Sacred games

A Novel

by Vikram Chandra

Hardcover, 916 pages

English language

Published May 2, 2007 by HarperCollins.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-113035-9
OCLC Number:: 73933122

(6 reviews)

Seven years in the making, Sacred Games is an epic of exceptional richness and power. Vikram Chandra's novel draws the reader deep into the life of Inspector Sartaj Singh—and into the criminal underworld of Ganesh Gaitonde, the most wanted gangster in India.Sartaj, one of the very few Sikhs on the Mumbai police force, is used to being identified by his turban, beard and the sharp cut of his trousers. But "the silky Sikh" is now past forty, his marriage is over and his career prospects are on the slide. When Sartaj gets an anonymous tip-off as to the secret hide-out of the legendary boss of G-Company, he's determined that he'll be the one to collect the prize. Vikram Chandra's keenly anticipated new novel is a magnificent story of friendship and betrayal, of terrible violence, of an astonishing modern city and its dark side. Drawing inspiration from the classics of nineteenth-century …

4 editions

Ikwezi reviewed Sacred games by Vikram Chandra

Review of 'Sacred games' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I really enjoyed the Dickensian, multiple-character main storyline, even though the evil plot uncovered by the protagonist when he solved the mystery was a little preposterous. Unfortunately, there was a second story that Chandra wanted to write, that took up 40% of the book (I counted), and consisted of the increasingly rambling soliloquy of a deceased gangster. If only there had been a creative writing instructor to tell him in no uncertain terms that this part of the book added nothing and was entirely unoriginal. Or maybe the fact that I never got into the Sopranos means I am resistant to the literary potential of the gangster and his tragic journey. Either way, it was maddening to get drawn back into these annoying (and very long!) chapters when I just wanted to continue with the main storyline and characters.

mchlgbbns reviewed Sacred games by Vikram Chandra

Review of 'Sacred games' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I gave up on reading this book after about 120 pages. For me the dullest parts are the ones narrated by Ganesh - the prose is just not interesting enough for me to care about his story. I usually love sinking my teeth into huge, ambitious novels, but reading this one felt like a chore.