Fall of Shuruppak: Harappa 2 (Harappa Trilogy) by Shankar Kashyap

A must read for anyone interested in Indian history.

This fascinating journey into Indian history is set in the third millennium BCE. Through the author’s thorough investigation into this era, and extremely descriptive writing, these splendid days of the Mesopotamian and Indus Valley civilisations are brought to life for his readers.

In this the second book of the Harappa series we join the friends Upaas (a physician), his wife Lopa, Parthava and Elaamite Prince Shushan as they continue their journeys, travelling far and wide through unknown lands satiating their thirst for knowledge.

In this adventure they find themselves agreeing to help the grief stricken Emperor Gilgamesh of Sumer find the great Sage Ziusudra. Gilgamesh believes that the sage will answer a question he is compelled to ask, and through the answer he will find an end to his torment.

Armed with the help and advice of Sage Vasishta, magic potions, and amulets for protection they set off on a quest unlike any other they have undertaken. Their travels take them through unknown lands, where they battle mythical beasts, demons, and many unimaginable creatures, but will they succeed and will Gilgamesh find the answer he seeks?

After seeing the Sage they return to Shuruppak as war breaks out, and with battles raging and thousands lying dead or dying they escape by ship, taking those they can. Little do they know that a higher being has decided that mankind needs a lesson, and what happens next is one of the most well-known of all biblical stories…

What I love about this story is that for those of us who are not Indian, yet have a great interest in Indian history, the legend behind the grief and torment of Gilgamesh, and others, interwoven into this epic adventure, adding immeasurably to the enjoyment, and fascination of this book.

I am looking forward to reading Dasharajna: The Battle of Ten Kings (Harappa Trilogy Book 3).

About the Author: 

Shankar N Kashyap is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon working at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, UK. He was subjected to a life changing ordeal with potential for disastrous consequences. Some of his colleagues jealous of his popularity, success as an innovative and extremely talented surgeon, cooked up spurious allegations against him and reported him to the regulatory body, the GMC. He had to face the prolonged ordeal of a trial conducted by a group of incompetent individuals with no knowledge of his work in the hospital. He faced destruction of an internationally renowned reputation through this trial.
He has published extensively in peer reviewed scientific journals over the years, including a Thesis. This is his first foray into literary field.
The traumatic events of the trial made him write his first book, A Kangaroo Court published in Kindle as well as print format through Createspace.
He has extensive knowledge of History, particularly of Indus Valley civilisation, Mesopotamia and Elam. He has used this knowledge to write a series of books set in third millenium BCE in the Near East and Middle east. The first book of the Harappa series was released in November 2013. It is full of action, adventure and sorcery revolving around real characters, events and places in the Indus Valley and the Vedic scriptures. The second book of the series, The Fall of Shuruppak takes our hero to the shores of Mesopotamia. He gets involved with internal strife of Sumer and helps the famed emperor Gilgamesh in his pursuit of immortality. He, along with his friends, helps Gilgamesh when the Shuruppak is attacked by the Gutians and later witness the great flood which nearly ends the Mesopotamian civilisation. This was released in October 2014. The third book of the Harappa series, The Battle of Ten Kings is due for release in 2015. It deals with the epic battle of good against evil as depicted in the seventh book of Rigveda. If the outcome of the battle was any different, both the great epics of India – Ramayana and Mahabharat – may not have occured or if they did, they would have been completely different.
He lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK with his wife and three children.

About the Book: 

The third millennium BCE saw the glory days of the Mesopotamian and the Indus Valley civilisations. There were extensive trade links between the two places despite the fact they were hundreds of miles apart. The great Epic of Gilgamesh from Sumer is now well-known and often considered as the basis of the story of the biblical flood.
The Fall of Shuruppak traces the adventures of the hero, Upaas as he travels across to Sumer with the famed Sage Vasishta. Along with his friend Shushun, the Elaamite prince in disguise, he helps the emperor in his quest to find Sage Ziusudra. Follow our daredevil physician as he fights his way through this epic adventure, while seeking answers to his own questions about life. As the group of travellers move from one peril to another, we recognise our own hidden desires in their search for truth and immortality.
The author has used archaeological and literary evidence of both civilisations to bring to life the great untold stories of trade links between the two.

Fall of Shuruppak: Harappa 2 is available from Amazon in Paperback https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harappa-Fall-Shuruppak-Shankar-Kashyap/dp/...

and Kindle format https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Shuruppak-Harappa-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0...

and

Barnes & Noble in Paperback https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/harappa-2-mr-shankar-kashyap/11204...