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{{short description|2014 novel by Christopher C. Doyle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox book
| name = The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret
| image = The Alexander Quest.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| author = [[Christopher C. Doyle]]
| cover_artist = {{hlist|Ritu Rathour|Anand Prakash}}
| country = India
| language = English
| genre = [[Fiction]]
| series = ''The Mahabharata Series''
| publisher = [[Westland Books]]
| pub_date = 9 October 2014
| media_type = {{hlist|[[Paperback]]|[[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]]}}
| pages = 386
| isbn = 978-93-84030-59-9
| preceded_by =
| followed_by = [[The Secret of the Druids]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scroll.in/article/807710/joining-the-fictional-dots-between-the-mahabharata-alexander-and-stonehenge|title=Joining the (fictional) dots between the Mahabharata, Alexander and Stonehenge|date=8 May 2016|access-date=19 May 2016|publisher=Scroll.in}}</ref>
}}
'''''The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret''''' is the second novel by Indian author [[Christopher C. Doyle]] and was released on 9 October 2014 by [[Westland Books|Westland Publishers]]. The story follows Vijay and his friends as they embark on a quest to learn about [[Alexander the Great]]'s secret mission in India while encountering bioterrorism. Following his first novel, ''[[The Mahabharata Secret]]'', Doyle was signed for a three book series by Westland. The author researched further on the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and was also intrigued by Alexander's invasion of India and his sudden retreat. Doyle combined secrets from the epic and created the story, stating that he consulted Sanskrit scholars and science experts regarding the theories he put in the book. ''The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret'' was a commercial success and received positive critical reviews, which praised the storytelling and the theme.

==Plot synopsis==
In 334 BC, Emperor [[Alexander the Great]] travels to India and discovers a secret with the aid of his general [[Eumenes]]; he dies prematurely and Eumenes removes the information of the secret from any historical records related to Alexander.

In present day, archaeologist Alice Turner and her team unearth the tomb of [[Olympias]], mother of Alexander, and discover a small, mysterious cube there. However, her team are suddenly killed by mercenaries led by Peter Cooper, who blast off the tomb. Alice escapes to India to her ex-boyfriend Vijay's residence at Jaungarh fort. She details about her ordeal, and the group, consisting of Vijay, his friend Colin Baker, fiancée Radha, and her linguist father Dr. Shukla, listen to her and examine the cube. They find scripts on the six faces of the cube and try to decipher it.

[[File:Ruins of old Kandahar Citadel in 1881.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of old [[Alexandria Arachosia|Kandahar region]], set up by Alexander]]
In the meantime, [[Intelligence Bureau (India)|Intelligence Bureau]] (IB) official Imran Kidwai discovers unexplained corpses in a recently burnt down lab. Further examination leads to doubts of bio-terrorism. Kidwai enlists the help of Vijay, Radha and Colin, who are part of a joint task force between the United States and India to combat terrorism. Together with Radha he goes to interview Dr. Saxena, [[Chief Medical Officer|CMO]] of Titan pharmaceuticals, owners of the lab. Kidwai is later ambushed in his home with an [[Rocket-propelled grenade|RPG]] and gets critically injured. Through a series of papers belonging to his parents, who were also archaeologists, Vijay and his friends deduce that the cube was related to Alexander's secret quest in the [[Alexandria Arachosia|Kandahar region]].

Vijay, Colin, Alice and Dr. Shukla go to a museum in Delhi to find out about an ancient metal plate, but are cornered by a group of assassins led by Riley. They kill Rajiv Sahu, the curator, but the group manages to escape. Meanwhile, Radha is kidnapped and is taken to a medical facility by Saxena. He explains to Radha that the facility, as well as the burnt down lab were lockups, where human testing of Alexander's secret was going on through the combination of [[retrovirus]] and [[bacterium]]. It holds the key to reduce ageing and provide guard against most known diseases, thus making one immortal. Radha secretly emails her location to IB and tries to escape, but is shot. Saxena flees with a critically injured Radha while wiping out all information so that the IB does not get any evidence.

Vijay gets a call from the kidnappers asking him to surrender the cube and solve the puzzle regarding Alexander's quest, in exchange of Radha. He decides to go with the kidnappers and solve it, with Colin, Alice and Dr. Shukla helping him from Jaungarh. He travels to Afghanistan where he meets the leader, Christian Van Kleuck, an Austrian businessman associated with an ancient group called The Order. Van Kleuck explains to him that the secret referred to the potion of immortality, which Alexander had found. The legend was present in the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' by the name of [[Samudra manthan]] or Churning of the Ocean of Milk, which according to the epic had given rise to [[Amrita]], the nectar of immortality. Vijay understand that the order wants to find the ingredients in creating such a potion. The group starts on their quest to find the locations using the verses on the cube.

