The Gods Are Not Dead by Abhaidev | Book Review | #Blogtober22 – Day 4

“This is the thing about life. If you are a nobody, you are free. The day you become somebody, attain power, you lose your freedom forever. Power and fame come at a price, which is accountability and peace of mind. The more public you get, the more answerable you become.”

It is a universal truth that man is a fickle and impressionable being. And this quote from Abhaidev’s newest release, The Gods Are Not Dead, perfectly summarizes what a man is and what he is capable of. It is also self-explanatory, for it captures the soul of the book it appears in.

In today’s Blogtober post, I’m talking to you about The Gods Are Not Dead by Abhaidev, a story of philosophy, politics, self-introspection, and mythological fantasy on a scale you wouldn’t think it would reach. If you’re into all these things, especially philosophy, this is one book you shouldn’t miss out on. Read on to find out what it is about, what I liked about it, and what I didn’t like about it.

The Plot

Book cover for The Gods Are Not Dead by Abhaidev

The Gods Are Not Dead is the story of Shaurya, an IT employee, who one day realizes that he has become indestructible. As opposed to what we might think, Shaurya doesn’t get drunk on this power. Instead, he wants to do something good for the world and tries out multiple ways to bring about change, to build a following. But people are apprehensive to follow him because of various reasons.

It is at one such attempt that Megha enters his life. She quickly helps him understand what he needs to do and under her expert guidance, with the help of every human philosophy under the sun, Shaurya slowly begins transforming into the change he wants to see in people.

But will Shaurya find his true calling or will he lose himself in this huge undertaking? Will this powerful duo be able to do what they’ve set out to do? Will the Gods be in their favor? Is there a God at all? Or is it all an illusion that man has created for himself? This forms the entire story.

What I Liked About It

With a book like this, the amount of research that had to go into it is obviously massive and it has paid off brilliantly because there’s not just one thing that I liked about the book.

First: The philosophy. From Socrates to Descartes to Kant to Spinoza to Schopenhauer to Camus to Wittgenstein – the rejoinders to their philosophies are a delight to read. There might be some you disagree with and some you agree with, just like it happened with me. But either way, you’ll get to read them in a nutshell, which is a fairly important step in understanding Shaurya.
This quote which is everything I believe and stand for: People are free to choose what they like as long as they don’t hurt others.
The writing. It’s brilliant in places and the improvement between the author’s first book that I read (The Influencer) and this one is pretty obvious.
The understanding of why paying an influencer for their services is important. It’s a fleeting mention, but it’s such a huge thing, because in this time and age, especially book influencers are treated with snobbery when we ask for remuneration.
The in-depth analysis of human nature makes for an intriguing read. It can be a slippery slope, like the much-referenced Sisyphus and his boulder. But once you start reading it, it’s like dipping your toes into different waters in quick succession. Sometimes even at the same time. It’s strange, but accurate.
The connection between humans and the Hindu Gods is an intricate web, tackling multiple topics with satisfactory endings. From reincarnation to moksha to nirvana, there’s a lot that you will read and work to digest. It’s not a hard pill, really.
Towards the beginning of the book, Shaurya is having a conversation with Megha where he’s talking about the purpose of life and why people do what they do. I loved how he says something on the lines of, why do people think that begetting children is the whole point of life? There’s so much more to life than that. Of course, Megha puts up a counter argument (one I’m not really on board with) but I read rather smugly as he went on here. (I’ve mentioned this in a rant I wrote here on my blog where I talk about me being exhausted and about how women are treated in the world.)
The book stresses on the importance of taking a stand. I think that in a politically charged world, this holds way more significance than ever.
As much as the Gods are mentioned, The Gods Are Not Dead isn’t as much of a mythological fantasy fiction as it is a philosophical treatise. The Gods are there, but philosophy on life holds the upper hand in this book. At least, the way I interpret it.
A conscientious protagonist! Yes, I know that most protagonists have a conscience. But to see a character setting out on the path they do and still having a conscience is a bizarre but welcome change.
The discourse on religion and it being intoxicating is yet another brilliant analogy. I was grinning as I read this particular paragraph. Relatedly, the extremely important difference between the definition of an atheist and the kind of atheists we see in society was eye-opening in a way.
And finally… What lies after death. For that, you’ll have to read the book and I promise you, it will grab your attention!

What I Didn’t Like About It

There are a few things that I didn’t agree with but I do acknowledge that people are entitled to their opinions on these subjects. There are other absolute points, however, that I do think could have been done better.

There are paragraph-long sermons that repeat some points here and there. If these repeated points were cut down, the book would have made for a much crisper read.
There are awkward sentence structures in quite a few places. For example: we are all agog or Shaurya suspired heavily or looked at him with solemn air.
Women are sometimes referred to as ‘the woman’ or ‘the lady’. It lends an unnecessary poetic air to it which doesn’t always fit in successfully.
This isn’t something that I didn’t like. Rather, something that I want to address. Here’s the quote that triggered it: Yes, people of today believe that we get to live only once and therefore we ought to live our lives to the fullest. Therefore, some people, the ones who take and twist such thoughts to the other level, feel no compunction doing wrong things. They justify their wrongful deeds by saying everyone does it. They justify their acts by suggesting there is nothing after death. But my question is: how do the people who insist on rewards or punishments after death know it? Have they been there before? Or are they merely blindly trusting word of mouth in such a topic when they wouldn’t be trusting on any other? Selective much?
The dismissal of happy, balanced people is rather disorienting. To see them referred to as useless is a jarring, concerning experience, really. However, despite there being no redemption to this point, I’d recommend reading and taking this in context.

Final Verdict

Overall, I think that The Gods Are Not Dead is a fantastic book about philosophy and human motivations and morals. Some parts may be tedious to get through, but overall, it’s quite an informative read and has something in it for everyone. Would highly recommend it!

Here’s the link if you’d like to buy the book after reading my review: The Gods Are Not Dead by Abhaidev.

So that was my review of The Gods Are Not Dead by Abhaidev. What do you think of my review? Did you like it? Did you not like it? What are your thoughts on the book? Will you be picking it up? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you! 😊

I’ll see you in tomorrow’s Blogtober post.

Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life. 😊