Shiva Kumar will be at The Next Chapter on May 16
Manhasset resident Shiva Kumar is releasing the final book in his science fiction fantasy trilogy, The Lanka Chronicles. Book three, The Path of Destiny, is the epic conclusion to Kumar’s trilogy, which reimagines the 5,000-year-old Indian Epic, The Ramayana, in the 23rd Century. To read a passage from the book and participate in a Q and A with attendees, Kumar will visit The Next Chapter in Huntington on Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m.
Kumar Combines classic science fiction, epic fantasy, and grand mythology to create a saga of expansive vision, human frailty, twisted ambition, remarkable aliens, sentient machines, fallible gods and a quest for redemption.
The trilogy follows Dharma, leader of the New India Federation of Planets. Thirty years earlier, Dharma fought a Great Battle on the planet Lanka, where he lost his wife under mysterious circumstances. He receives a secret message from Lanka and sets out on a mission in hopes of reuniting with his wife, Arya, and atoning for his past.
The story is told from the point of view of Maya 1, the first sentient starship on her own voyage of discovery. Through Dharma’s dreams, Maya 1 uncovers his traumatic history and realizes her search for meaning is linked to his story.
Book one, An Awakening, features a lot of technology and explores futuristic culture. In book two, A New Reality, the characters crash on a planet, and none of their technology works. Kumar takes us back to a more fantasy-driven plot where the characters have to use bows and arrows, swords, and spears. Readers see the characters adapting to the natural rhythms of the planet and explore the female heroine, Arya’s spiritual connection to the plane.
In the conclusion of book three, Kumar brings everything back together in an epic conclusion. “Technology comes back at the end of book three, and spirituality is at a higher level. So we’re now at a very different connection between Dharma and Arya in book three,” said Kumar.
Kumar has lived in Manhasset since 1996 and has a career in film-making and acting. In 2015, he started writing and couldn’t stop. He worked on what he now calls The Lanka Chronicles for two years. In 2017, he created a massive book, which became three books once he began editing.
“It’s been a long process, and it was hard for me to figure out what this entire thing still is. It’s a story, yes, but there’s more to it than that,” said Kumar. “I’m trying to figure out what those bigger questions are that I’m trying to answer. I didn’t write it with the idea of having these lessons. It emerges after the book is done, and I get some time to reflect on it.”
One of the ideas Kumar is toying with is Indo-futurism. “There are so many people there, the resources are dwindling, and we have climate change happening, so it almost seems like if there was one group of people that would be desperate to find a way to colonize space, it would be the Indians. And if that were the case, what would the future look like?”
Visit The Next Chapter (204 New York Ave., Huntington) on May 16 to hear more about Kumar’s epic trilogy. All books will be available for purchase.
Learn more about The Lanka Chronicles and Kumar at www.shivakumarauthor.com.
