Title: The Hundred Names of Darkness (The Wildings #2)
Author: Nilanjana S. Roy
Pages: 313
Published: 2013 by Aleph Book Company
My Rating: 4.5/5!
Book Blurb
Nilanjana Roy takes us back to the Delhi neighbourhood of
Nizamuddin and its unforgettable cats - Mara, Southpaw, Katar, Hulo and Beraal.
As they recover slowly from their terrible battle with the feral cats, they
find their beloved locality changing around them. Winter brings an army of
predators - humans, vicious dogs, snakes, bandicoots along with the cold and a
scarcity of food. Unless Mara can help them find a safe haven, their small band
will be wiped out forever. With the assistance of a motley group of
friends--Doginder, a friendly stray; Hatch, a cheel who is afraid of the sky;
Thomas Mor, an affable peacock; Jethro Tail, the mouse who roared; and the
legendary Senders of Delhi - Mara and her band set out on an epic journey to
find a place where they can live free from danger.
My Thoughts
I'd read the wonderful the Wildings (click link to read review) some years ago. I've had
this copy for quite some time (an author-signed copy I got at the launch!) but hadn't
got around to reading it till now. I was just as enchanted with the author's writing
as I had been with the Wildings. It's simply engaging, lyrical and creative with
the ability to pull you into a world run by cats, cheels, rats and others we "Bigfeet"
either ignore or mistreat. It's such fun to be reading about the world from the
perspective of these creatures. They're as varied as we are, though perhaps not
as complicated.
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| Isn't the cover gorgeous? |
The setting is in Nizamuddin, Delhi. In the Hundred Names of
Darkness, we follow Mara, the "sender" of Nizamuddin's cats, as she grows
and learns. Due to Bigfeet activity, the clan is in danger of being wiped out.
It takes Mara a while to realize the level of danger, triggered more so when
one of her favourite companions gets lost. Mara realizes the importance of her
being a sender and having a responsibility towards her clan. She starts leaving
her comfort zone and discovers the world as she never knew it before.
There a bunch of new characters whom I loved. I want to
particularly mention Doginder Singh, not only because his name made me glad
that I'm not the only one who thinks of such straightforward names, but also
because--what a lively, cheerful character! The unique friendship between Mara
and Doginder serves to break stereotypes in two ways. One is the parallel metaphor
to differences in race and another is Doginder's likes and preferences that represent
the breaking-away-from-the-norm by following one's heart. I also liked Hatch's character,
a young eagle and son of a super-talented flyer, who stubbornly refuses to fly
at all. It's a trying time for Tooth, Hatch's father, to get him up in the sky.
Hatch is the embodiment of the hidden feelings of insecurity, lack of knowledge
about oneself, and under-confidence. It is so easy to lose faith in someone
like that. But sometimes what seems to be at the surface is not what is
actually at work on the inside. There could be reasons we don't know about and
mostly it could be tackled in a new, surprising way.
Compared with the Wildings, this book was more slow and
deliberate. It lingered more on thoughts than action, and it showed places
other than the Nizamuddin we knew of from the first book. Gone are some
Wildings characters and instead we are introduced to some new ones--both the
good and the mean. I felt that the second half of the book was better paced
than the first, and there were some parts I wished had been described more when
they seemed to get over too quickly or happened in the background.
As for the story, it is doubtless a wonderful tale with
hidden meanings and references, narrated in a unique way by the langauge of
cats. Artful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter add to the charm.
The Hundred Names of Darkness is more 'dark' and sad than the Wildings, especially
because we get to see the effect human activity has on nature and wildlife. A particular
thing about the ending was just delightful (even though it was predictable)! I
recommend this book (this author, this series) if you're interested in good
Indian writing.
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