Review: The Prophecy of Trivine by Tnahsin Garg, Pulkit Gupta and Srivatsan Sridharan

Title: The Prophecy of Trivine

Author: Tnahsin Garg, Srivatsan Sridharan, Pulkit Gupta

Publishers: Good Times Books Pvt. Ltd.

Date of Publication: December 15th, 2013

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Format: Paperback

Length: 264 pages

My Source: Paperback (ARC)

An emissary of an advanced alien race travels to the Earth to undertake responsibility of an experiment that has gone out of control. The outcome of this fateful experiment, which was conceived millions of years ago by her species, now rests in her hands. As she prepares to deliver her final judgment, she comes across three young men in a sacred forest who change her life forever. These three men- a scientist, a hacker and an artist, happen to take refuge in that forest, trying to escape from the oddities of their own unfair lives. Struggling with their dreams and demons, they begin to explore the dark and paranormal behavior of the forest by forging a companionship. From the rare flora and fauna breathing alive on the ground to the deadly wide expanse of the whimsy black sky, everything they find is yet another puzzle unsolved. Little did they know that four of them hold in their hands the future of mankind and much beyond imagination, they are connected through an ancient Prophecy that was long lost in the sands of time.

I had long since stopped reading English books by Indian authors after trying my luck with the over-hyped books by Chetan Bhagat and a few other books of similar category for I found those stories melodramatic, repetitive and utterly unrealistic. So when Tnahsin approached me requesting to read and review The Prophecy of Trivine, I was initially unsure about accepting it, but then going through the book blurb, I had the instinct that it'd be a book worth reading and my instinct did not disappoint me. 
Without further discussing the synopsis of the story, I'd get straight to the things I liked about it.
~The plot and the background of the story: Both are well-thought, well-built and definitely well-executed. This was probably the first science fiction I've read that has its setting in a dark, dense forest, i.e., in the lap of nature, which was very appealing in the first place.
~The concept of Gucutep: It was very interesting, the whole of it. I especially liked the meeting of the Gucutep council, the generosity of Alpha, the skepticism of Xona and the whole new idea of aliens as form of energy! (well, it was totally new to me..maybe that's why I was so excited!)
~The characters: Not only Siv, Phil, Arty and Xona, I liked all the characters, each character was well-developed and true to their nature. So generally speaking I immensely like the characterization.
~The bond between Siv, Phil and Arty. Starting from absolute strangers, how they became the truest of friends was really heart-warming.
~The flow of the story. The style of writing is lucid and witty. It remains a curiosity though how the three authors wrote it together! I mean who contributed which part? Or was it just they thought things through mutual discussions and then wrote it down and edited each others writings? I'd really like to know this!
~The story itself as it teaches you a few things of immense importance. It shows the true face of humanity but side by side displays the worth of human race, it shows the quality of perseverance, it teaches us what friendship actually means. It shows you a lot in the small span of 260 pages!

I'd have given it a 4 stars if I liked the ending better. This was not how I expected it to end..but anyway, will there be a sequel? I wish there is one!

Lastly, but definitely not the least, I want to thank Tnahsin for providing me with the chance of going through such a wonderful reading experience. It was my first ever physical copy of an ARC, so thank you for making this a special read! :)) You people have done a remarkable job indeed! 
That being said, I really want the Indian authors to vent into this kind of stories more than writing the same kind of campus romances, which are really gross!!

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The Prophecy of Trivine was written jointly by three friends, who were once together in college, and are now pursuing their lives & careers in distant corners of the world. But they still share the common passion of writing.

​They have come a long way, from the summer of 2010 when it all began, to the beginning of 2014 when the book will be in hands of friends. 

Tnahsin Garg: Tnahsin was born and brought up in India where he got a Bachelor's degree in engineering. After that he travelled to United States in search of higher education and adventure, and ended up getting a Master's degree in 2012.  When tired of his scientific pursuits, he's often found scribbling something unintelligible on some decayed corner of the Internet. He does have a neglected blog for those who like clicking around in curiosity. 

He is currently pursuing a PhD in applied sciences in Northern Europe. 

Tnahsin

Pulkit Gupta: Pulkit is a Computer Science professional who completed his Bachelors in Engineering from Thapar University, India in 2011. He has been an avid reader and an enthusiastic writer since his childhood days. He maintains a number of blogs which are in various stages of decay, but his most recent short story work can be found on his recently createdblog:

He currently works as a Technology Analyst at Goldman Sachs, Bangalore.

Pulkit

Srivatsan Sridharan: Srivatsan is a Computer Scientist, who recently graduated with a Masters degree from Purdue University in the United States. He completed his Bachelors in Engineering from Thapar University, India in 2010. Along with computers, he is extremely passionate about writing. Most of his artistic ideas have taken shape in the form of short stories, speeches, travelogues, and essays. Some of them can be found in hisblog:

He currently works as a Software Engineer at Yelp, Inc. in San Francisco, California.



Srivatsan