War of the Tribes by Darius C. Modi. Published in 2021 by Inkfeathers Publishing, Flat No. 84, Janta Flats, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi 110095. Pp: 233. Price: Rs 399.
War of the Tribes, the debut novel of Darius C. Modi (pictured), a college student from Calcutta, is set in a fantasy world. It is the story of teenagers, all of them — boys as well as girls — above six feet in height, who have been chosen at birth to be readied for 
battle and violence. That it is a fantasy story is no surprise as Modi has always been inspired by the work of English writer John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and European mythology, though it is painfully evident that the young writer has bitten off more than he can chew.
The world Modi creates for this novel is a place called Lasgalan, land of white gems, which is divided into districts characterized by animals: lions, bulls, ravens, horses, dragons and wolves, to which last our protagonist, Ake, belongs. The ruler of Lasgalan is King Rendaf, whose father’s mortal enemy was the evil Yedgal against whom he fought.
The novel starts in a dreamlike manner, intriguing the reader. Ake recalls being lifted up by strong arms, hearing a scream and then falling unconscious. The story then moves to the present when he is aged 14. He lives with a family but does not in reality belong to it by birth because he was found under a tree and adopted. We learn that he is an expert horse rider, an archer with "a double bladed axe” as his weapon of choice. Another piece of information which is unusual is that Ake has a wolf as his preferred pet.
Faldor, his father’s brother, arrives to educate him and his friend, Garon, about the legends relating to every district of Lasgalan and train them, through participation in games, to combat the evil influence that looms large over the land. Modi spends a considerable amount of time describing this training, which gets repetitive after some time. As the novel progresses, one gets a sense of déjà vu with the same description of violent skirmishes and battles before, during and after the games. Each character has a guardian in the shape of an animal and they frequently merge and unmerge. Because of these repetitions, the novel becomes like a record stuck in the same groove. It is humanly impossible to fill page after page with potential threats and combat with axes, knives, arrows and maces and make them seem fresh and unusual.
A few interesting events do take place. One of the characters, Clint, is distraught when he learns that his mother had been killed by Yedgal. This would have been the opportunity to dwell a bit more on his grief and reveal another aspect of his character. But this is mentioned briefly and not really explored. There is mention of a love interest between Garon and Hasha, Ake and Elsa, Dan and Victoria; but Modi does not develop any of their emotions. They are merely referred to from time to time and the reader is not really convinced about the quality of these relationships.
There is absolutely no character development in the novel. The chosen ones seem to be programed robots or automatons on a killing mission. We know very little about their feelings or motivations and as a result they are more types rather than individuals. They merge into each other and one can’t really differentiate between many of them. The canvas is too large. Perhaps, if Modi had taken fewer characters and developed them adequately, the book would have been more interesting.
The book ends rather abruptly. We are given to understand that there will be further novels to continue the saga of the tribes, but even when books are published as a series it is customary to end each volume in such a manner that it can also be read as an individual and independent novel.
It would have been more prudent for Modi to be less ambitious. He certainly seems to have a very fertile and vivid imagination. It would be great if some of that could be converted into creating convincing and engaging characters who have more to do than take part in a series of never ending fights. F. G.