Why did I read this book?
I found out about this book through my running community, Tambaram Thunderboltz. Runners who are also book readers told me about this book. The author is part of the running community. I usually read books written by friends. Out of 32 books I read, 12 are by people known to me. The authors, namely Vikram M. N., T. Sathish, Arvind Narsima, Revathi Mohan, சுஜித் ஜீவி, ஜெய தூரிகை, தமிழழகி, K. Vijayakarthikeyan are either my friends or mutual friends. I usually like to know how my friends have written their books. That's why I picked this book immediately for reading.
Did I like it?
I started this book assuming it would be about two friends adventuring through a jungle. I'm not a big fan of books based on jungles or animals. So I had less expectation. As I began reading, exciting things started coming up.
Firstly, the character names. They are mind-blowing. The first few characters' names created a curiosity within me to know the rest of the characters' names in the story. The interesting names are Giant Experience, Giant Struggle, The Insight, Abider, and The Commander Courage. Soon after being introduced to the lead characters, I realised that this is a self-help book with fantasy-based narration. The drink, named after "Pride," and the scenes based on it are worth mentioning. The comparison of hope with a sword is a surprise that it fit extraordinarily well.
Next, the characterisation is fantastic. The behaviour and powers of the characters are captivating. I liked the characterisations of The Treasurer, Insight, Doctor Diablo, Envy, and The Pessimism.
The next interesting part is that I was able to visualise the scene being narrated. The description is accurate and covers every minor part of the scene. I read a few scenes again to note those minor descriptions. To highlight, I loved the explanation when one pushes the other from a mountain edge. And the comparison of fingers playing a flute with giant spiders dancing for the music is exceptional. Scenes involving Treasurer appeared very cute and lovely to me.
Lastly, the last chapter. I felt satisfied while reading the insightful last chapter. It is my favourite chapter in the book. I got my takeaways from the last few pages. Those are the life lessons. I was able to compare that narration with preparation for a running event. How disciplined the training should be, what should be focused on during the trainings, what should be ignored, and what should be my actual goal in running are a few things I related to.
It is a must-read for anyone trying to achieve a goal in a sport or trying to be happy in their life.
In addition to getting a wonderful reading experience, I learnt a few things from a writer perspective. I learnt a lot of new words, the right usage of few words, and the right tenses for few verbs. I had to refer to my dictionary for every three to four pages. I believe in "Write to Read; Read to Write." So I got some takeaways for my writing as well after reading this.
