a letter to the Ashok, informs about an attack on Mayong and destruction. After the news, Ashok immediately visits there with nine unknowns. He comes face-to-face with Amartya, and he starts reciting the mantra to kill him but stops after seeing Vatsal there. Ashok motivates Nine experts who moved by this destruction sight and helps Mayong people.

In the night, Vatsal takes Karnika to the river in the boat and proposes to her, but she returns without any answer. Pale, sick-looking Amartya, meet and ask Vatsal, “why he is with Ashok.” Amartya wants to kill Ashok, whereas Vatsal has sworn to protect. He gets angry at Amartya’s behavior. He returns and finds a man narrating the story and details of Mayong to the Ashok with the rest of the people. He handovers Xu’s letter. Arunoday shares details of Atlantis, a lost city described by Egyptians, related to the riddle written in the letter. He tells “the power of crystals that harness the universe’s solar, lunar, stellar, and energy. Crystal is the thing that makes them, what they are!”. Ashok finds the Sphinx, a famous architecture piece from Egypt is drawn on a letter with invisible ink.

In Pataliputra, one night, the king of shadows visits Radhagupta and tells him, “he was responsible for the Kalinga war, with the motive was to get hold of the crystal.” He demands the crystal and then kills him in anger. Vatsal hears the scream and follows the king of shadows in the tunnel. He kills the king of shadows associate. The king of shadows attacks and leaves him unconscious there. Vatsal wakes to know he is arrested for the murder of Radhagupta. Upagupta, son of Radhagupta and the new chief advisor of the king, meets him in the cage.

In Mayong, Amartya tells spirits, he will not kill anybody. They reply, “you only chose us,” and torture him for disobeying. They order him to kill a man, who doubted him with his wife and two children. He kills a man and his family brutally and enjoys it. Death or God explains to him his condition and what happened to him, informs him he can’t be killed, and brings him to the world of the dead to meet his wife and son Amar. He comes out as helpless and wants revenge. He wakes up to find people are taking him for Narabali and cuts his head as an offering.

In the jungle, the king of shadows tells his only lived associate, don’t worry, Upagupta will take care of killings in the palace. This is a group that is going to set out to revive Atlantis. Atlanteans were very scientific yet spiritual, thinking science and religion are two different paths to the same destination. The previous king saved Girika, the king of the shadows, from the burning torture chamber, risking his life and treating him for 20 years. He told him, in the past, their ancestors faced war, where almost everybody got killed, so the king forced some of them to leave and secure the knowledge. He told how they were using crystals extensively in day-to-day life and helping others. Prophecy tells Nut and Geb’s children will overthrow Ra, the first king of the Atlantean lineage, and lay claim to the throne. Two sons and two daughters: Osiris, Set, Isis, and Nephthys of Nut, overthrows Ra, and Osiris becomes the new king. Isis helps to overthrow Ra and became the patron goddess of magic, she was clever, and Set was powerful among them. Osiris marries Isis and Set to Nephthys. But Set loves Isis and keeps expressing love and affection after marriage, so Osiris casts out and orders him to spend life in exile. But, he was a powerful man of determination, willpower, learned, strength, and intelligence, who build his own kingdom, and wages war against Atlantis with the terrifying leviathans created from the resources smuggled from Atlantis. Hell-bent on vengeance, he unleashed his most destructive weapon, causing Atlantis to sink and utter destruction. Orisis orders people to leave before Set kills and scatters his body pieces all over the world. Ra’s ship, who returned to stop the destruction, keeps survivors safe from the drifting land. They reach the stable land of Egypt, where Atlanteans teach natives, and Ra becomes the first king of Egypt or pharaoh. Their civilization grew to excellence, with magic achieving new heights, under the guidance of Isis, the patron of magic. The set keeps trying to reach her with caution because he knows she will murder him. Isis with Nephthys finds Osiris’s all body parts to piece them together, to form the first mummy, through which she can communicate with him, who now presides over souls’ judgment in another realm. Horus, their son, kills Set hidden in the volcano and carries his body back to Egypt. Ra had hidden the knowledge of three places with crystal to be key to it, one in Egypt guarded by the Great Sphinx. The shadows are the people he chose to protect the knowledge, most elite and trustworthy offspring.

Girika tells to send a message to the spy asking for quick results and to prepare for death and Upagupta to get the resources for the journey to Egypt.

In Patliputra Karnika free Vatsal, when the envoy is taking him to Ashok. She informs him, we are going to Egypt.

In Mayong, Death tells Amartya’s headless body, the end is the ultimate truth, whereas life is the ultimate lie and can help him if he chants the mantra. Amartya fears getting trapped again but, knew it is the only way to return. Death reads his mind and tells him he has to serve the bigger purpose to uncover the god’s secrets. And the first time, Death brings someone back to life. Amartya uses the power of feeling the souls and brutally kills the man who decapitated him.

