Book Review

A review of Warriors of the Galaxy

SA Hussain

English writing in Bangladesh seems to be booming. Tahmima Anam, Shazia Omar, Mahmud Rahman and now, “Warriors of the Galaxy,” an English sci-fi by Mia Ostad, is sure to delight readers.

Mia Ostad's novel takes the reader on an adrenaline pumped space odyssey as Tyron (a young Zen master living in a monastery on planet Dador) sets off to find his long lost parents and discover the truth about his identity.

Tyron has trained in Bushido martial arts. He is an expert warrior and he is born with ESP (extra sensory perception), which allows him to see his attacker's moves before they occur. When he inherits an antimatter sword and an Acturian jewel, which amplifies his ESP abilities, he feels invincible, but he doesn't know what he is up against. His space liner is attacked and captured by the pirate, El Capitan, whom Tyron must win over, to survive. El Capitan's clone daughters present Tyron with another dilemma as they try to tempt him away from his vow to give up worldly desires for nirvana.

This galactic adventure takes Tyron to Old Earth to meet the Knights Templars and to Rome to fight gladiators. Along the way, he gains strength and allies for his fight against Dracon, the power hungry villain who is trying to take over the galaxy with the help of his brutal army of Husects (human-insect genetic hybrids.)

Mia Ostad has been an avid science fiction and fantasy fan since childhood. During his years at Dhaka University, he spent countless hours combing through Neel Khet and British Council's library for novels like Dune and Stranger Land that fascinated him and inspired his imagination. Mia Ostad, also known as Aziz Ahmed, was previously Deputy Managing Director of Pubali Bank and the founding Managing Director of Brac Bank. When he is not busy with financial consulting, Mia Ostad continues to read and write. His second novel is on its way.

The cast in Warriors of the Galaxy is sure to give even Star Wars a run for its money and we sure hope someone in Hollywood picks it up to turn it into the monumental epic blockbuster it is destined to be. The book is available online.