In 398, Peruma City finds itself at the cusp of revolution. It's the 'Day of the Barricades'. Director Purul, along with her secretary Milana Maran, is heading to meet the Council in Low Town. When they're "side by side on the edge of the (Unity) Bridge", they sense an unusual tension in the air. Soon, the "ground bursts open", felling the director and the secretary. Through the smoke, two "feet away, blotting out the sun, stood a man", Jagat R, the director's assassin, a martyr in the eyes of the Commune. His last words: In the name of the Commune, unborn, die.
Thus begins Gautam Bhatia's meticulously structured speculative fiction, The Sentence. Its gripping prologue is followed by a crisp timeline of the Peruman Empire to the day of the Revolution. The story, however, begins in 498 in the 'Chapterhouse of the Free and Equal Confederation of the Guardians of Peruma'-the "Fortress Drab". Its atmosphere signals an anticipation of a verdict: Whether the Mandalium Agreement (a "revenue-sharing formula") must die? The Executive Committee wants to divide the Guardians into two six-member teams-one for the Commune and one for the Council-to ensure everlasting peace in Peruma City.
この記事は The New Indian Express の December 01, 2024 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は The New Indian Express の December 01, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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