“Is The Mahabharata Secret similar to the Da Vinci Code?”
I have been asked this question before It is, I guess, an inevitable comparison. I will be happy to explain why The Mahabharata Secret is different from the Da Vinci code. Have your read the book? If you have, then you will relate to my explanation. If you have not, please read the book and let me know if you agree!
There are 3 reasons why I believe The Mahabharata Secret is different from the Da Vinci Code:
- The Da Vinci Code is based on a religious theme (which is, naturally, controversial). The Mahabharata Secret has no religious context or theme.
- The theory at the heart of The Da Vinci Code is a well known and well articulated theory (especially in the book “The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail”, which Dan Brown used as the inspiration for the book, by his own admission) which Dan Brown took and wove a story around. In The Mahabharata Secret, rather than pick up an existing conspiracy theory and use it as a base, I have developed my own theories – historical, mythological and scientific – and attempted to weave them with known facts to create a believable adventure.
- Finally, the most compelling difference, is the strong dose of science and technology that I have incorporated into The Mahabharata Secret. There is no science in the Da Vinci Code. But in my book, I have tried to interpret our mythological heritage in the form of the Mahabharata, through the eyes of science and have used actual physics and cutting edge technology to create a theory to provide a scientific basis for the actual secret that forms the heart of The Mahabharata Secret.
I look forward to hearing your views on this after you have read the book. Please stop by my Facebook page and leave a post or a comment: www.facebook.com/authorchristophercdoyle
Mr Doyle, is Aswathama the founder of the Order? I thought that he would be because he does have a grudge against the world.
Rajat, that’s a great idea and your logic is spot on. The origin of the Order, however, is older than Ashwathama. I don’t want to say more because that may spoil the suspense of the future books in the series. All I can say is that I hope that readers will be both surprised and not surprised when they learn the truth about the Order.
Sir, when are you publishing the sequel?
Parth, the sequel will be published in May 2016. Until then, I hope you are enjoying reading A Secret Revealed!
Sir, when shall the sequel be availible in the market?
Divyansh, the sequel will be available in May 2016. I hope you liked the cover.
Sir, what happens to Radha does she die or alive?
Vaibhav, I’m sorry but I can’t reveal that – you will get to know what happened to Radha (and whether she is dead or alive) later. Revealing this now will spoil the suspense of the future books. I am sure you will agree when you find out the truth.
She will become immortal, just a guess 😀
Nice guess. 🙂
No problem sir, eagerly waiting for to read the sequel.
Hello sir, I am Dhruv of Shalom Hills International School of class IX-B. I am very impressed from you, your speach was the first speech in which I listened carefully fully it was great to see you. My Dad has read your Mahabharta Quest. And told me to take the book he has of yours and get it signed from you. Unfortunately I forgot to put it in my bag Good luck. Hope you make more great books and reach heights of selling bestsellers.
Dhruv, thank you for your kind words about my session. I am glad you liked it. Your school has invited me back for another session, so please watch out for that and I will be happy to sign your book on that occasion. Thank you for your good wishes. Do join The Quest Club to accompany me on my adventures and also to stay updated on events and more sessions like the one I delivered in your school.
Hello sir, I am just happy that I could connect to you in this way and convey our thoughts. Just read the secret revealed book last night and wanted to chee up you on your work! Like the previous books, you own the reader’s mind with countless questions and thoughts. The tension that is created on each page of the book, I just love it. Waiting eagerly for your next release. Please do confirm the date. 🙂
Jaishree, thank you for connecting and sharing your thoughts with me. I am truly appreciative of your kind words and delighted that you enjoy reading my books. The new book will be released in end May/early June. In the meanwhile, have you read the preview of the new book at The Quest Club?
Yes sir just read the preview today and as usual I loved it. I find the plot to be completely different and intriguing. Wish to pre-order and wait for it sir. I also liked the switch of past and present way of story plot and introducing a female character that seem to me portrayed as Farooq in the Mahabharata secret. Loved the suspense carried out and at last we end up mindless riddles and puzzles. The preview was long awaited teaser that triggered us more. I do have small obligation please release books with your autograph sir. And I was pleased and thanks for your response on our messages sir. Great attitude to see you stay in touch with all of us sir. Awaiting for the exclusive secret of druids!!!
Glad to hear that you liked the preview, Jaishree. Just a few weeks before you can pre-order the book…
Hey ccd,
I am in agreement with with the differences but it will be so kind of you if you will tell me why is it so that the inevitable comparision is made. I would love to have your views on this.
Akash, I wish I had an answer for you. My blog was written in response to the people who insist on drawing parallels between Dan Brown and I. I’m afraid you will need to ask them why this comparison is being made. I can only hope that the day Dan Brown writes a novel that explains events in the Bible using science, these same people will call him the Western Christopher C Doyle!
Assuming that you have read dan brown novels or synopsis of them (conclusion made on your views and facts about the differences above). When I read your novel for the first time I thought the same until I read this article. I am unable to figure this till now. The fact that you are a skillful writer and given your expertise in the area and figuring from above points, I thought that you will be able to provide me with an answer. And if it is ok, atleast I want to know your views. This is a humble request of an admirer.