With help, Vijay guides Van Kleuck and his team to the [[Kunar Valley]], where through a series of sentinels, they stumble upon an underground lake in a cave. The water was white in color, and there were ancient distillation and mixing equipment present. After taking sample from the lake, which consists of the bacterium, the group continues to the final stop, [[Ustyurt Plateau]], between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. They reach a mountain formation called The Three Brothers, and climb the shortest of the three ridges. Inside a sealed chamber, the group find a number of vessels which had contained the churned Amrita. One chamber is full of snakes and Van Kleuck orders his men to take a pair of each, as they would be the virus needed in the potion. After finishing their job they lock Vijay inside, but are ambushed by the Kazakh Air force choppers and [[MiG-29]]s outside and escapes. Vijay is rescued and brought back to India.

In New Delhi, the group, along with Kidwai continue searching for the Order and Radha, although knowing she might be dead. One night, Vijay receives a mysterious phone call from a person claiming to be his father's ally, but promises to meet him with important information only after six months.

==Development==
[[File:Kurma Avatar of Vishnu. ca 1870.jpg|thumb|[[Samudra manthan]] was a primary idea behind the book's story]]

Doyle released his first novel, ''[[The Mahabharata Secret]]'' in 2013, calling it a story that he wrote for his daughter, which gradually expanded into a novel.<ref name="table">{{cite news|first=Sangeeta |last=Barooah Pisharoty |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/table-for-two-column-author-executive-coach-christopher-c-doyle/article6636165.ece |title=A taste of legends |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=26 November 2014 |access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref><ref>''The Mahabharata Secret'', 2013, p. 2</ref> The book was a commercial success, leading to Westland Publishers signing Doyle for releasing a thriller trilogy with the ''Mahabharata'' as the main inspiration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bookworm/bookworm-s-trail/westland-ropes-in-the-mahabharata-secret-author-for-thriller-trilogy_3289.htm |title=Westland ropes in 'The Mahabharata Secret' author for thriller trilogy |publisher=[[Zee News]] |date=29 May 2014 |access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref>

Doyle started researching more for the second book, utilizing the ideas he developed for the first one, reading the ''Mahabharata'' and a host of other research and books.<ref name="table"/> When asked, ''The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret'' was described by Doyle as "a contemporary thriller which is an intriguing blend of history, science and mythology."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141126/jsp/t2/story_19086762.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123024/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141126/jsp/t2/story_19086762.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|title=Fantasy writer Christopher C. Doyle tells t2 about the Mahabharata and science|last=Datta|first=Abhinanda|date=26 November 2014|access-date=27 July 2015|work=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Kolkata Telegraph]]}}</ref> He created a series with the story, titling it ''The Mahabharata Series'', and brought back the same principal characters from the first book.<ref name="dom">{{cite news|url=http://www.domain-b.com/people/interviews/20141215_mahabharat_quest.html |title=Christopher Doyle's Mahabharat quest |publisher=Domain Business |date=15 December 2014 |access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> However, Doyle explained that the book was not a sequel to ''The Mahabharata Secret'', but a logical extension of it by combining the ''Mahabharata'' and Alexander's secrets.<ref name="dwell">{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/alexanders-quest/article6531506.ece|title=Christopher C. Doyle dwells into Alexander and the myths of the Mahabharata in his latest book|date=25 October 2014|access-date=27 July 2015|work=The Hindu}}</ref> The author explained his views about utilizing Alexander's [[Indian campaign of Alexander the Great|campaign of India]] in the story:
<blockquote>
I could not accept the traditional explanation that his soldiers revolted at the banks of the [[Beas]] river saying they wanted to go back... For a man who had marched 20,000 miles in the quest of conquering the world would have ideally liked to conquer this territory as well. Instead he turned back mysteriously. So for me I saw this as a big gap and this is where I found the linkage in my book between the secret of the gods and Alexander's real purpose for visiting India.<ref name="dom"/>
</blockquote>

Doyle researched the scientific reasons to support the secret that he spoke off in the book, including travelling to [[Dasuya]], from where Alexander supposedly retreated. He believed that since Alexander had already proclaimed himself to be son of the Greek god [[Zeus]], he might have already come across such a secret.<ref name="nie">{{cite news|last=Vijayan |first=Naveena |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2014/12/01/Doyle-and-his-%E2%80%98Secret%E2%80%99-Quest/article2548580.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710132957/http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2014/12/01/Doyle-and-his-%E2%80%98Secret%E2%80%99-Quest/article2548580.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 July 2015 |title=Doyle and his 'Secret' Quest |work=[[The New Indian Express]] |date=1 December 2014 |access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> The story was left with a cliffhanging sequence, with Doyle confirming that he would continue writing till the second half of 2015. In total, it took him two years to finalize and complete the book, and he based the story in science, and not on conspiracy theories or religion or mythical fantasy.<ref name="dom"/> Doyle has said that unlike the unexplained methods in conspiracy theories he used "cutting edge" scientific discoveries of the last decade to substantiate the secret of Samudra manthan in the book, including consulting with scientific experts who said the explanation seemed plausible.<ref name="nie"/> "So I used a totally different scientific concept which I had to build from scratch. The use of hard core science and accepted scientific fact to explain mythology was something that makes my books different," he added.<ref name="dom"/> Finally, Doyle consulted with Sanskrit language scholars to interpret the [[shlokas]] he used in the book and completing it.<ref name="dwell"/>

