Review of MG Singh's novel " ROMANCE OF THE FRONTIER"

The Novel

Writing a novel is a work of inspiration and this novel by MG Singh fills that genre. I am told the novel was written many years back but was kept pending as the author never thought it good enough for publication. Having got hold of a copy I am impressed with the book. For a first timer, it is good and well written. There is a lot of action, killings, and the most important part is that the book is laced with oriental erotica.

The novel is published by Notion Books an Indian publishing firm from Chennai and overall as far as esteem value is concerned the book is well presented with a glossy cover that will attract readers.

The book is on sale on-line in both paperback forms, as well as a kindle e-book.

The Plot

The novel is set in the period when the British empire was on its last legs and as a parting shot had decided to divide India into two by creating Pakistan. This was a tumultuous period in Indian history and forms the background of the novel.

The hero is a Muslim Pathan tribesman who is benevolent, educated and above all a great warrior. The novel delineates his love affair with the daughter of a British major of the Indian army and subsequent affair with Anglo- Indian girl. In all this mayhem there are excellent erotic passages, as well as action. The hero kills with compunction, but he is just and fair . The author presents a feud between him and a Punjabi Muslaman who wants to drive the Hindus out of Punjab.

There is plenty of action and the reader can be spellbound in case he likes tales of love and adventure.

The author

MG Singh is an early retired officer of the IAF. He took up writing a few years back and has written over 7000 articles on the net. In addition, MG is a prolific short story writer and has published over 60 short stories in various magazines.

MG is presently a corporate advisor and “The Romance of the Frontier’ is his first novel. MG has drawn heavily from his experience in the services for this novel. He also has a strong connection with Punjab and thus has first-hand accounts from his grandfather about the tumultuous period of the partition of India which forms the backdrop of the novel.

MG is fond of golf and writing and is a specialist on military matters.

Last Word

Considering that it is the first book, I feel it's a commendable piece of work. However one wonders if all the gory violence depicted is really required in the novel. In addition, MG could well in his future books try and join up some disjointed parts. Probably he will iron out the problems in the next book.

The book runs into 252 pages and does a picture of that turbulent time. The backdrop of a sizzling love adds to the allure of the novel. It's a good tale and well presented. It's also a tribute to the language of English which is now part of India, making it the biggest English knowing nation in the world. At a conservative estimate over 350 million Indians are well versed in this language. India has produced a number of top writers like Salman Rushdie and Kushwant Singh and this book will add to the repertoire of English literature published in India.