Review: The Naga Warriors 1: Battle of Gokul Vol 1

The Naga Warriors 1: Battle of Gokul Vol 1 by Akshat Gupta
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hooter: If the movie 300 was made in an Indian context

The legendary Naga Warriors make a stand to protect the hamlet of Gokul against a massive army of Sardar Khan who wants to let to waste everything that comes his way. The story is shared as a backstory when a hiker is saved by a Naga Sadhu in the Himalayas and he shares the story.

The story will span multiple books as showcased by the ending. There is great creative liberty leveraged by the author to tie in various aspects of Shiva and his contemporaries by symbollically adding into the storyline. I would love it if he also hired an editor as there are a lot of grammatical mistakes (eg: sat on his thrown instead of throne) which felt jarring for me especially when a publisher like Penguin is involved here.

It is an interesting premise, written in a pretty simple and breezy way but won't hold a candle to some of the magnum opuses we have seen including Amish Tripathi.

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Review: There Are Rivers in the Sky

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hooter: Water remembers; it’s humans who forget.

Elif Shafak’s There Are Rivers in the Sky is one of those rare books that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page. She uses water- rivers, raindrops, tides- not just as a backdrop, but as a living, breathing presence that ties together memory, history, and human connection.

The story opens in ancient Mesopotamia, with a droplet of water falling on King Ashurbanipal’s beard- the last great Assyrian king and the man behind the famed library of Nineveh. From there, we jump across time and place, following three seemingly unrelated lives: Arthur, an archaeologist in 1840s London, born in poverty but obsessed with decoding Assyrian clay tablets; Narin, a Yazidi girl in 2014, grappling with the trauma of ISIS persecution and the weight of her Assyrian ancestry; and Zaleekah, a modern-day hydrologist in Britain, navigating identity, science, and memory.

What’s incredible is how their stories flow into each other- sometimes subtly, sometimes powerfully- always connected by water. Shafak doesn’t just build characters, she builds worlds. Each one feels rich, layered, and heartbreakingly real.

For me, the book was more than just historical fiction- it was a lens into forgotten empires and the cyclical nature of human suffering and resilience. It also made me reflect on how knowledge, like water, can be both preserved and lost over time.

Elif Shafak has fast become one of my favourite authors. Her storytelling is intelligent, emotional, and deeply human. This book made me care about Assyrian history, rethink how we preserve memory, and reminded me how interconnected we all really are- through time, through trauma, and yes, through water.

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Review: Truck de India!: A Hitchhiker's Guide to Hindustan

Truck de India!: A Hitchhiker's Guide to Hindustan by Rajat Ubhaykar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: A View into India That Is Bharat- in a Unique Travelogue Format

The author chronicles his hitchhiking journey across India aboard trucks - a bold and unusual expedition. First, one admires the audacity to plan such a trip, then the effort to document it, and finally, the ease and honesty with which it’s written, transporting the reader into the dust-laden heart of rural highways.

He vividly captures the sights, sounds, and stories of each truck driver, humanizing them and their struggles. This isn’t just a travelogue- it’s a portrait of a hidden India, untouched by urbanization and technology. It is also interesting how he talks to artists of truck art, the builders of trucks and even the middle men / agents at various Transport nagars to capture a holistic view of the ecosystem.

Truckers form a vital lifeline of the Indian economy- navigating the white, black, and grey shades of the system. They endure punishing hours, overloaded trailers, potholed roads, and ever-present bribes to keep moving. Survival, for many, depends on addiction- to music, alcohol, drugs, religion, or some mix of it all.

India is a country where every 50 km sees changes in food and culture and Rajat shows us this contrast through the eyes of truckers who cover almost 1500+ km at times on single trips.

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Review: The Greatest Gujarati Stories Ever Told

The Greatest Gujarati Stories Ever Told by Rita Kothari
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hooter: Selection of translated Gujarati works covering abject poverty to unsatiated lovemaking.

I have heard of these authors from parents and relatives through the journals and periodicals where their short stories have been published. To find a translated anthropology is a goldmine to start with. I am not sure if these stories haven't aged well or lost in translation - a lot of them feel like empty shells devoid of character or emotion or maybe the color is in the vernacular.

There are a few that do capture the essence even in the translation like Sowbhagyavati ( the untold violence of marital sex) , Maajo ( the fleeting nature of external beauty), Jumo Bhisti ( the unconditional love of a pet parent and pet) and the light hearted Vaadki ( the missing bowl unravelling mysteries of the society)

That said - Rita had managed to capture a diversity of topics treading across caste, gender, open defecation, loyalty, economic inequality, friendship and infidelity and captures the wider diaspora of Gujarat beyond certain stereotypes that mainstream media have propagated.

An honest attempt at curating these short stories - some shine and some have lost their lustre in the translation.

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Review: The Greatest Gujarati Stories Ever Told

The Greatest Gujarati Stories Ever Told by Rita Kothari
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hooter: Selection of translated Gujarati works covering abject poverty to unsatiated lovemaking.

I have heard of these authors from parents and relatives through the journals and periodicals where their short stories have been published. To find a translated anthropology is a goldmine to start with. I am not sure if these stories haven't aged well or lost in translation - a lot of them feel like empty shells devoid of character or emotion or maybe the color is in the vernacular.

There are a few that do capture the essence even in the translation like Sowbhagyavati ( the untold violence of marital sex) , Maajo ( the fleeting nature of external beauty), Jumo Bhisti ( the unconditional love of a pet parent and pet) and the light hearted Vaadki ( the missing bowl unravelling mysteries of the society)

That said - Rita had managed to capture a diversity of topics treading across caste, gender, open defecation, loyalty, economic inequality, friendship and infidelity and captures the wider diaspora of Gujarat beyond certain stereotypes that mainstream media have propagated.

An honest attempt at curating these short stories - some shine and some have lost their lustre in the translation.

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Review: Cities and Canopies: Trees in Indian Cities

Cities and Canopies: Trees in Indian Cities by Harini Nagendra
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hooter: Know Thy Neighbour(hood Trees), Love Thy Neighbour(hood Trees)

A brave topic and an interesting attempt to explore it- learning about local trees, their cultural significance, medicinal uses, and origin stories. The book captures numerous anecdotes about trees in our neighbourhoods, making for a fun and enlightening read. That said, it occasionally veers into academic territory, and the lack of visuals leaves it feeling somewhat incomplete. Including images of trees and leaves could have made it more interactive- even turning it into an activity to engage broader audiences, which seems to have been the book’s original intent.

Having read Nature in the City, I had set my expectations higher for this one. Still, it has its moments- from banyan trees capturing the imagination of even Ancient Greeks, with Alexander the Great’s army awestruck by their sheer presence, to the iconic banyan trees in almost every Indian city today, silent witnesses to history- if only we could speak their language, or they ours.

Eucalyptus gets notable attention as an exotic alien that has made India its home over the past century. The aesthetic palm tree appears too- courtesy of Silicon Valley vibes, and little else.

Trees like peepuls, neems, jamuns, and drumsticks all make an appearance. Yet at times, the narrative feels like it’s checking boxes rather than delving into the rich background stories each of them holds. I give it a 3- for taking on such a unique and deserving topic in a world where local varieties are fast disappearing in a globalised landscape.

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