‘KheL- The Writings' by Vishal Goswami… What a Terrific Game!! (Rating: 3.25/5)

 Day: 1214th

Blog Post: 126th

Book Review: 10th

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I have read ‘KheL- The Writings' by Vishal Goswami. This is the first book I have read in this new year 2016. The book is published by Frog Books in association with Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd.

Detail Analysis of KheL – the writings

© Source: blog.blogadda.com

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Book Cover:

© Front Cover of KHEL - The Writings

Abandoned haveli (mansion) can be seen on the front cover.  A witch with scary eyes looks hanging behind the abandoned haveli. An image of a skeleton on the ace of red heart  (♥A) looks terrific. Blue background indicates horrible dawn or night. Overall Mishta Roy has designed a catchy front cover which suits to the book having a horror theme. Book's title KheL – the writings  is printed in red colors so it looks like written by blood. The writings indicate the story of game of cards having horrible messages written on those. Book title carries the subtitle Jo Likha Hai Wahi Hoga.

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About the Author:

Author Vishal Goswami (Image source: ©Urvi Goswami | Facebook)

Vishal Goswami is a an MBA-Finance graduate from Boston, U.S.A. and is passionate about reading and writing in all its forms, whether fiction or non-fiction and also all other genres. He is active on Twitter as "WriteNow@WritetoFite," tweeting about more contemporary topics and new movie analysis and ratings.

Blurb of the book:

© Back Cover of KHEL - The Writings on Amazon.in

 

The abandoned Haveli in Bhramdev Brahmdev, a hill station near Mumbai, is known amongst the local population to be haunted. People keep away from it.  A group of youngsters decide decides to explore it and what follows is a horrifying reality they do not live to relate.

Sanya Sharma is an investigative journalist, with a shattered life and a grieving past. Having lost her husband and little daughter within a span of six months, her once perfect life is a distant dream. Depressed, unable to concentrate on work and barely paying attention to her ten-year-old son, she takes help in alcohol and regular visits to her psychiatrist.

Her last chance at redemption is a case of mysterious deaths on small hill station. What follows is a series of mysterious, eerie and horrifying events that Sanya cannot understand and final with the help of local police inspector turned friend, it dawns upon her that the Haunted Haveli is not just small town hocus-pocus but a reality that had turned on her. The evil that she encounters slowly affects everything around her and she knows that it will finally consume her.

But why? What were the deep, dark secrets of the Haveli's past? What was the Nawab family's past? Who is the old woman haunting her? What are the cards and what is the card game? How is such a horrifying situation merely a game and how is she to play it? Why do the writings on the cards come true and people die? She has to find a way to save herself and her son from the evil and the game of cards that makes everything come true. People around her are dying one by one making her wonder why she is spared. Will she play the final KHEL – The Writings – or will it be the evil that will end the game?

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Setting:

The book contains 25 chapters. Each chapter is short so the book becomes page turner and increases curiosity. The author uses the present tense to narrate the story and flashback scenes are described in past tense as usual.

Locations: The story of KHEL – The Writings runs around an abandoned haveli near hill station of Brahmdev, Chandarpur, Mumbai. There is a glimpse of a church in Mumbai.

Writing Style: Author Vishal Goswami uses the descriptive style of writing. The book begins with a fast pace and becomes slow after middle part but overall this book has fast pace so this is a page turner. English grammar and italic fonts are used properly except in 'About the Author' and 'blurb' sections. This book is a suspense thriller with a horror theme. The author maintains the suspense till the last, he knows where to stop?

Characters:

Khel – The Writings  has 15 major and 8 minor characters as follows.

1. Sanya Sharma: Author introduces Sanya Sharma in the third chapter. She is the main character in the story. She works as an investigative journalist at an Indian Times.
2. Krish: Leader of ghost hunting pilot project
3. Raj: Sanya's boss and an old friend at Indian Times
4. Old woman: Author portrays her character like a witch.
5. Samira: Author portrays Samira's character as Sanya's daughter.
6. Rohan: Author portrays Rohan's character as Sanya's son.
7. Dr. Pooja Malhotra: Pooja Malhotra is a psychiatrist.
8. Bahadur: Author portrays Bahadur's character as a watchman of an abandoned haveli.
9. Richa: She is the owner of her own restaurant named Richa's Dhaba.
10. Kabir: He is an inspector of the case of continuous deaths in abandoned haveli.
11. Anthony: Author portrays his character as the father of a church.
12. Mary: She works as a sister in a church of father Anthony. I feel her entry better in the second half than the first one.
13. Mrs. Gomes: She has a great knowledge of a black magic.
14. Nawab Saheb: Nawab Saheb was the owner of an abandoned haveli who doesn't believe on superstitions like black magic.
15. Aunt Rosy: Author portrays her character as an exorcist.