Akash, I have read Dan Brown and I still don’t agree with the comparison. I felt compelled to highlight the differences because many readers didn’t seem to actually notice what I felt were clear differences. As I said earlier, I really don’t know why the comparison is being made but I can venture a guess. I think that most Indian readers who make this comparison have not read very many books in this genre. Many readers would not have heard of Clive Cussler, who actually invented the genre and is a much more successful writer than Dan Brown. There are other authors, too, who write in a similar genre with elements of mystery, suspense, codes and history thrown in. I guess those authors, too, are not too well known in India, so there is no comparison with them either. Dan Brown, by virtue of the subject he chose in the Da Vinci Code, got a lot of press – and controversy, which created even more publicity. And, therefore, he got associated with this genre in India. Please don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying anything about Dan Brown as a writer, just his situation that made him more famous than others in this genre, even if they sell as many books if not more than him. I can think of no other explanation for this comparison because, if you really have to compare, then there are other authors who are much closer to my subjects of history and science in a thriller format – James Rollins, for example. That would be a more relevant comparison, except, of course, that even Rollins does not attempt a scientific interpretation of mythology. I hope I have been able to give you at least a glimpse into my views on this.
Thanks for this comprehensive reply. I got the point. And I know every writer is different in some way or the other. And yeah maybe because history is common point, everything else seems forgotten. Thanks for being so kind to answer this.
Warm regards.
You are welcome, Akash.
Yes Mr. Doyle u said it very right.. Da vinci code is alott different than your book.. It revolves around their ancient story about the Holy Grail which is a little different than the Mahabharta secret.. Loved your both books also the mini sequel of the Alexander secret.. I purposely purchased it rather than reading it in the quest club just to make a collection of your mind-boggling books
Chinmay, thank you for purchasing A Secret Revealed to add to your collection. That is, in fact, the only reason why we published the paperback after a lot of discussion – I was not happy to sell the book because it was written as a free gift. But there were a lot of readers like you who wanted the paperback either because they wanted the collection or they preferred books to ebooks. So I eventually bowed to the wishes of my readers.
Reading above blogs I can think of one reason for the comparison between u and Dan Brown… I have read all Dan Brown novels.. One similarity we can point out is that ur writing styles are some what same.. I mean to say that the way u both reveal the suspense in the end and turn out the whole story is quite similar… Talking about ur books, yes the books are completely different than each other.. Also the reason u gave is a valid one.. But your admirers don’t care about it Mr. Doyle .you are really an amazing writer.. Pretty excited for ur next book
Chinmay, thank you for your analysis. I know what you mean about the similarity. My only point was that all the other authors I have mentioned in one of my replies also have similar writing styles so I am unable to understand why I am compared to only Dan Brown – if a comparison is needed in the first place at all! And thank you for the reassurance that my readers don’t care about it – so nice to hear that! And thank you also for your kind words about my writing. It is appreciation like this that motivates me to keep striving to exceed your expectations.
Your books are the only gift for us Mr. Doyle.. we don’t mind to purchase books which gives us such a pleasure without thinking of the cost.. Please never stop writing sir….
Sir
There is one more difference between The Davinci Code & The Mahabharata Secret.In The Mahabharata Secret the secret is physically shown and destroyed but in The Davinci Code the secret is not shown physically.
And sir when is the fourth part of The Mahabharata Secret coming.
Thank you for that additional point 🙂
Book 3 in The Mahabharata Quest series should release late 2017.
Sir
There is one more difference between The Davinci Code & The Mahabharata Secret.In The Mahabharata Secret the secret is physically shown and destroyed but in The Davinci Code the secret is not shown physically.
And sir when is the fourth part of The Mahabharata Secret coming.
Mr doyle
I’m a voracious reader and my favourite genres are historical thrillers or historical fiction.
I absolutely love history and being an Indian, I’m so proud to be an Indian , proud to belong to a country with such rich history and culture.
Tbh, I’ve always been interested in Indian history but never found historical fictions by Indian authors that interesting.
I read Dan Brown’s book – The da Vinci Code which belonged to my grandfather and damn, I loved it so much and found it so inspirational.
Then i read angels and Demons and ohmygod, though I’m not even related to their religion or anything , the part where he defines god as someone who can’t always be with you/ help you physically or something like that, god is that energy which flows through your veins and is like your parent who can teach you, guide you , correct you just gave me chills !
Okie, so enough of Dan Brown ☺️
So when I read The Mahabharata secret , I swear it was so amazing and the best part was that it wasn’t about some other country, or some other author but it was truly Indian and that gave me a million more reasons to smile
The book was so good, I couldn’t just control myself that I had to wait till everyone slept and switched the lights on and then completed it. I still remember, the time was 1:27 AM.
So thank you so much sir for writing such a wonderful book which inspired me a lot.
My brother actually told me about the whole Asoka thing (no spoilers) and I didn’t know that there was a book on it and you should’ve seen my reaction when I got to know that there was a novel on it ☺️
I read it, loved it and shared it too
I haven’t read Alexander secret and the secret of the Druids I’m thankful that being a member of the quest club gave me access to the sequel to Alexander’s secret.
