Maithili and the Minotaur: Isle of Insanity

MY THOUGHTS

It is that time of the year again, when a new edition of Maithili and the Minotaur drops, and this time it is green, mean, and everything in between!

If you are new to this graphic novel series:
1. Read the review of Book 1 and listen to the podcast
2. Read the review of Book 2 and listen to the podcast on how the story arc has grown
3. Read the review of Book 3 here, and notice the focus on colour to tell a story.

In this edition, Maithili, Minotaur, Wolfhound, Anjali, and Nagesh are still searching for Maithili’s mother, but stop at the Isle of Insanity when Maithili and Minotaur realise Anjali and Wolfhound were pulled there through the portal of the eyes. They find themselves on a rust-filled island on the path to destruction, as a sunset countdown demands the sacrifice of two children to appease the gods. The caretaker of the island, Thurumbu (meaning rust), is missing two children who escaped sacrifice. She meets Wolfhound and Anjali and decides to sacrifice them instead. When Maithili, Minotaur, Nagesh, and Aaruvaal the cat reach the Isle of Insanity, they follow the trail in search of their friends.

In its fourth edition, as in its third, author CG Salamander continues to move away from freaky monsters and into a territory that is dark, mysterious, and mindbending. We bear witness to an island whose residents are ready to sacrifice a hundred souls, once every ten years, just so the gods can be appeased and the rest of them can continue living. But this darkness is balanced with humour! Nagesh is the reincarnation of the God of Dance, performing his Pambudeva: The Snakening is hilarious and offers much-needed respite. As a native Tamil speaker, I found myself chuckling throughout the book at the many Tamil puns and wordplay. Pambudeva and Nagesh’s exclamations as he attempts to enter the Eyelight. Pachai and Nilam, and the chapter named Pachai Nilame. Salamander deftly continues to use folklore and oral history to weave a story so deeply rooted in tradition, yet mesmerising that every edition of Maithili is unputdownable.

Illustrator Rajiv Eipe creates a mysterious island so dark and mysterious that you can feel it under your skin. He borrows from the Theyyam dance tradition to create the gods and continues to use colour to draw the reader’s attention to different places on the island. His spread of the people living in the treetops, deep inside a forest, explodes with detail and has the ability to mesmerise the reader. Illustrations in this book add so much depth and character to the story.

This series has the power to transport the reader to far-off, mysterious lands as they join the main characters on a quest. The graphic novel format encourages readers to read in a sequential manner as both the text and illustrations nudge them towards finishing the book. I only wish we didn’t have to wait a whole year for a new edition of the series! But now that Book 4 is here, it is an excuse enough to pull out the earlier three for a Maithili and Minotaur readathon! Who’s with me?

P.S. Also read this book right up to the last page to find a special mention of Yours Truly in the Praise for the Series!