==Release and aftermath==
The book was released on 9 October 2014 by Westland.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret|date=9 October 2014|id={{ASIN|9384030597|country=in}}}}</ref> Following its release, ''The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret'' sold 15,000 copies within a month. [[Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty]] from ''[[The Hindu]]'' believed that with the book, Doyle was "all set to establish [himself] as a fantasy writer who looks at legends and mythology through the tunnel of science, from the convenience of the modern-day world."<ref name="table"/> Nupur Gosai from [[Aaj Tak]] also gave a positive review, saying that "Doyle puts up a good image of the archaeology and the ancient history in front of the '[[selfie]]-freak' generation, although they might find it difficult to grasp all the concepts... The best part about the book is its pace and the storytelling which will keep readers engrossed continuously."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aajtak.intoday.in/story/book-review-the-mahabharata-quest-the-alexander-secret-by-christopher-c.-doyle-westland-limited--1-789923.html|title=बुक रिव्यूः महाभारत, रहस्य और सिकंदर का विजय अभियान|trans-title=Book Review: The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret|last=Gosai|first=Nupur|date=3 December 2014|access-date=27 July 2015|publisher=[[Aaj Tak]]|language=Hindi}}</ref> Arunava Sinha from Scroll.in listed the book as one of the year's top selling mythological inspired books in India, saying that "book-buyers are still keen to have their traditional myths packaged into racy tales, and the more they can combine historical characters and different epochs of time, the better. Hence the success of [the book]".<ref name="scroll">{{cite news|last=Sinha|first=Arunava|url=http://scroll.in/article/697512/the-three-genres-that-topped-2014-the-gap-between-pulp-and-literary-fiction-just-got-wider |title=The three genres that topped 2014: the gap between pulp and literary fiction just got wider |work=Scroll.in |date=28 December 2014 |access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> A writer for ''[[Verve (Indian magazine)|Verve]]'' magazine agreed with the previous review, adding that the book "will surely appeal to fans of mystery books".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vervemagazine.in/arts-and-culture/book-reviews-redrawing-india-the-emerging-feminine-the-mahabharata-quest-unseasonal-rain|title=Slices of Love and Life... Book Reviews|date=13 January 2015|access-date=27 July 2015|work=[[Verve (Indian magazine)|Verve]]}}</ref>

The paperback version of the book sold around 50,000 copies making it a commercial success. In October 2015, Doyle launched an online club called The Quest Club, and released a mini-sequel to ''The Alexander Secret'' as an [[e-book]] for free. The popularity of the e-book deluged the author with requests to publish the sequel as a paperback. He ultimately gave in, and the mini-sequel was published in print in March 2016.<ref name="mint">{{cite news|last=Venkatesh|first=M|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/sTTqSNOtIAM2FWuUKxlRRL/Readers-in-India-still-prefer-paper-to-pixels-ChristopherC.html |title=Readers in India still prefer paper to pixels: Christopher Doyle|work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |date=19 August 2016|access-date=5 September 2016}}</ref> Known as ''A Secret Revealed'', the mini-sequel deals with what happened when Vijay finally met the mysterious caller six months later at a [[Starbucks]] shop in [[Gurgaon]], India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://christophercdoyle.com/books/a-secret-revealed/|title=A Secret Revealed|work=Christopher C Doyle |access-date=5 September 2016|publisher=ChristopherCDoyle.com}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Ancient Greece|Biology|Mythology|Viruses}}
*[[Bacteriophage]]
*[[Phage therapy]]
*[[Kshir Sagar]]
*[[Reverse transcriptase]]
*[[Indian campaign of Alexander the Great]]
*[[Death of Alexander the Great]]
*[[Alexander the Great in legend]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.christophercdoyle.com/books/the-mahabharata-quest/ Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181217180842/http://christophercdoyle.com/books/the-mahabharata-quest/ |date=17 December 2018 }}
* {{YouTube|JfH5vTpzwbA|''The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret'' trailer}}
* [http://eurasia.travel/kazakhstan/cities_towns_places/western_kazakhstan/the_ustyurt_plateau/ The Ustyurt Plateau: the Three Brothers]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret, The}}
[[Category:2014 Indian novels]]
[[Category:Westland Books books]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Alexander the Great]]
[[Category:Novels set in ancient India]]
[[Category:Novels based on the Mahabharata]]
[[Category:Intelligence Bureau (India) in fiction]]
[[Category:Novels set in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Hindu mythology in popular culture]]
[[Category:Novels set in Delhi]]
[[Category:Sequel novels]]
[[Category:Indian mystery novels]]
[[Category:Indian thriller novels]]
[[Category:Novels about cryptography]]
[[Category:Novels about conspiracy theories]]

The Mahabharata Quest: The Alexander Secret - Revision history

MargretGerken: starting a entry w/ refs