The author sketches 8 minor characters like Amit, Anjali, Ayesha, Ali, Mrs. Nawab, Gupta, Mr. Pawar and Sanya's mother.

Plot:

The author describes a background of an abandoned haveli in detail. He gives glimpses of black magic and superstitions, he tries to comment on superstition in the tenth chapter but says nothing against such black magic and superstition. Card games (Khel) turns horrible with ‘the writings' on them because whatever written on the cards become true (Jo Likha Hai Wahi Hoga.) Author releases abandoned haveli's truth in the fifth chapter. So many twists and turns make eighth chapter interesting. Horrible experiences and incidents are described by the author in chapter twelfth and thirteenth. Chapter fourteen is full of action and fighting scenes. The suspense starts revealing after an entry of Aunt Rosy in chapter twenty-first. The author tries to give a touch of internet use for search in chapter 22. The suspense keeps releasing in a twenty-third chapter. Curiosity to read climax increases per chapter in the book. Author elegantly connects the first chapter with the last one. At the end, the book ends with a totally unexpected climax.

Drawbacks:

The book has many typing and printing errors in the book. Double inverted comma begins in the second paragraph from bottom on page 85 but doesn't end and vice versa on page 121. Third typing error I found is about the name of a character. Mrs. Gomes is printed in the fourth paragraph on page 129 which should be Sister Mary. And one more typing error is a difference between the name of location (i.e Brahmdev is printed inside the book and Bhramdev is printed in a blurb.) So I think book editor Cora Bhatia should check typing and printing errors while proofreading before printing it.

Reviewer's comments and Rating:

© Rajesh D. Hajare

KheL – The Writings  is a fiction horror and thriller but the book doesn't make you fear as much as one can expect after going through the book cover. So I would love if the author had used more horrible scenes in the book. However each chapter of KheL – The Writings  increases curiosity and suspense and the book has a totally unexpected climax. Finally, I would say, it depends on totally you that whether you read this book or not; but I would say just one thing that KHEL – the writings is a perfect page turner and one will not disparate after reading it.

I wish that I could give 4 stars to the book but I don't find this book up to the mark of that level due to several print mistakes and other terms so I would give 3.25 out of 5 stars.

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Khel- the writings (in a glance):

© Watch this amazing video book trailer of Khel the writings on Youtube

• Title: KheL – The Writings
• Subtitle: Jo Likha Hai Wahi Hoga
• Author: Vishal Goswami
• Publisher: Frog Books
• An imprint of Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd.
• First Edition: In India, 2015
• Copyright: © Vishal Goswami
• ISBN 978-93-52013-22-7
• Book Editor: Cora Bhatia
• Cover Design: Mishta Roy
• Layout: Panwar Media Services
• Price: Rs 145 (India); US$ 6 (Elsewhere)
• Page count: 146 (excluding cover)
• Reviewer: ©RAJESH D. HAJARE (RDH)
• Rating: 3.25/5 (Average)

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Book and eBook available here:

Amazon (3.9/5): Book | eBook |[Reviewer's Amazon Ranking= #283717 ]

Flipkart (1/5) | rediff

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Notes:

This is my personal opinion about the book KHEL – The Writings, and your views about the same book may be vary.

Disclaimer:

1. A review copy of KHEL – The Writings was sent to me by author Vishal Goswami for an honest review.
2. Reviewer of this book is working as Gondia District President at Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Parishad, Pune.

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Connect on Web:

• Follow on Goodreads: Author | Reviewer | Khel (3.67/5)
• Follow on FB: Khel | Vishal Goswami | Leadstart | Reviewer's Profile | Reviewer's page
• Follow on Twitter: @Leadstart_P | @RDHSir
• Website: Leadstart Publishing

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• Upcoming Reviews by RDH Sir:

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2. You Are The Best Wife by Ajay K Pandey (by 7th Feb)

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