Book Review: Pluck Out The Heart

This book is will leave an everlasting pleasure on reader's mind.

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The Blurb:

Pluck out the Heart is something beyond an anthology; it is a unique venture by five authors. Based on the horror/dark genre, this book stands out to be a variation in the approach to scary tales. Just as it will manage to run a long nail down your freezing spine, Pluck out the Heart is manicured with an intention to tell newly thought stories to the readers, page by page. The macabre wave of the reverent has been woven through the emotions in each story, as the characters in them are created to touch your heart and their darker part is sure to pluck it out! Another differentiating feature of this book is that the authors haven’t gone for the usually read and cliched commercial plot lines. Each tale that is told in the further pages is a well-chiseled work of art by the respective writer. We chose this topic after analyzing that the excitement about horror tales among the readers/audience is declining, owing to the fact that the creators are consistently failing to give the readers something fresh.

Excerpt:

Even before she could get her hands on a candle she could see the room light up dimly.

'Where is the light coming from? I did not light anything!'

Shivangi turned around only to see the upturned mirror that Vipin had gifted her with the reflection of a burning candle in it.

'How is it possible?' she wondered.

She came closer to the mirror and to her horror of horrors, instead of looking at her own image in the mirror, she saw the image of her dead sister holding a candle and smiling back at her! And, in background she saw an even more familiar face smiling that charming dimpled smile. It was Vipin!!

About the Authors: 

Sagher Manchanda, is a poet and storyteller. He has been published in several anthologies, e-books and e-mags. In 2014, Sagher won the Saarang Literary Award from IIT Madras.

Nalini Srivastava, a teacher by profession and is a poet by heart, with several poems published in national and international anthologies, short stories being the new genre she is dabbling with.

Nikhil Katkar is an Entrepreneur, Graphic Designer and co-founder of social website (worlikoliwada.com). Pluck out the heart is his first contribution in writing.

Shail Raghuvanshi is a freelance journalist, editor, content writer, book reviewer and poet. She has 20 years of writing experience in newspaper, magazine, radio, television and the internet. Her poems, short stories and articles have been published in leading magazines and journals.

Neelam Saxena Chandra, an author of twenty one books, is a record holder in the Limca Book of Records for being the author with highest number of publications in a year. She has won award in a poetry contest by American Embassy, Premchand award by Ministry of Railways, Rabindranath Tagore International poetry award, Freedom award by Radio city for her lyrics.

My Review:

This book will take you from dark fantasy to real life stories around you... 

The reader's heart...

Pluck out the Heart, an anthology comprises seventeen freaking horror stories that are sure to add fiery to your wits. Stories written by Sagher Manchanda stands different  because of its classic touch and thrilling suspense. The first five chapters are sure to blow out your mind. His stories are mostly based on ''As you sow, so shall you reap''. However, I enjoyed reading 'The Last Act'. One of the best stories in the book.

Nalini Srivastava's stories have beautifully weaved emotions. The story 'Think Before You Wish' depicts life of Rhea, who once had been a beautiful, bubbly and confident girl, now struggling hard in marriage with all her charms lost. Gautam, her husband plays a trick on her but with the help of her best friend, Avani; Rhea's spirit find justice. Nikhil Katkar, who made his debut in writing career with two of his splendid stories in this book. His stories, 'The Granny' and 'Visible To The Eye and Yet Invisible' are the work of sheer excellence. His writing style is simple with a well planned plot, and that's make his attempt a remarkable one. It would have been wonderful to read more stories from Nikhil Katkar rather than just two. Shail Raghuvanshi's 'The Gift'and 'The Last Concert' won my heart and stands distinct in the book. 'The Gift' revolves around Shivangi and an special event, her sixteenth birthday. She falls in love with Vipin, her maid's son. By the time, Vipin holds a special place in her heart and is reciprocated by the present that Vipin gifts Shivangi on her birthday...isssh, that's a secret. Read it to know. 'The Last Concert' is all about a husband's insecurity about his wife, as she is flat on a popular singer, Shafiq Ali. The mysterious events in the story will leave you astound. Neelam Saxena Chandra, one of my favorite authors never fail me. All of her stories were a sip of delight. With horror as its main ingredient she has conveyed valuable message for the society. 'The Hand of Fate' is about two immature college boys, Kaushal and Ramesh. Kaushal's young heart falls for Shweta. But Shweta being a goal- oriented girl doesn't accept his proposal. Out of an ego, Kaushal and his friend Ramesh plan to teach her a lesson by an acid attack. Shweta indeed teach them a better lesson and that gave me goosebumps. 'The Scent of the Mogra' and 'The Visitor' were like an icing on the cake.  

What I liked?

The book has been edited well with an intriguing narration. My personal favorite picks are- The last Act, The Varnish, The Granny, The Gift and The Visitor. It was the first time I picked up a horror genre to read and I think I should read some more.

What I disliked?

The only thing I disliked was the odd number of stories by authors. It should have been equal. Also, the cover page of the book could have been better and more tempting to eyes.

Why should one read this book?

If you are fed up of reading same genre again and again, Pluck out the Heart will prove to be a refreshing read. It has a mixture of different emotions and feelings- love, revenge, sin, endurance, morals, justice and the best part is...all of its stories have real life background. So, where at one end the stories fright you; on the other hand it has a lesson too. 

Stars...

To this horror reading ride which also offers importance of morals and good values in life, I give this book a four-star rating.

Book Details:

Rating:
Blurb: 3/5
Description: 4/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Excerpt: 5/5
Book Cover: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5

Title: Pluck Out The Heart

Authors: Sagher Manchanda, Nalini Srivastava,

Shail Raghuvanshi, Nikhil Katkar, Neelam Saxena C.

Genre: Horror

Type: Paperback

Publisher: Airavat Publishing

Language: English

Pages: 192

Year of Publication: 2015

Price: 199 INR

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Pluck Out The Heart will stand up to your expectations with unexpected twists and un-put-down-able narration. A ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Book that will refresh mood and leave an everlasting pleasure on reader's mind. This dark fantasy book is a perfect read for change and it won't fail you. Highly recommended for all, No second thoughts!

This book was given to me by the author in exchange of an honest feedback. The opinions expressed  in the review are my own, and remain unbiased and uninfluenced. I have given a four-star rating on Goodreads and FlipKart as I felt nothing less than that would be fair.