Nine  (English, Paperback, Nihalani Shobha)

Nine: Curse Of The Kalingan (Book - 1) by Shobha Nihalani is a thrilling piece of fiction which shows three people of the modern world engaged in a dangerous battle against an immensely powerful spirit which has risen from the ruins of the Kalinga war.

Summary Of The Book

Nine: Curse Of The Kalingan (Book - 1) is a modern tale which has been brought out by the author from the depths of ancient history. The Kalinga war, fought by Emperor Ashoka, took place in 261 B.C. The war brought enormous destruction, death, and devastation. This was the war which brought about a profound change in the most famous Mauryan Emperor. The war shattered the Emperor, who then converted to Buddhism and pledged never to wage a war again.

The society of the ‘Nine’, founded by Ashoka, protected their knowledge and power fiercely, and kept this wealth of wisdom a closely guarded secret. This secret could prove to be very dangerous for mankind if it were to be placed in the wrong hands. In order to ensure peace, these secrets were handed down the generations. It is believed that these secrets still exist, and their keepers and protectors live normal lives as preachers, teachers, and scientists.

Unfortunately, Ashoka’s desire to keep the peace of the land is about to be shattered. The war of Kalinga also gave rise to an angry spirit, the spirit of one killed brutally in the war. This spirit is bent on avenging the Kalinga Empire. His intention is to rule the world and to change its destiny, and for this he needs the hidden knowledge, the power of the Nine.

The story then unfolds in the present with the spirit possessing a young man, Jeremy, in order to complete this task. This possessed man then sets out to kill each of the Nine. Three of the nine are dead, and the rest of the members disappear. Only three people can now stop this dangerous spirit, Tara, the chosen Trinity nurse, Akash, a DJ, and Zubin, a forensic expert. These are the three who are chosen to protect and carry forward the secrets of the Nine.

As they reside in different parts of the world, they decide to travel to Tibet. There, they meet a Dutch woman, Lise, who knows the secret locations of the nine ancient texts that have to be brought to the hidden kingdom in Tibet. In Tibet, a monk enlightens them about their powers and how they can use them to defeat the Kalingan spirit. Then unfolds their dangerous and thrilling journey, their fight against this deadly spirit to protect the secrets of the Nine and to save the world from destruction.

About Shobha Nihalani

Shobha Nihalani is an author who previously worked as a copywriter and journalist. The writer’s debut novel was Karmic Blues and her other novel is The Silent Monument. Shobha Nihalani is known as a writer of thrilling fiction. Her books are spiced with murders, chases, fierce characters, and storylines that draw a lot from ancient Indian history.

Nihalani has worked as a copywriter, bookkeeper, teacher, salesperson, and journalist before becoming an author. Apart from writing novels, Nihalani also writes a humour column and blog posts. She and her family reside in Hong Kong.