jainandsdiary's review

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5.0

One of my favourite reads of all time!!!

Set in 1947, the year of partition in Amritsar, A Game of Fire, a sequel to Hymns in Blood introduces us to a new character: Satnam Singh, the leader of the Unity Council. He is trying to keep the communities together and keep the flame of humanity alive, but when the wind of hatred becomes a hurricane, he finds it difficult to sustain his thoughts.

Tormented by his own beliefs and the situation around him, he meets Krishna and her Babaji at Guru Ram Das Serai near the Golden Temple, where they have taken a temporary refuge. What will happen when Satnam invites them to his home for a temporary residence? What will happen to a city that is currently perceived as a symbol of serenity that experienced “Agg di Khed” (A Game Of Fire) before? Read the book to find out.

Throughout history, we rarely come across female personalities and leaders, and their roles and involvement are very much restricted or, even worse, neglected and looked over and discussed only in the context of violence and harassment. Nanak Singh very carefully breaks this narrative through the characters of Krishna and Satnam’s mother, Kesar Kaur.

At a time when one can see the rise of communalism and extremist sentiments very high around them, A Game of Fire and its story find their relevance again, sadly. Thus it becomes a lot more impactful and important story that needs not only to be read but felt.

Detailed review on Purple Pencil Project website! Link : https://www.purplepencilproject.com/nanak-singh-a-game-of-fire-review/

sardardev's review

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5.0

What a great second part! This tale takes you on such a journey that helps you imagine Hindustan during partition. This story has a lot of character, setting, and mood building and at first I was impatient, but it is incredibly worth it as you continue to read. This also give a lot of context to the Islamophobia that is sadly persisting in India today. A lot of wounds are very fresh, and this text shows you the wounded flesh of India and Pakistan as it’s set in Punjab. The characters do a great job setting the emotions in their pensive moments, and the author made it their duty to provide the bridge of unity in the face of despair!