During drinking, Manorath tells Sarthak, Radhagupta’s murder has stoked controversy, and Arunoday knows something about crystal, and it is in the palace. In another chamber, angry Upagupta doubts Ashok for Vatsal’s escape. Ashok gets angry because he questions his intentions and nine unknowns. He sympathizes with him, saying Radhagupta’s death is a heavy loss but doesn’t permit him to question his intention. Later, Ashok meets Karnika and Vatsal in the hidden chamber, where Vatsal says he is innocent, and Karnika tells, bought Vatsal there hiding in a cow dung carrier. Ashok tells her Upagupta strongly believes Vatsal is a killer, but he doesn’t, and he has been framed because Radhagupta was hiding something for a long time. He remembers during a visit to the Kalinga when his troupe was attacked, the man is aiming an arrow at Radhagupta and not at him. From then, he was waiting for him to tell the reason, but somebody killed him before that. He and Upagupta both think Vatsal is the key to the mystery, but he doesn’t know, “What is Upagupta finding?”, “What was Radhagupta hiding?”. He thanks her and leaves, saying we will sort it out and, Arunoday will visit.

Arunoday examines wounds, checks the herbs, and advises on how to use them. Karnika tells him, Ashok has brought the herbs prescribed by the royal medical officer. She asks him why he is tense?. Arunoday examines wounds and advises on ways to use herbs. She tells him Ashok brought the medical officer prescribed herbs and asks why he is tense?. He says past events have provoked the topic of Atlantis, keeping busy him and Harsharvardhan in thinking, and He may have some clue. She gives him herbs after drinking it exhausted Arunoday, feels sleepy and uneasy, so she takes him to his room. While returning, she meets drunk and angry Sarthak, who is going to Arunoday’s room. When he doesn’t respond to his questions, he stabs him. He feels sleepy and uneasy after drinking the herbs she gives, so she takes him to his room and meets drunk and angry Sarthak while returning. In the room, when Arunoday doesn’t respond to Sarthak’s questions, he stabs him. Karnika comes there with guards to arrest him. After this, Upagupta blames nine unknowns and Ashok. Ashok says, “we don’t know who killed Radhagupta?”, He harshly replies, “Vatsal killed,” and doubts Ashok’s interest. Ashok tells him to interrogate this heinous murder and asks, did his father ever talk about Egypt?. He tells him, Radhagupta suggested spreading our thoughts and culture to Egypt, when he says never heard directly but has seen him reading books and drawing some maps. He tells arrange a peaceful voyage to Egypt to spread Buddhism.

Upagupta informs Girika about the voyage and makes him angry during the conversation. Girika replies, “he chose to kill when his father refused to tell about his plans, the crystal, and Egypt. Maybe you are having distorted ideas about my capabilities, but I am the chosen king.” and asks let them go to Egypt because Ashok sending people there, means he knows something, it is their last chance for the one they have waited thousands of years.

Manorath meets Sarthak to know about Arunoday’s notebook, and Sarthak replies will give it only after getting out and later agrees to help him find it. Manorath assures freedom, saying not sure dead or alive. Sarthak tells Upagutpa, Manorath thinks Arunoday harbored dark secrets in his journal and was involved in Radhagupta’s murder, and he doesn’t know what is in the journal. A man brings food and leaves with cell keys hanging in the lock. He thinks. Upagupta is helping, so he keeps the key after locking the cell, eats, and sleeps.

Manorath comforts Karnika for Arunoday’s murder and asks her, “why she help Vatsal to escape and hide.” She leaves, and he thinks Harshavardhan must be knowing something.

Vatsal tells Karnika, Harshavardhan told him about Arunoday’s murder. She replies Ashok is sure that the letter, the drawing of Sphinx, both murders have links with Egypt, so sending us, as a religious expedition, to find more about it. After she leaves, Vatsal recalls the tiny sparks in the tunnel that helped him on the Radhagupta’s murder night, and he gets the crystal from there. In the palace, Manorath finds the crystal in his pocket.

Ashok inquires Upagupta, the last person who met Sarthak, about murder, and he blames others, are conspiring because Sarthak had accepted the crime and was comfortable. He blames the experts, saying they don’t scare laws or trials, and blames him again for Radhagupta’s death. Angry Ashok suspends him till he finds the killer of his father.