Also if there are any Dan Brown fans here , I found out yesterday that he’s writing a new book (Origin)
But I still love The Mahabharata secret maybe a bit more than Dan Brown’s books
It’s Indian and is about the most epic saga (The Mahabharata)
Huge fan of Mr. CCD and Dan Brown here
Please do write more books
All the Best
☺️
Thank you for your kind words. I am so glad that you enjoyed reading The Mahabharata Secret. It made my day to hear that you liked it even more than Dan Brown’s books! 🙂 I hope you enjoy reading The Alexander Secret and The Secret of the Druids as well. And I hope you are enjoying the content I keep posting at The Quest Club. There will definitely be more books to come.
I’m a big fan of you sir.. but I’m a Hindi reader and wanted to read ‘The Mahabharat Secreat’ in Hindi and also ‘the secret revealed’ in hindi.. The hindi readers also have the rights to read you.. Please make it available soon.. it’s a request
The Hindi edition of A Secret Revealed will be released soon.
However, the Hindi edition of The Mahabharata Secret cannot be released without the publisher’s permission. And, at the moment, the publisher is not interested in a Hindi edition. I have been trying to convince him, but until that happens, I’m sorry you will have to wait.
In the meanwhile, do read the Hindi edition of The Secret of the Druids, Book 2 in The Mahabharata Quest series (Book 2 of Mahabharata ke Raaz: Druid ka Rahasya). I am sure you will enjoy it.
Is the Mahabharata Quest series complete or are there more to come? I am interested to know what happens to Radha and the true identity of Kurt Wallace.
The Mahabharata Quest series will continue and you will get all your answers. The research is extensive and is taking a long time, but I will try and get the next 2 books out in quick succession. I’m hoping Book 3 of the series will release in early 2020. In the meanwhile, I hope you are enjoying The Pataala Prophecy series.
Hello sir.i am saranya from DPS Nacharam. I am a very avid reader and spend slot of my free time reading them. Though I have heard of your books I have not tried them out yet . Tomorrow we have an interactive session and I hope that we know more about your books.
PS historical fiction is one of my favourite genres.
Hello sir.i am saranya from DPS Nacharam. I am a very avid reader and spend slot of my free time reading them. Though I have heard of your books I have not tried them out yet . Tomorrow we have an interactive session with you and I hope that we know more about your books.
Hi Saranya, Welcome to The Quest Club and thank you for joining. I will be talking about my books and research tomorrow and I hope you enjoy the session.
Thank you sir. Will be looking forward to it.
Sir, I have read the four books of Mahabharata secret. But the death of Radha has left voids. I think I missed an explanation of her death or maybe she was related to Dee. Is there any further book covering that? I am eager to know what happened to her. Please share an insight.
Also, it has been an amazing journey reading your books. I have totally loved them. I hope you write more about Indian history.
Thank you
Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you have enjoyed the journey. There are more books to come in The Mahabharata Quest series. I’m hoping that Vijay will finally find out what happened to Radha. I hope you will also read The Pataala Prophecy series – it is a different kind of adventure, but also a lot of fun!
Sir waiting for book 4 of The Mahabharat Quest. When can we expect this wait to end?
PS- I liked Son of Brighu but not Mist of Bhrama so much. So eagerly waiting for Mahabharat Quest book4.
Book 4 of The Mahabharata Quest should release around August/September this year.
Hello sir, I have read both mahabharat quest and pataala prophecy series and it’s a wonderful journey. when will be book 3 of pataala prophecy will be releasing ?
Thank you for your kind words. I am delighted to hear that you have enjoyed reading the books. Book 3 of The Pataala Prophecy series will release after Book 3 of The Mahabharata Quest series (which will release later this year)
Hello sir I have read you book the Mahabharata secret it is a amazing book.
Thank you, Nitin!
Hello Sir,
I am Kuldeep & I would like to ask you why is Mahabharata secret is not a part of the series of the Mahabharata Quest, even though the Mahabharata Quest seems to be the continuation of the Mahabharata Secret?
Hello Kuldeep.
When I finished writing the Mahabharata Secret in 2008, I had no plans for a series. I did not even know if my book would get published and, indeed, it took 5 years for the book to finally see the light of day, when it was released in 2013. I had begun the research for more books along the same lines, but had not started writing any of them since I didn’t know how readers would respond to the book. It was only when the success of the book exceeded my wildest dreams, that I started planning The Mahabharata Quest series, with The Alexander Secret based on the research I had begun in 2010. Around the same time, I also changed my publisher and moved to Westland.
My vision for The Mahabharata Quest series was very different from The Mahabharata Secret, in which the entire story and action was set in India. The Quest series, as I saw it, was much bigger, with the same core of the Mahabharata, but a wider canvas, with action and the story setting spanning different countries and linking myths, legends and secrets from across the world, to the Mahabharata. I also went deeper into the science behind the Mahabharata in the Quest series, much deeper than I had done in The Mahabharata Secret.
I am sure, if you have read all my books, that you will see the difference between The Mahabharata Secret and the Quest series, even though, at the heart of the books, they have the same theme and subject.
I hope this helps to explain and answer your question.