Manorath meets Harshavardhan, who is going through pages of some book and he says the story of Atlantis told by Arunoday is true. The Atlanteans are rising and killing everybody who knows about them. Nobody is safe. We need to do something. He asks Manorath to alert the Ashok and other members. He found something and needs to share it with others. Harshavardhan tells Manorath the story of Atlantis is true, and they are rising and killing who knows about them. He tells to alert Ashok and others because he wants to share something. He tells everybody he found a riddle that says the Sphinx holds more mysteries, and for humanity’s sake, we should go on a voyage to Egypt. Ashok allows Karnika, Manorath, and Harshvardhan to go to Egypt. When Harshvardhan is strolling with Karnika, something stung, and he dies immediately. She tells Vatsal about their deaths, and Ashok permitted him to join the voyage, but in disguise and silent. She finds a crystal there, so he tells it is a gift from his mother and was very close to her. Ashok gets information, Harshvardhan died because of strong poison, and Upagupta informs arrangements done, and his seasoned traveler friends will take it safely to Egypt. He tells a Buddhist priest will replace Harshvardhan.

Girika asks his associate to summon a spy in the palace when he knows about the voyage from Upagupta because Ashok sending people to Egypt, which means he knows about a crystal. he promises Upagupta to make him wealthy.

The spy tells Girika he has a crystal and had killed three people for it, and he will bring it directly to Egypt. Girika tells him he will be decorated and worshipped like a god, now let’s find the way back to our land. Upagupta informs the troops to bring back crystal at any cost, it is of utmost importance, and the lives of others don’t matter.

Somewhere else, Death tells Amartya, gates will open soon go to Egypt.

One night in the desert, Vatsal gifts Karnika a pendant of the crystal when she visits him, and it looks like a miniature of the great pyramid of Giza on her neck. She tells her secrets which he already knew and discusses the murders of experts in detail, the motive, the way used, who benefitted, the story of crystal, how it was lost in the Kalinga war, and its importance for Atlantis.

In the morning Vatsal sees, Manorath following Karnika and Girika, who are running towards the Sphinx. He shocks as Amartya appears from nowhere and teases Karnika when she places the crystal on a small lump on the Sphinx’s neck during the sunrise. Amartya stops Vatsal when he wants to save her from the Sphinx claws. He asks him, “why you come here?, your loyalty to Ashok is wrong, and he is a power-hungry emperor who will stop at nothing to get power. You must go back.”

Manorath is surprised when a beautiful woman comes out from the Pyramid and asks, “Who wishes to pass by?”. She gets stern and angry when Amartya says I. His body is pushed back, and black smoke comes out of it to form a humanoid. She says, “you were never a match for me, Set. You and your petty little tricks.” Set tells, “Isis, I came to meet you and will continue. I am ruling the world of the dead from the day you banished me, and you can’t stop me from coming back. Do you need any more proof of my love for you?”. She ignores and orders the Sphinx to bring the girl with a crystal and kill others. He kills others, looks at Set, and says, “Long time.” Set replies, “You know it is useless,  Horus.”  Amartya witnesses their fight, Horus says, “my mother exiled you, not only from Atlantean but also the world, and you have to possess someone. But to hold your immense power requires a strong human,” and tore Amartya, to dissipate, Set and Amartya’s body, in an engulfed storm.

Horus drops Karnika inside the pyramid, tells her you are a traitor who helped Set to get here, and suggests killing her. Isis negates by saying I believe she didn’t help Set, and she is carrying another life, let her go.

Later in Patliputra, injured Vatsal enters Ashok’s chamber secretly and asks you knew there is danger in Egypt, the crystal is stolen during the Kalinga war, we may not come back alive, and still chose to send us, and Ashok denies it. He continues, “I believed in you, more than Amartya, and against his wish. I lost my family and Kanika because you sent us there”, and kills him. Upagupta arrests Vatsal and hanged. The medical officer tells, “Ashok died a natural death.” His pyre burnt for one week, and Ravi, Yashwardhan, and Sukumar visited it daily. On the seventh day, miraculously seriously burnt Ashok crawled out of it, and the trio rushed to him. They hide him in the jungles. The magical properties of the Sarasvati River’s water, found by the trio, help immensely in restoring him.

There Amartya visits and tells Ashok, “we both have beaten adversities that difficult for a human to survive. We are entwined, the curse binds us, and as long as you live, I will live. You lost everything, and for the world, you are a dead man now, an abomination for the people. I feel good about you. I told Vatsal not to trust you, and look what he got, hanged. After the Kalinga war, you wanted to do something for humanity and make everyone’s life better. I will make your remaining life, a fate far worse than hell, which is forever, and you will not be able to die or kill me. The best revenge will be, watching you fail and sitting around helplessly. Prepare for the worst. Run, hide, fight or cry. Do what you can, Ashok. It is just a matter of time. The game has just begun.”

The book ends with this. At some point, the book is slow and boring. The Indian historical events are mixed with Egyptian mythology. Don’t expect much relevant to nine unknowns. The book doesn’t include major events related to them. Good to read it if history and mythology are your genres.6.5/10*